Computer-readable recording medium, calculation method, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed are a computer-readable recording medium, a calculation method, and an information processing apparatus, the computer-readable recording medium storing a calculation program for causing a computer to perform the following operations: acquiring a combination of a first periodic delivery and a second periodic delivery from periodic deliveries, each of the periodic deliveries has a route from a first node to a last node, and for each of the periodic deliveries, each parcel is loaded at which node and transported to which node has been determined; and deleting the first node of the second periodic delivery when the first node of the second periodic delivery matches the specified node by specifying the node last loading the parcel in the first periodic delivery, adding a route of the second periodic delivery after the specified node, and adding the first node of the first periodic delivery as a last node to create a transport vehicle relay delivery when the last node of the second periodic delivery does not match the first node of the first periodic delivery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments discussed herein relate to a computer-readable recording medium storing a computing program, a computing method, and an information processing apparatus. Background Art

[0002] In the distribution industry, packages are transported using transportation vehicles. Because there are various types of packages and a large number of stations, optimization of transportation plans is performed.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. 2020-56683 and 2019-117444, and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2021 / 0046929 and 2020 / 0027060 are disclosed as related arts. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] When loading and unloading packages at stations midway in such a transportation plan, there is a risk that a long transportation time is required to complete the transportation of the package. In contrast, research has been conducted on transport vehicle relay delivery in which one driver changes multiple transport vehicles. However, no technology for efficiently generating transport vehicle relay delivery has been disclosed.

[0006] In one aspect, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a computer-readable recording medium storing a computing program, a computing method, and an information processing device that can efficiently generate a transport vehicle relay delivery.

[0007] Solution to the problem

[0008] According to one aspect of the embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computing program is provided, the computing program being used to cause a computer to perform processing, the processing comprising: obtaining a combination of a first regular delivery and a second regular delivery from a set including a plurality of regular deliveries, each of the plurality of regular deliveries having a route from a first node to a last node, and for each of the plurality of regular deliveries, at which node each package is loaded and to which node each package is transported has been determined; and creating a transport vehicle relay delivery by specifying the node at which the package is last loaded in the first regular delivery, adding the route of the second regular delivery after the specified node, deleting the first node of the second regular delivery when the specified node matches the first node of the second regular delivery, and adding the first node of the first regular delivery as the last node when the last node of the second regular delivery does not match the first node of the first regular delivery.

[0009] Advantageous Effects of the Invention

[0010] Transport vehicles for relay delivery can be generated efficiently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1A is a diagram showing a transportation plan, and Figure 1B Yes Figure 1A An example of optimizing the transportation plan in .

[0012] Figure 2 is a diagram showing a transport vehicle relay delivery;

[0013] Figure 3 is a diagram showing a time schedule;

[0014] Figure 4A is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment, and Figure 4B is a hardware configuration diagram of an information processing device;

[0015] Figure 5 is a periodic delivery table storing each periodic delivery stored in the periodic delivery storage unit;

[0016] Figure 6 is a diagram showing a flow chart;

[0017] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the transport vehicle relay delivery creation process in step S2;

[0018] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B is a diagram showing a situation where a transport vehicle relay delivery is generated;

[0019] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a situation where a transport vehicle relay delivery is generated; and

[0020] Fig.10 It is a diagram showing a situation where a transport vehicle relay delivery is generated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In the distribution industry, transport vehicles are used to transport packages. For example, packages are transported from one site (node) to another site. Because there are various types of packages and a large number of sites, it is desirable to optimize the transportation plan.

[0022] Figure 1A is a diagram showing a transportation plan. Figure 1AAs shown, regular delivery a is a delivery that loads package 1 at station A and unloads package 1 at station B. Regular delivery b is a delivery that loads package 2 at station C and unloads package 2 at station E. Regular delivery c is a delivery that loads package 3 and package 4 at station D, unloads package 3 at station B, and then unloads package 4 at station E.

