Bahar TasarDeniz Tursel EliiyiLevent Kandiller2025-10-0620190353-53201848-406910.7307/ptt.v31i1.2670http://dx.doi.org/10.7307/ptt.v31i1.2670https://gcris.yasar.edu.tr/handle/123456789/7533This study focuses on a distribution problem involving incompatible products which cannot be stored in a compartment of a vehicle. To satisfy different types of customer demand at minimum logistics cost the products are stored in different compartments of fleet vehicles which requires the problem to be modeled as a multiple-compartment vehicle routing problem (MCVRP). While there is an extensive literature on the vehicle routing problem (VRP) and its numerous variants there are fewer research papers on the MCVRP. Firstly a novel taxonomic framework for the VRP literature is proposed in this study. Secondly new mathematical models are proposed for the basic MCVRP together with its multiple-trip and split-delivery extensions for obtaining exact solutions for small-size instances. Finally heuristic algorithms are developed for larger instances of the three problem variants. To test the performance of our heuristics against optimum solutions for larger instances a lower bounding scheme is also proposed. The results of the computational experiments are reported indicating validity and a promising performance of an approach.Englishmultiple-compartment vehicle routing problem, incompatible products, split delivery, multiple trips, mathematical model, heuristic algorithmsHYBRID GENETIC ALGORITHM, HETEROGENEOUS FLEET, MEMETIC ALGORITHM, DELIVERY PROBLEM, SPLIT DELIVERY, TABU SEARCH, CLASSIFICATION, COLLECTION, DEPOT, OILArticle