Optimization of grain transportation routes to reduce combine harvesters’ downtime

This article is devoted to optimizing the logistics of the grain‐harvesting campaign in order to minimize idle time of high‐performance combines. The relevance of the problem—downtime of harvesting machinery due to untimely removal of the harvest—is substantiated, and the scientific novelty lies in formalizing on‐farm grain transport as a dynamic vehicle routing problem with time windows. An analysis of delay factors is presented; economic-mathematical VRP models are examined; and a hybrid dispatching algorithm is proposed, which integrates bunker‐fill forecasting with telemetry-driven vehicle reassignment. Special emphasis is placed on evaluating the solutions via simulation modelling. The aim of the research is to minimize combine idle time while maintaining fuel efficiency. To this end, a comparative analysis of international and domestic practices, linear programming, statistical modelling and a field experiment are employed. Nine sources addressing theoretical and applied aspects of grain transport are reviewed. Performance metrics demonstrate a 30% increase in combine throughput and a corresponding reduction in waiting time. Recommendations are offered for automating dispatch control, deploying on-site transloaders and fostering inter-farm cooperation. The results are expected to benefit researchers in agrologistics, managers of agricultural enterprises and developers of sector-specific digital services.