[0023] Figure 1B Show Figure 1A In the optimization, the stops for scheduled deliveries are changed, and the parcel transfer points are changed to reduce the number of deliveries, reduce the operation distance, shorten the transportation time (delivery time) of the parcel, etc. For example, in Figure 1B In the optimization result of , in the periodic delivery c, package 3 and package 4 are loaded at station D, package 3 is unloaded and package 2 is loaded at station C, and package 2 and package 4 are unloaded at station E. In the periodic delivery a, package 1 is loaded at station A, package 3 is loaded at station C, and package 1 and package 3 are unloaded at station B. By doing so, the periodic delivery b can be omitted.

[0024] According to such a transport plan, one driver usually operates one transport vehicle. However, in the case where loading and unloading of packages occurs at a station midway in the transport, there is a risk that the transport time taken to complete the transport of the package may increase. In contrast, in the case where one driver changes multiple transport vehicles, the time taken to load and unload the package can be shortened. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as transport vehicle relay delivery in which one driver changes multiple transport vehicles.

[0025] Transport vehicle relay delivery has the following advantages. For example, at a station where the driver changes from a first transport vehicle to a second transport vehicle, the time spent unloading the package from the first transport vehicle is reduced. The second transport vehicle may already be loaded with packages before the first transport vehicle arrives at the station. Therefore, since the time for loading and unloading packages can be reduced, the transport time can be shortened. As a result, the driver's restraint time can be shortened, and the number of drivers can be reduced. By separating the transport work and the cargo loading and unloading work, the driver's working environment can be improved. Since the second transport vehicle can be pre-loaded with packages, the space used to store packages during the waiting time before the first transport vehicle arrives can be reduced.

[0026] Figure 2is a diagram showing a relay delivery of transport vehicles. For example, in regular delivery a, a driver loads package 1 into a first transport vehicle at station A, and transports package 1 to station B. Next, the driver switches to a second transport vehicle loaded with packages 2 and 3 at station B, unloads package 2 at station C, and unloads package 3 at station C. Unloading of packages is not performed by the driver, but by loading and unloading personnel at each station.

[0027] Figure 3 The upper part is shown Figure 2 Diagram of the time scheduling of transport vehicles in relay delivery. Figure 3 The upper part of shows the time schedule until package 2 is unloaded at station C as an example. Figure 3 As shown in the upper part of , first, it takes time to load package 1 into the first transport vehicle at station A. Although the work of loading package 1 is performed by the loading and unloading personnel, this work can also be performed by the driver. Then, it takes the driving time of the first transport vehicle to travel from station A to station B. Although the work of unloading package 1 is performed at station B, the driver does not perform this work. Package 2 has been loaded in the second transport vehicle. Then, the driver changes from the first transport vehicle to the second transport vehicle, departs from station B, and transports package 2 to station C. At station C, the work of unloading package 2 is performed. Although the work of unloading package 2 is performed by the loading and unloading personnel, this work can also be performed by the driver.

[0028] Figure 3 The lower part of is the time scheduling in the case where package 1 and package 2 are transported by one transport vehicle instead of a transport vehicle relay delivery. Figure 3 In the lower part of FIG, the time schedule until package 2 is unloaded at station C is shown. Figure 3 As shown in the lower part of , first, it takes time to load package 1 into the first transport vehicle at station A. Although the work of loading package 1 is performed by the loading and unloading personnel, the work can also be performed by the driver. Then, it takes the driving time for the first transport vehicle to travel from station A to station B. At station B, the work of unloading package 1 is performed. The work of unloading package 1 can be performed by the loading and unloading personnel or the driver. Then, at station B, the loading and unloading personnel or the driver loads package 2 into the first transport vehicle. Then, the driver transports package 2 to station C. At station C, the work of unloading package 2 is performed. The work of unloading package 2 can be performed by the loading and unloading personnel or the driver.

[0029] exist Figure 3 In the upper part of the scheduling, Figure 3Compared with the scheduling of the lower part, the work time is shortened by the work of unloading package 1 and loading package 2 at station B. Accordingly, the transportation time can be shortened. Since the work of unloading package 1 and loading package 2 at station B are performed by the loading and unloading personnel, the burden of the driver is reduced. As described above, by using the transport vehicle for relay delivery, the transportation time can be shortened and the burden of the driver can be reduced.

