A sequential priority-based heuristic for scheduling material handling in a satellite cross-dock

• We present the problem of scheduling material handling in satellite cross-docking terminals.
• We represent the mathematical representation of the problem.
• A fast heuristic algorithm is presented which is applicable to practical problems.
• The results depict the efficiency of the proposed approach.

In a less-than-truckload logistic network, the satellite cross-dock is in charge of local deliveries. These terminals operate in two separate shifts: consolidating pickup freight for overnight shipments and processing received products for early morning deliveries. Satellite cross-docks are flexible when scheduling trucks and where the priority is to minimize handling cost. In this paper, we formalize cross-docking process by presenting a mathematical model. We develop a sequential priority-based heuristic algorithm to deal with practical problems. Numerical results show the stability of the heuristic method for fairly large size problems.