Development of a Parameterizable Process-Oriented Model for Freight Cost Estimation

Reliable estimation of costs in road freight transportation gives a decisive advantage for industrial companies both on the supplier and customer side. However, existing methods of costs estimation are complex, time-consuming and may produce inaccurate results. This paper aims to develop a parameterizable process-oriented model based on historical transport data, which allows a reliable estimation of the transport costs before transportation is carried out. The core of this model is the filter process, which enables to select respective historical data sets in the best possible way. The paper gives a comprehensive literature review of existing solutions, discusses the methods of analysis and processing of available data under the existing conditions, resulting in the development of a new model and a corresponding filter process. The proposed model allows a reliable estimation of the transport costs on the chosen route, which can be obtained in a shorter time as compared with existing methods. The process model has already been validated by the industry and continues to be applied and improved due to the growing importance of the logistics sector.