[0030] The constraints of the transport vehicle relay delivery will be described. First, the driver changes the transport vehicle at the designated station. Secondly, for the replaced transport vehicle, the package can be loaded before the transport vehicle before the replacement arrives. For the replaced transport vehicle, it can depart at a later time point between the time when the transport vehicle before the replacement arrives and the time when the loading of the package of the replaced transport vehicle is completed. The replaced transport vehicle does not continue to transport the package of the transport vehicle before the replacement. Some types of packages may not be transported by transport vehicle relay delivery. The departure site matches the final site (the driver returns to the departure site). It is expected to efficiently generate the above-mentioned transport vehicle relay delivery.

[0031] In the following embodiments, an information processing device, a calculation method, and a calculation program that can efficiently generate a transport vehicle relay delivery will be described.

[0032] [First embodiment]

[0033] Figure 4A 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The information processing apparatus 100 is a server or the like for performing optimization processing. Figure 4A As shown, the information processing device 100 functions as a regular delivery storage unit 10, a calculation unit 20, a transport vehicle relay delivery storage unit 30, and the like.

[0034] Figure 4B is a hardware configuration diagram of the information processing device 100. Figure 4B As illustrated, the information processing apparatus 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 101 , a random access memory (RAM) 102 , a storage device 103 , an input device 104 , a display device 105 , and the like.

[0035] CPU 101 is a central processing unit. CPU 101 includes one or more cores. RAM 102 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs executed by CPU 101, data processed by CPU 101, etc. Storage device 103 is a non-volatile storage device. For example, a read-only memory (ROM), a solid-state drive (SSD) such as a flash memory, a hard disk driven by a hard disk drive, etc. can be used as storage device 103. Storage device 103 stores calculation programs. Input device 104 is a device for a user to input desired information, and is a keyboard, a mouse, etc. Display device 105 is a device that displays the calculation results of calculation unit 20, etc. on a screen. Each unit of information processing device 100 is implemented by CPU 101 executing a calculation program. Hardware such as a dedicated circuit can be used as each unit of information processing device 100.

[0036] The periodic delivery storage unit 10 stores a plurality of periodic deliveries. Figure 5 The regular delivery table stores each regular delivery stored in the regular delivery storage unit 10. Each of these regular deliveries has a route from a first station to a last station, and each package is loaded at which station and transported to which station is determined. For example, Figure 5 As shown, the operation start time and the operation time limit are defined. The operation start time is the time when the operation can be started, and it is the time when the operation does not need to be performed at this time. The operation time limit is the time when the operation ends. The stop site is determined for each regular delivery. For example, in regular delivery a, the transport vehicle departs from site A, stops at sites B and C in sequence, and returns to site A. In regular delivery b, the transport vehicle departs from site B and arrives at site A.

[0037] Determine the packages to be transported in each scheduled delivery. For each package, determine the route, weight, transportation time taken to travel along all routes, arrival time, etc. For example, determine that package 1 and package 2 are transported via scheduled delivery a. Package 1 is transported from station A to station B. Package 2 is transported from station B to station C. Determine that package 3 is transported via scheduled delivery b. Package 3 is transported from station B to station A.

[0038] The type of transport vehicle to be used for transport is determined in each scheduled delivery. Once the transport vehicle type is specified, the maximum loading capacity, etc. can be determined.

[0039] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 6The flowchart in describes the calculation process. First, the calculation unit 20 obtains information about each periodic delivery from the periodic delivery storage unit 10, and creates a set P of pairs of any two periodic deliveries (step S1). The pairs of periodic deliveries include the first half periodic delivery and the second half periodic delivery. For example, in the case where the periodic delivery storage unit 10 includes periodic deliveries a, b, and c, as pairs of the first half periodic delivery and the second half periodic delivery, pairs of periodic deliveries a and b, pairs of periodic deliveries b and a, pairs of periodic deliveries b and c, pairs of periodic deliveries c and b, pairs of periodic deliveries a and c, and pairs of periodic deliveries c and a are obtained as a set P. As described above, pairs of periodic deliveries a and b and pairs of periodic deliveries b and a are regarded as different pairs. However, pairs of periodic deliveries that do not meet the operation end limit even when there is no package are excluded from the set P. Pairs of periodic deliveries that are prohibited from being set as transport vehicle relay delivery are also excluded from the set P. For example, pairs including regular deliveries involving multiple drivers because the duration of the regular deliveries exceeds one driver's daily working hours are excluded from the set P because one driver may not change transport vehicles.

