System Engineering and Productivity

System Engineering and Productivity

Integrated Truck Scheduling and Internal Operations in a Multi-Door Cross-Docking System with Reconfigurable Process Machines

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Mohammad Hosein Tavakkoli 1
Reza Tavakkoli-Moghaddam 2
Behdin Vahedi-Nouri 3
1 M.Sc. Student, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Corresponding author: Professor, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, School of Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/sep.2026.2090815.1506
Abstract
Cross-docking terminals play an important role in improving logistics efficiency by reducing inventory holding and shortening delivery lead times. In a cross-docking terminal, products are generally moved directly from an incoming truck to an outgoing truck without entering long-term storage. While there have been several studies on truck scheduling decisions at cross-docking terminals, most emphasize door assignments, truck sequencing, and temporary storage. The internal processing operations that take place between unloading and loading are often simplified or assumed to be continuously available. To help address this limitation, a new mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model is proposed for a multiple-door cross-docking terminal equipped with reconfigurable processing machines. In the proposed cross-docking system, products should first undergo internal operations (e.g., labeling, repacking, and inspection) to be configured for the machine, and then be transferred to the appropriate door for loading onto an outgoing truck. The results indicate that integrated coordination among dock-door assignment, truck scheduling, and internal processing is essential for reducing the tardiness penalty of outbound trucks. The sensitivity analysis shows that internal processing time is the most critical operational bottleneck in the system, while increasing the number of dock doors has only a limited marginal effect beyond a certain level. In addition, reconfigurable machines can improve terminal performance by increasing flexibility in assigning product batches to processing resources. It was also shown that when processing machines are modeled as simple non-reconfigurable machines, they impose, on average, 34% higher cost on the model compared with the case in which reconfigurable processing machines are considered.

Highlights

  • Joint optimization of door assignment, truck scheduling, and internal processing
  • Reconfigurability enhanced terminal flexibility in handling multiple product types
  • Identification of processing time as the primary operational bottleneck of the system
  • The necessity of balancing dock capacity and internal processing capacity for optimal terminal performance

Keywords
Cross-docking
Truck scheduling
Dock-door assignment
Reconfigurable process machines
Mixed-integer linear programming
Subjects

Copyright © Mohammad Hosein Tavakkoli, Reza Tavakkoli-Moghaddam, Behdin Vahedi-Nouri

 

License

This article is released under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone is free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this article for any purpose, whether commercial or non-commercial, as long as proper citation is given to the authors and original publication.

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System Engineering and Productivity
Volume 6, Issue 4 - Serial Number 21
Winter 2027
Pages 313-342

  • Receive Date 01 June 2026
  • Revise Date 09 July 2026
  • Accept Date 18 July 2026
  • First Publish Date 20 July 2026
  • Publish Date 20 February 2027