Transportation cost estimation in freight distribution services with time windows: application to an Italian urban area

This paper studies a set of indicators for evaluating how the quality of a freight distribution service with time windows, which operates on a given road network to satisfy a number of requests, affects the service cost. The result of a service quality setting, expressed as the width of the time windows, has been assessed using five indicators, which are a measure of the service operating costs and based on the request compatibility time interval. Each indicator's performance has been evaluated in an experimental context to produce realistic test cases, using a trip planning tool and a demand generator. The results confirm the ability of the selected indicators to predict with a good approximation the transportation costs and therefore to support the service quality planning decisions.