[0040] Next, the computing unit 20 performs a transport vehicle relay delivery creation process (step S2).

[0041] Figure 7 : is a flowchart showing the details of the transport vehicle relay delivery creation process in step S2. First, the calculation unit 20 obtains a pair from the pairs included in the set P, and sets the first half periodic delivery to the periodic delivery α, and sets the second half periodic delivery to the periodic delivery β. The pair of the first half periodic delivery α and the second half periodic delivery β is called a pair (α, β). The calculation unit 20 creates a new transport vehicle relay delivery γ based on (α, β) (step S11). As the attributes of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (operation start time, operation time limit, transport vehicle type, etc.), the attributes of the periodic delivery α are inherited. As the maximum loading capacity of the transport vehicle relay delivery, the larger of the maximum loading capacity of the periodic delivery α and the maximum loading capacity of the periodic delivery β is inherited.

[0042] Next, the calculation unit 20 obtains the stop site α_k where the package is loaded last except the first stop site among the stop sites (α_1, α_2, ..., and α_n) defined in the regular delivery α. The calculation unit 20 adds the stop sites α_1 to the stop sites α_k (α_1, ..., and α_k) to the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S12). In (α_1, α_2, ..., and α_n), the stop sites are represented in the order from the left site to the right site. Therefore, the transport vehicle stops at the site α_1, then stops at the site α_2, and finally stops at the site α_n. In the case of (α_1, ..., and α_k), the site α_1 is the departure site, and α_k is the last stop site. In the case where there is a package that is loaded before the site α_k and unloaded after the site α_k, the following steps S13 to S21 are not performed.

[0043] Next, for the stop sites (β_1, ..., and β_n) defined in the regular delivery β, when α_k is different from β_1, the calculation unit 20 adds β_1 to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S13). Therefore, after the site α_k where the package is loaded last in the regular delivery α, the transport vehicle travels to the loading site where the package is loaded first in the regular delivery β. When α_k is the same as β_1, step S13 is not performed.

[0044] Next, the calculation unit 20 adds (α_k+1, . . . , and α_n) and (β_2, . . . , and β_n) to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S14).

[0045] Next, when the last stop in the transport vehicle relay delivery γ is different from the station α_1, the calculation unit 20 adds the station α_1 to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S15). Therefore, the driver departs from the station α_1 and returns to the station α_1. When the last stop in the transport vehicle relay delivery γ is the same as the station α_1, step S15 is not performed.

[0046] Next, the calculation unit 20 obtains a package set Q of each package transported by the periodic delivery α and each package transported by the periodic delivery β (step S16). However, among the package set Q, packages that cannot be transported by the transport vehicle relay delivery are deleted from the package set Q and are set as the package set R. For example, a criterion for determining whether transportation can be performed by the transport vehicle relay delivery is determined.

[0047] Next, the calculation unit 20 checks whether various constraints (operation time limit of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ, arrival time limit of the package, loading capacity, etc.) are met when the package set Q is transported by the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S17). For example, since the travel time between the sites has been determined, once the order of the stop sites is determined, the time to arrive at each site can be calculated. For each package, it can be determined whether the time when the package arrives at the site as the transport destination is before the arrival time limit. Because the loading site and the unloading site are determined for each package, once the route is determined, the combination of packages loaded at the same time is determined. Accordingly, it can be determined whether there is a combination of packages whose maximum total weight exceeds the maximum loading capacity. In the case where the transport vehicle relay delivery γ does not meet the operation time limit, the following steps S18 to S21 are not performed.

[0048] Next, the calculation unit 20 deletes the packages that do not meet the arrival time limit from the package set Q, and adds them to the package set R (step S18).

