How to Create a Dispatch in 5 Minutes or Less!
There probably aren’t many day-to-day tasks that require such little time and effort–unless you’re using TruckLogics, in which case, 5 minutes isn’t the same 5 minutes you’re used to.
Instant gratification!
Don’t believe me? It’s natural to have your doubts, especially if you’re used to managing dispatches manually. But through the powers of technology, creating a dispatch really is that fast thanks to our auto-fill feature that completes most of the fields for you.
So let’s walk-through dispatch creation step-by-step so you can see how simple it truly is. When logged into your account, select “Dispatches” along the top menu, and then click +New Dispatch on the top right to get started.
This will open up the Dispatch Board in which you can enter all of the details needed to create a new dispatch. Now you’re ready to begin!
1. Customer Info.
2. Shipper/Consignee Info.
Again, minimal typing will be required here as you can choose the shipper and consignee from your Address Book too! Noticing a pattern?
Just enter the name of the Shipper or Consignee, and the address of the business will pop-up for you. All that’s left is entering the date and time of the pick-up/drop-off, as well as any extra instructions you have for the driver.
And now you can add multiple stops in each dispatch too! To add another stop along the trip, simple click +Save and Add Another under the Consignee section, and repeat the process until all stops have been added.
3. Freight Details
An optional section, here you can just add any details about the load that you’d like your drivers to know about, or details you’d like to keep for your records. You can enter a description of the load’s contents, the weight or value of the load, and even check whether the contents are HazMat, Overload, Tanker, or Reefer.
We’re almost done!
4. Miles
In the Miles section, you have three choices for calculating the mileage for the trip: Google Maps, Manual (to configure it yourself), or- my personal favorite- ProMiles. ProMiles professional routing provides the most accurate address-to-address routing available.
When you choose to calculate your mileage with ProMiles, you can give your clients a quote with confidence knowing that the actual trip will not deviate from the route it provides. That’s because ProMiles takes road restrictions, low overpasses, and all of those other factors that inflate your costs into account, and it only provides a route that a truck can actually drive.
From this section, you can also optimize your route if there is more than one pick-up or drop-off in the dispatch. Just click View Routing Order on the right side of the mileage menu. From here, you can view all of the stops along the route, and drag and drop them into a different order to optimize and organize the trip before the dispatch is finalized.
5. Charges
Here you can add any Hauling fees, Fuel Surcharge fees, or accessorial fees to the dispatch. For hauling fees, you can choose to calculate the cost per mile, per bushel, per ton, per hundred wt., or just a flat fee. If you choose per mile, then using the mileage calculation from ProMiles or Google Maps, the Hauling charge will be calculated for you, because you shouldn’t have to!
6. Driver, Truck & Trailer
This is it! The final step, and it’s just as easy as each one before. It’s time to assign your driver and equipment to the dispatch. Here your Address Book, as well as Truck Zone, will save the day and save you from excessive typing.
It only takes a few clicks. Just select your driver, truck, and trailer from the drop-down menus, and Voila! You’re finished!
Just click the big orange button at the bottom “Create Dispatch,” and you’re finished!
You can also come back to this screen and edit the information at any time after. All in all, it only takes about 5 minutes, but once you get the hang of it, you could do it in 2 minutes or less!
Maybe we should hold Dispatch Olympics to see who’s fastest on the draw!
If you like what you see (and who wouldn’t!), but don’t have a TruckLogics account yet, don’t fret! Get 15 days free!
And if you’d like to see what else you can accomplish in 5 minutes or less using TruckLogics, let our Support Crew show you! They provide free, live demos tailored to your business, all you have to do is ask! Email them at [email protected] or call them at 704. to set up a time convenient for you.
