Time-Risk Tradeoff of Hazmat Routing Problem in Emergency Situation

Risk and cost are important factors in Hazmat routing problem. While the local authorities try to minimize risk, transport companies plan to reduce cost. In emergency situation, time is an important issue and should be minimized to carry vital substances of Hazmat. This is a serious concern when petrol and other fuels should be transported to the areas which are probably affected by heavy rain or snow. In this paper, a methodology, consisting tradeoff between time and risk, has been proposed to satisfy local authorities to reduce time and risk simultaneously. Mathematical model has been developed for analytical process of finding the best path in various priorities of risk and time and utilizing well-known methods of finding shortest path including Bellman-Ford, Breadth First Search and Dijkstra. Results show proposed methodology can be applied in Hazmat routing problem in emergency situation particularly in long-term trips while different alternatives or paths are available.