A comprehensive empirical analysis of 16 heuristics for the transportation problem

All algorithms that generate optimal solutions to the transportation problem require a starting feasible solution that is determined heuristically. A number of empirical studies have compared the solution quality obtained by some of these heuristics. The better the starting heuristic solution is, the less work that needs to be done by the algorithm that generates an optimal solution. In this article, we focus on both a wide variety of heuristics (16 in all), as well as a thorough range of transportation problem parameters. Specifically, most experimental analyses focus on Vogel’s approximation method, whereas this article includes Russell’s approximation method, the Maximum Demand heuristic and various hybrid heuristics. The total number of problems solved by each of the 16 heuristics analysed in this article is 4320; more than any previous article. OR Insight (2011) 24, 63–76. doi:10.1057/ori.2010.13; published online 2 February 2011