Vehicle routing and scheduling on the internet : fact or fiction?

Vehicle routing and scheduling on the Internet: fact or fiction? That is the topic that will be addressed in this paper. Internet based software is booming these days. Technical developments, improved communication possibilities and lack of qualified ICT staff have been reasons for companies to outsource (a part of) their automation. The buzzword when it comes to outsourcing is ASP: Application Service Provider. Basically, an ASP is a service organisation that, mostly via the Internet, offers software applications to companies. Or, as the Butler Group defines it (1): an ASP delivers and manages Intelligent Transportation (IT) application(s) and service(s) to multiple users via a private network or the Internet. The crux is that companies are not buying the software, but instead only pay for using it. The difference between ASP and hosting relates to the multiple users. In the ASP model one application may be used by different users, whereas with hosting every application is dedicated for a single user(group). The popularity of ASP seems to be linearly increasing with the speed of the Internet connections. The concept of using software on a remote location (instead of buying it and installing it within the company) is not new. Technologically, it has been possible to do this for a while, by using a designated network. However, this was a very costly solution. Internet has made the use of remote software economically possible. However, the speed of the Internet has only recently become sufficient to make remote software a feasible alternative for in-house software. In this article the potential benefits of the ASP developments for transport companies are discussed. The focus will be on vehicle routing and scheduling software, being one of the most important software tools for a transport company. Vehicle routing and scheduling involves the allocation of trucks to customers and orders, and the trip planning of trucks. In section 2 an overview of advantages and disadvantages of ASP is given. Section 3 focuses on the use of software for vehicle routing and scheduling, and addresses the potential benefits of the ASP model. In the final section the conclusions of this article are presented.