# An Optimization Route Selection Method of Urban Oversize Cargo Transportation
## 5 Conclusions  
Based on the optimization for entropy weight-TOPSIS with the cloud model, this paper constructs a calculation method for the selection of oversize cargo transportation routes, which can improve the reasonability and accuracy of route selection. The entropy method is used to objectively weight the seven main transportation influence factors, and on this basis, the cloud model is used to optimize weight with a subjective score and the TOPSIS method is used to divide alternative transportation routes. Using four routes through Suzhou which are capable of oversize cargo transportation for empirical analysis and calculations, reasonable calculation results could be obtained. In the actual transportation of oversize cargos, the calculation results of this method could be used to provide the decision-making basis for the rapid selection of oversize cargos through the city.  
This method could comprehensively consider subjective and objective weights. Furthermore, because the urban oversize cargo transportation route choice problem is a multi-target plan, the accuracy and scientificity of the evaluation results are guaranteed by introducing the cloud model into the entropy weight method to distinguish the attributes of each factor. Based on the characteristics of the cloud model that can reasonably handle subjective evaluation, it can be used to optimize the weight; the objective distribution of the weight is ensured and the subjective opinions of the practitioners are fully considered.  
For different types of oversize cargos, adjusting factors in the actual transportation process could be considered. For example, for ultra-high cargos, the decision maker could introduce more height-related factors, such as traffic lights and overhead wires. For ultra-wide cargos, more factors related to width could be introduced, such as bus stops.  
The main contributions of this study can be summarized as follows:  
1. It summarizes the factors that need to be generally considered in urban oversize cargo transportation.
2. Based on the characteristics of the cloud model that can reasonably handle subjective evaluation, it can be used to optimize the weight; the objective distribution of the weight is ensured and the subjective opinions of the practitioners are fully considered.
3. The weight optimization method combined with TOPSIS is introduced into the field of oversize cargo transportation passing through a city for the first time, providing a new route selection solution. Its Pearson correlation coefficient for actual transportation is 0.018 higher than the entropy weight-TOPSIS method and 0.057 higher than the TOPSIS method.  
This research can be used for the selection of large cargo transportation routes within cities but there is no discussion on whether large cargo can be split and transported, which can be improved upon in future research. However, since the selected survey objects are all from urban large-cargo transportation cases, the method can be used in intercity large-cargo transportation--but it needs to be adjusted according to the characteristics of intercity transportation.  
Conceptualization, D.H. and M.H.; Formal analysis, D.H.; Funding acquisition, M.H.; Investigation, M.H.; Methodology, D.H.; Project administration, M.H.; Validation, D.H.; Writing--original draft, D.H. and M.H.; Writing--review and editing, D.H. Both authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Not applicable.  
The data and analyses from the current study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.