[0049] Next, the calculation unit 20 searches for a regular delivery that can transport each package in the package set R among the regular deliveries other than the regular deliveries α and β (step S19). For example, the Dijkstra method or the like can be used as a search method. For example, among the remaining regular deliveries in the set P, a regular delivery that transports a package whose loading site matches the unloading site is searched. After the corresponding regular delivery is searched, each package in the package set R is added to the searched regular delivery. In the case where there is no regular delivery that can transport each package in the package set R, the following steps S20 and S21 are not performed.

[0050] Next, the transport vehicle relay delivery storage unit 30 outputs information about the transport vehicle relay delivery γ (step S20). The information to be output includes the stop sites (γ_1, ..., and γ_j) of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. The information to be output includes the site γ_i-1 where the driver changes the transport vehicle. The information to be output includes the transportation information of the package set Q to be transported by the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. The information to be output includes the transportation information of the package set R to be transported by delivery other than the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. The information stored in the transport vehicle relay delivery storage unit 30 can be displayed on the display device 105.

[0051] Next, the calculation unit 20 deletes the pair corresponding to the regularly delivered pair (β, α) from the set P (step S21). This is because the transport vehicle relay delivery can be generated by the combination of regularly delivered (α, β). By performing the above processing, the transport vehicle relay delivery creation processing is completed.

[0052] Refer again Figure 6, the calculation unit 20 deletes the pair corresponding to the regularly delivered pair (α, β) from the set P (step S3). In the case where the pair (α, β) is successfully set as the transport vehicle relay delivery, the pair including the regularly delivered pair corresponding to the regularly delivered α or the regularly delivered pair corresponding to the regularly delivered β is deleted from the set P.

[0053] Next, the calculation unit 20 determines whether the pair disappears from the set P (step S4). For example, in a case where the number of remaining regular deliveries in the set P is less than two, it is determined as "yes" in step S4.

[0054] When it is determined as "yes" in step S4, the execution of the flowchart ends. When it is determined as "no" in step S4, the process is executed again starting from step S1. Therefore, steps S1 to S4 are executed again for any pair among the remaining pairs in the set P, and it is determined whether the pair can be set as a transport vehicle relay delivery.

[0055] Fig. 8A , Figure 8B and Fig. 9 It is shown that by Figure 5 A diagram of a case where the periodic delivery a described in is used as the first half periodic delivery α and the periodic delivery b is used as the second half periodic delivery β to generate the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. Fig. 8A As shown, the first half of the regular delivery of α (α_1, α_2, ..., and α_n) stops at (station A, station B, and station C). The second half of the regular delivery of β stops at (β_1, ..., and β_n) at (station B, station A).

[0056] Among the stop sites of the first half regular delivery α, the site where the package is loaded last except the first stop site is site B, and thus α_k is site B. Therefore, (site A and site B) are added to the transport vehicle relay delivery γ.

[0057] Since site B as α_k and site B as β_1 are the same, β_1 is not added to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ.

[0058] The remaining stations (α_k+1, ..., and α_n) of the regular delivery α and the station A corresponding to (β_2, ..., and β_n) are added to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. In this case, since the station A as α_1 and the station A as β_n are the same, α_1 is not added after the station β_n. According to the above, the stop stations of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ are (station A, station B, station C, and station A).

[0059] Fig.10 is used to describe the first half of the regular delivery α is Figure 5The periodic delivery a described in the figure, and the latter half periodic delivery β is a diagram of the case of periodic delivery in which the package is loaded at station D and unloaded at station E. Fig.10 As shown, the first half of the regular delivery of α's stopover sites (α_1, α_2, ..., and α_n) are (site A, site B, and site C). The second half of the regular delivery of β's stopover sites (β_1, ..., and β_n) are (site D and site E).

[0060] Among the stop sites of the first half regular delivery α, the site where the package is loaded last except the first stop site is site B, and thus α_k is site B. Therefore, (site A and site B) are added to the transport vehicle relay delivery γ.

[0061] Since the site B as α_k and the site D as β_1 are different from each other, the site D as β_1 is added to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ.

