Introduction to Dispatch

1.Introduction to Dispatch

The Dispatch application is the heart of TMWSuite. The other applications in the system are designed either to feed data to Dispatch, or to process information that results from entries made in Dispatch.

Dispatch is used to plan and record the daily activities of drivers, tractors, trailers, and carriers. It is most effective when data is entered in real time (i.e., when events are recorded as they occur), enabling you to look up the current location and availability of all resources. In addition, you can determine which resources are the best match for trips that have not yet started.

The two core functions of the Dispatch application are:

  • Dispatching of resources and tracking of dates/times, and locations of events performed for each trip.
  • Planning the resource assignments for moves that have not yet begun.

The appearance of the Dispatch window is determined by the core function currently in use. Dispatch has two faces—one is the Trip Folder, used for the update of individual trips, and the other is the Planning Worksheet, used to plan resource assignments for future trips. When you first sign on to Dispatch, this window appears:

The two icons at the far left in the frame tool bar allow you to indicate whether you want to access the Trip Folder or the Planning Worksheet:

  • Click to go to the Trip Folder.
  • Click to go to the Planning Worksheet.

The following pages provide more information about these faces, and the concepts on which they are based.

The Trip Folder: TMWSuite's trip update tool

The Planning Worksheet: TMWSuite's load planning tool

Understanding TMWSuite terms and concepts

What is a stop?

What is an event?

What is a movement?

What is a trip segment?

Split trip

Consolidated trip

What is a freight transfer (cross dock)?

The Trip Folder: TMWSuite's trip update tool

The Trip Folder is designed primarily for operations personnel whose main job function involves daily one-to-one communication with drivers and/or carriers about their trip assignments. The Trip Folder is used to record the dispatch of resources and to update the status of each trip as it progresses to completion.

The Trip Folder allows you to record details for a single movement. Primary information in this folder includes:

  • The dates, times, and locations of all stops.
  • Events that occur at individual stops.
  • Resources (driver, tractor, trailer, and/or carrier) assigned to the trip.

To access the Trip Folder, click on the Trip Folder icon in the frame tool bar. This illustration shows the Trip Folder with sample data:

If desired, you can click on the Trip Folder icon again to open another Trip Folder. You can open as many Trip Folders as your computer's memory configuration allows. This enables you to view information for multiple trips at one time. To manage your desktop, you can do any of the following:

  • Use the ALT+TAB keys to switch between windows.
  • Minimize the window currently not in use and then maximize the one you want to be operational.
  • Use commands under the Window menu to keep all Dispatch windows visible and to arrange them as desired.

For details on managing your desktop, see TMWSuite Basics: A Quick Reference Guide.

Notes:

  1. You can access the Trip Folder even if the Planning Worksheet is currently displayed. To do so, click on the Trip Folder icon in the frame tool bar. The system overlays the Trip Folder on top of the Planning Worksheet. To keep both windows open, you can use the desktop management tools that come with Microsoft Windows and/or TMWSuite.
  1. For details on how to use the Trip Folder, refer to the TMWSuite Dispatch – Trip Folder guide.

The Planning Worksheet: TMWSuite's load planning tool

The Planning Worksheet is designed primarily for operations personnel whose main job function involves load planning and resource management. It is sometimes called the Dispatch Board or the Planning Board. The Planning Worksheet is used to review outbound and inbound trips, and to match resources to outbound trips that are ready for dispatch.

To access the Planning Worksheet, click on the Planning Worksheet icon in the frame tool bar. This illustration shows the Planning Worksheet with sample data:

Each row of data on the Planning Worksheet provides information for a single trip segment. A trip segment is the portion of a movement that is executed by the same driver and tractor. Each time a new driver and/or tractor is assigned to a movement, the system creates a new segment. When a settlement is created for the trip, the driver is paid for the segment he executed.

If an entire movement is performed by the same driver and tractor, that movement consists of a single trip segment. If a change in driver and/or tractor is recorded for a movement, multiple trip segments result. The number of segments is determined by the number of times resources are changed.

The Planning Worksheet consists of two grids: the AvailableTrips grid on the top and the AvailableResources grid(s) at the bottom.

  • The AvailableTrips grid lists outbound trip segments that are ready for dispatch. This window can be considered a to do list. Usually, it displays the trips that have not yet begun. Trips are listed according to their origin points.
  • By default, the AvailableResources grid lists resources according to tractor ID and the inbound trip segments to which they were assigned most recently. Trips are listed according to their destinations so you can see where and when resources are (or will be) available.

If desired, you can click on the Planning Worksheet icon again to open another Planning Worksheet. You can open as many Planning Worksheets as your computer's memory configuration allows. This enables you to view information for multiple listings at one time. To manage your desktop, you can do any of the following:

  • Use the CTRL+TAB keys to switch between listings.
  • Minimize the window currently not in use and then maximize the one you want to be operational.
  • Use options under the Window menu to keep all Dispatch windows visible and to arrange them as desired.

For details on managing your desktop, see TMWSuite Basics: A Quick Reference Guide.

Notes:

  1. You can access the Planning Worksheet even if the Trip Folder is currently displayed. To do so, click on the Planning Worksheet icon in the frame tool bar. The system overlays the Planning Worksheet on top of the Trip Folder. To keep both windows open, you can use the desktop management tools that come with Microsoft Windows and/or TMWSuite.
  1. For details on how to use the Planning Worksheet, refer to the TMWSuite Dispatch – Planning Worksheet guide.

Understanding TMWSuite terms and concepts

TMWSuite uses a few unique terms, some of which come up in Dispatch. To understand how Dispatch works, you need to understand what is meant by these terms:

  • Stop
  • Event
  • Movement
  • Trip segment
  • Freight transfer (cross dock)

What is a stop?

