A public logistics network (PLN) is envisioned to be a multi-firm distribution system where several companies work in coordination for package transport such that packages maximize their values and trucks their profit. The presence of a multi-firm environment makes it difficult to have centralized control over the system and hence the coordination among various parts of the system becomes difficult as compared to a private logistics network where a single company controls the entire system. As a result, a coordination mechanism is required such that system work on its own without any central authority making plans for the operation of the PLN.
An analytical formula was developed to study the performance of a PLN. In this thesis, a simulation model of a PLN was developed and is used to determine the average waiting time for packages transported through a PLN for use in the analytical formula.
A set of protocols was proposed for the trucks and packages in a PLN to enable packages that value transportation the highest to be transported by trucks that can most efficiently transport the packages. In this thesis, the set of protocols was implemented in a simulation model and the performance of the PLN was compared with and without the protocols. The performance measures used were weighted waiting time and weighted transportation time for packages transported through a PLN. It was found that there was a significant decrease in waiting time associated with the use of the protocols.
