Decision support in international long-haul freight transportation for the planning of rest periods, breaks and vehicle refueling

Abstract

In international long-haul freight transportation, truck drivers are often on the road for several consecutive days or even weeks. During their trips, they must comply with the rules on driving time, breaks and rest periods which in the European Union are governed by Regulation (EC) No 561/2006. As the regulation has a high influence on the transport durations, it has to be taken into account when planning arrival times at customer locations and choosing among multiple customer time windows. Considering transport costs, a high attention should be paid to fuel costs as fuel is one main cost driver in the road haulage sector. An analysis of diesel price variations across different European countries showed that a significant potential for cutting fuel expenditure can be found in international long-haul freight transportation. Thus, fuel costs and driver rest periods and breaks are two important issues that transport companies have to take into account to be profitable.