The effects of time window slackness on the sustainability performance in vehicle allocation problems

This study aims to examine the effects of different time window choices in Vehicle Allocation problems on three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. For this purpose, a Vehicle Allocation Problem under time window constraints is formulated using the Mixed Integer Programming model. Tight and loose time windows are examined using the relevant model; The profitability of the company in terms of the economic dimension, the number of satisfied customers under the assumption of penalty costs in terms of the social dimension, and the effects on the emission rate resulting from transportation activities in terms of the environmental dimension were examined and analyzed. As far as is known, there is no study in the literature that analyzes the effects of time window choices on sustainability in vehicle allocation problems. It is anticipated that this thesis study can potentially contribute to the sustainable freight transportation management literature by filling this gap in the literature.