A stop represents an occurrence at a particular site during a driver’s route. A stop is defined by:

  • A physical location
  • An activity, called an event in TMWSuite
  • The date and time of the event.

Some stops are determined by a customer’s order while others are not. For example, suppose a customer wants cargo moved from Company B to Company C. To complete the order, the driver makes a trip that consists of these four stops:

Stop 1:Driver deadheads from his current location at Company A.

Stop 2:Driver arrives at Company B, the pickup location recorded on the customer’s order.

Stop 3:Driver refuels at Fuel Stop 1, as directed by his dispatcher.

Stop 4:Driver arrives at Company C, the order destination.

Since Stops 1 and 3 were not specified by the customer, they are not associated with the order. As a result, the customer is not billed for them. Stops 2 and 4 are billable because the customer requested the pickup and delivery. In this trip, although not all the stops are associated with the order, all of them are part of the same movement.

What is an event?

An event is an activity that occurs at a stop location. Multiple events may occur at the same stop. An event can be primary or ancillary.

  • A primary event must occur in order for a trip to be completed. For example, if cargo must be moved from point A to point B, the trip consists of at least two primary events: a pickup and a delivery. In TMWSuite, a pickup is called a load; a delivery is called an unload.
  • A secondary event is an ancillary activity that is to be performed in addition to the primary event. A driver check call and a post unload are examples of secondary events.

An event code identifies a type of activity that is to occur at a stop location. Event codes are recorded in the Order Entry and/or Dispatch applications. These codes are used by the system to determine:

  • Whether miles between the current stop and the previous stop are to be considered loaded miles or empty miles.
  • Whether or not the stop is billable to the customer and/or payable to the driver.

What is a movement?

A movement is the record of the activities performed by the resources (driver, tractor, trailer, carrier) assigned to execute a trip. The Dispatch application is used to record the details regarding the stops and events that occur during a movement. A unique, system-assigned ID number is automatically associated with a movement at the time it is recorded in TMWSuite. This number can be considered the blanket ID for all activities that occur during a trip.

TMWSuite tracks two types of movements, loaded and empty.

  • Loaded Movement

A loaded movement is the moving of goods from one location to another. Such a movement occurs when a driver hooks his tractor to a loaded trailer and hauls it to the load’s final destination. For this type of movement, TMWSuite follows the loaded trailer. In other words, the movement is a record which documents the activity associated with the load from its pickup point to its destination. A loaded movement may consist of a single order or multiple orders.

Note: If the driver, trailer and/or tractor must first make an empty move to the pickup location, the empty leg of the trip is also part of the movement. If an empty leg occurs at the end of the trip, it too is part of the movement.

  • Empty Movement

An empty movement is the moving of a driver, an empty trailer and/or a tractor from one location to another. Since it involves only empty miles, the movement is not associated with any order.

There are two kinds of empty movements, a bobtail and a deadhead. A bobtail movement occurs when a driver and tractor travel from one location to another without a trailer attached. A deadhead movement occurs when a driver, tractor, and an empty trailer travel from one location to another.

What is a trip segment?

A trip segment is the portion of a movement that is executed by the same driver and tractor. Each time a new driver and/or tractor is assigned to a movement, a new segment is created. A system-assigned ID is associated automatically with each trip segment. When a driver’s settlement for a trip is prepared, he is paid for the activities that he performed during his segment of the trip.

Split trip

A split trip is a type of movement with multiple trip segments due to a change in the driver or tractor. A trip segment is the portion of a movement that is executed by the same driver and tractor. For more information, refer to the chapter “Splitting a trip”.

Consolidated trip

A consolidated trip is a type of movement with two or more orders. TMWSuite allows you to combine multiple orders onto a single movement. Such a consolidated trip can be an efficient use of resources when the stops for two or more orders can be made on the same route. The orders can be completed successively or concurrently if trailer capacity is sufficient.

What is a freight transfer (cross dock)?

Many trucking companies only handle truckload orders, which means that the trailer is completely filled with cargo from a single order. However, some companies combine multiple orders onto a single truck. By using the LTL (less-than-truckload) style of operation, trucking companies maximize equipment utilization while handling smaller shipments.

For a truckload carrier, there is a single order on a movement. However, for a trip made by an LTL carrier, one trailer can carry freight associated with multiple orders. Cargo from these multiple orders can be:

  • Temporarily dropped off at midpoint sites, such as warehouse locations or terminals, and/or
  • Transferred from trailer to trailer at sites located between the initial pickup and final delivery points.

The purpose of TMWSuite’s LTL freight transfer add-on is to allow the freight initially carried on one trailer to be split onto different trailers later for delivery to separate locations.

Here is the primary difference in how TMWSuite handles truckload orders and LTL orders:

  • For a truckload order, a single movement details the activities of the loaded trailer. Only one trailer is used for such an order. On a truckload trip, a single order is associated with a single movement.
  • For an LTL trip, an order is handled via multiple trailers on multiple movements. (Often, because the an individual order does not take up an entire trailer, multiple orders are first combined onto a single trailer. However, a freight transfer may involve only a single order.) As the trip progresses, cargo is either a) temporarily unloaded at a physical location, or b) transferred to another trailer. Each time a freight transfer (or cross dock) occurs, a new movement is created. Ultimately, this allows the dispatcher to assign different trailers to handle the continuation of the load(s) so that the order(s) eventually get to the final destination(s). On an LTL trip, a single order is associated with multiple movements.

Note: For details on the freight transfer feature, see the "Using the cross dock feature for LTL" chapter in the Trip Folder guide.

General Dispatch1Save Date: 2/2011

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