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The load board and booking a load

Book a load with its stops, appointment windows and reference numbers, then give it a driver, a truck and a trailer and send it to the driver.

For
OwnerDispatcherFleet manager
Hosting
Any hosting
Devices
All devices
Business
Trucking

Checked against Pop Dispatch 0.1.0

The Trucking board shows every open load in a column: Booked, Dispatched, In transit, Delivered, Invoiced. A banner counts the booked loads that still need a driver or a truck. Open a load to see its stops, charges and paperwork.

Before you start #

  • Add your carrier numbers and customers first. See trucking-overview-and-setup.
  • Know the stops: where the freight is picked up and delivered, and the appointment times.

Steps #

  1. Choose New load. Pick the customer to bill (the broker or shipper).
  2. Type the commodity, weight, piece count and equipment (dry van, reefer, flatbed and the others on the list).
  3. Add the stops in order. The first is a pickup and the last is a delivery. Between them any stop can be a pickup or a delivery. Give each stop a name, an address, and an appointment window (from and to).
  4. Add reference numbers: a PO, a pro number, the broker's load number. Each has a label and a value.
  5. Set the rate. Choose Flat and type the amount, or Per mile and type the rate and the loaded miles. Set the detention rate and the free minutes if the agreement has them.
  6. Save. The load gets the next number (L-0001, L-0002 and on).
  7. Choose Assign, then pick the driver, the truck and the trailer. Pop Dispatch refuses a driver, truck or trailer with an expired licence, medical card, registration, insurance or inspection and tells you which one.
  8. Choose Dispatch. The load moves to the Dispatched column and appears on the driver's phone.
  9. Print the Rate confirmation to send to the broker. Print the Bill of lading for the driver to carry.

A load can change until the driver arrives at the first stop. A booked or dispatched load can be cancelled.

Technical details
  • POST /trucking/loads takes customer_id, stops (each kind, name, address, appt_from, appt_to, notes), refs (label, value) and the load fields. Times are ISO 8601 and read in the business time zone when they carry no offset.
  • POST /trucking/loads/:id/assign takes driver_id, truck_id, trailer_id; POST .../dispatch needs a driver and a truck.
  • GET /trucking/loads/:id/rate-confirmation.pdf and .../bol.pdf print the paperwork in the business's branding. Weight prints in pounds, or kilograms when the business uses kilometres.
  • GET /trucking/board returns the columns.

If something goes wrong #

  • Choose a driver before dispatching: assign a driver and a truck first.
  • The stops cannot change after the driver has arrived: cancel the load, or add the change as a note.