[0062] The station C which is the remaining stations (α_k+1, ..., and α_n) of the regular delivery α is added to the end of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ. After that, the station E corresponding to (β_2, ..., and β_n) is added. In this case, since the station A which is α_1 and the station E which is β_n are different from each other, the station A which is α_1 is added after the station β_n. According to the above, the stop stations of the transport vehicle relay delivery γ are (station A, station B, station D, station C, station E, and station A).

[0063] According to the present embodiment, a combination of the first half of the periodic delivery α and the second half of the periodic delivery β is obtained from a set including a plurality of periodic deliveries. The station where the package is last loaded in the periodic delivery α is designated, the route of the periodic delivery β is added after the designated station, and when the designated station matches the first station of the periodic delivery β, the first station of the periodic delivery β is deleted. In the case where the last station of the periodic delivery β does not match the first station of the periodic delivery α, the first station of the periodic delivery α is added as the last station, and a transport vehicle relay delivery is created. Through the above processing, the transport vehicle relay delivery is effectively generated.

[0064] In each of the above examples, the periodic delivery α is an example of a first periodic delivery, the periodic delivery β is an example of a second periodic delivery, and a station or a stopover station is an example of a node.

[0065] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to such specific examples, and various modifications and changes may be made within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure described in the claims.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a computing program for causing a computer to execute a process comprising: Obtaining a combination of a first scheduled delivery and a second scheduled delivery from a set including a plurality of scheduled deliveries, each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries having a route from a first node to a last node, and for each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries, at which node each package is loaded and to which node each package is transported is determined; as well as A transport vehicle relay delivery is created by specifying the node where the package is last loaded in the first periodic delivery, adding the route of the second periodic delivery after the specified node, deleting the first node of the second periodic delivery when the specified node matches the first node of the second periodic delivery, and adding the first node of the first periodic delivery as the last node when the last node of the second periodic delivery does not match the first node of the first periodic delivery.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 1, the processing further comprising: It is determined whether the periodic deliveries included in the set satisfy the condition of the transport vehicle relay delivery, and the periodic deliveries that do not satisfy the condition of the transport vehicle relay delivery are excluded from both the first periodic delivery and the second periodic delivery.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium of claim 1 , the processing further comprising: Determine whether the parcel to be transported by the first periodic delivery and the second periodic delivery satisfies the conditions for relay delivery by the transport vehicle, and for the parcel that does not satisfy the conditions for relay delivery by the transport vehicle, search for a periodic delivery other than the first periodic delivery and the second periodic delivery that can transport the parcel.

4. The non-transitory computer readable recording medium of claim 1 , the processing further comprising: The process of deleting the first periodic delivery and the second periodic delivery from the set, acquiring two periodic deliveries from the remaining periodic deliveries, and creating a new transport vehicle relay delivery is repeated until the number of remaining periodic deliveries is less than two.

5. A method of computing implemented by a computer, the computer performing a process, the process comprising: Obtaining a combination of a first scheduled delivery and a second scheduled delivery from a set including a plurality of scheduled deliveries, each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries having a route from a first node to a last node, and for each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries, at which node each package is loaded and to which node each package is transported is determined; as well as A transport vehicle relay delivery is created by specifying the node where the package is last loaded in the first periodic delivery, adding the route of the second periodic delivery after the specified node, deleting the first node of the second periodic delivery when the specified node matches the first node of the second periodic delivery, and adding the first node of the first periodic delivery as the last node when the last node of the second periodic delivery does not match the first node of the first periodic delivery.

6. An information processing device, comprising a computing unit, the computing unit being configured to perform a process, the process comprising: Obtaining a combination of a first scheduled delivery and a second scheduled delivery from a set including a plurality of scheduled deliveries, each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries having a route from a first node to a last node, and for each of the plurality of scheduled deliveries, at which node each package is loaded and to which node each package is transported is determined; as well as A transport vehicle relay delivery is created by specifying the node where the package is last loaded in the first periodic delivery, adding the route of the second periodic delivery after the specified node, deleting the first node of the second periodic delivery when the specified node matches the first node of the second periodic delivery, and adding the first node of the first periodic delivery as the last node when the last node of the second periodic delivery does not match the first node of the first periodic delivery.

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