The Dispatch Board (also known as the Dispatch Page or Dispatch Section) is where you'll review unassigned/unscheduled/outstanding tasks, assign tasks to your drivers, and optimize their routes.
You'll also use the Dispatch Board to track task progress throughout the day, adjust task details/statuses as needed, and handle any "Dump Later" tasks.
Before You Start
Here are a few things to know before you continue:
- We have a training course in the Learning Hub specifically designed to teach you how to successfully dispatch each day by working in the Dispatch Board!
Click here to go to the Learning Hub and log in.
Click here to learn how to log into the Learning Hub.
Click here for more info on our 'Dispatching Dumpster Tasks' course. - In order to use IronRoute AI during dispatching, your Docket account needs to be on our Pro Plus plan. If you're not on the Pro Plus plan and are interested in upgrading, please contact your original Sales Rep or our Support team to upgrade your contract in order to add DocketShop to your account.
There are 4 main ways you'll use the Dispatch Board each day that are covered below:
- Review scheduled, unscheduled, outstanding, assigned, and unassigned tasks.
- Assign tasks to drivers.
- Manually optimize drivers' routes yourself and/or use IronRoute AI to automatically optimize drivers' routes. (IronRoute AI can only be used if you're on Docket's Pro Plus plan.)
- Review task completions and handle "Dump Later" tasks.
Review Tasks Each Day
To review, schedule, and assign tasks each day, simply click on Dispatch to the left of your Docket account.
The Tasks and Dump/Yard Locations column holds a list of all your Unassigned, Unscheduled, and Outstanding tasks.
As a best practice, you'll want to review all the tasks in each of these lists to ensure no rentals are missed.
Unassigned Tasks
Unassigned tasks haven’t been assigned to a driver for completion yet.
If a task was previously assigned to a driver, but that driver was removed from the task, the task will automatically appear in this Unassigned task list and stay here until it’s assigned to a driver again.
Outstanding Tasks
Outstanding tasks are tasks that were previously scheduled and assigned to a driver, but weren’t marked as complete.
For example, a Drop Off was assigned to Rob on July 6th, but he forgot to mark it Complete. On July 7th, Docket automatically moved that task to the Outstanding task list.
Unscheduled Tasks
Unscheduled tasks are missing a Date under the Scheduling section.
A task may end up in the Unscheduled list because the Date field was manually cleared of the original date, but usually tasks end up here because the assigned driver couldn’t fully complete it and marked it ‘Dump Later’ in Docket's mobile app.
Assign Tasks to Drivers
Depending on the workflow(s) that you currently follow, you may assign tasks to drivers as they're created or you may wait until the tasks' scheduled date to assign them to a driver.
If you need to assign a task to a driver through the Dispatch Board, the fastest way to do that is to drag and drop the task card to the driver’s column.
You can also click on a task to open it up and scroll down to the Assignment section. From the drop-down menu, select which driver the task should be assigned to.
Don’t forget to click “Update” at the bottom of the task to save your changes!
After dragging and dropping the task or using the Assignment section of the task, you’ll see the task in the driver’s column along with any other tasks they’re already assigned.
Manually Optimize Drivers' Routes
Depending on what type of plan your Docket account is on, you may have two options to choose from when you're ready to organize and optimize your drivers' routes:
- Using IronRoute AI to automatically optimize routes.
- Manually optimizing routes yourself.
Please Note: In order to use IronRoute AI, your Docket account needs to be on our Pro Plus plan. If you're not on the Pro Plus plan and are interested in upgrading, please contact your original Sales Rep or our Support team to upgrade your contract in order to add DocketShop to your account.
To learn how to use IronRoute AI to optimize your drivers' routes, click here.
There are 4 steps to manually optimize your drivers' routes that are covered below:
- Assign a Yard Location.
- Assign Dump Locations.
- Organizing a Route.
- Confirm a Route.
TIP: You may not follow all of these steps every day and you may also follow these steps in a different order. We encourage you to set up your daily dispatching workflow in Docket in the way that suits your business and team the best!
Assign a Yard Location
Depending on how your business operates, you may not require drivers to start from a specific location like your yard. You may not require your drivers to end at a particular location like your yard either.
If drivers are required to start and/or end at a specific location, you'll want to add that starting/ending location to their column at the top and/or bottom so it's the first/last "task" they'll see.
To do that, just follow the below instructions:
- Click on the “Yards” button in the Tasks and Dump/Yard Locations column.
- Drag and drop the appropriate location from the list that appears into the driver's column.
TIP: If you add the wrong yard to a driver's column, just click the "Unassign" button to remove that yard from the driver's column.
With the location at the beginning and/or the end of a driver's column, they'll now see that location as the first/last "task" for their day in Docket's mobile app.
Assign a Dump Location
Depending on how your business operates, you may not require drivers to use a specific dump location for every task and allow them to choose their own.
If drivers are required to use a specifically assigned dump location, that location should be tied to the driver's assigned tasks as needed.
To check whether a task already has a dump location associated with it, look to see if the task card displays a dump location on it.
If there is no dump location displayed, just follow the below instructions to assign a dump to the task:
- Click on the task to open it.
- Expand the Weight Ticket section and scroll down to the Dump Location field.
- From the drop-down menu, select the location the driver should use when completing this particular task.
- Click "Update" at the bottom of the task.
You’ll now see the dump location displayed on the task card when looking at it on the Dispatch Board.
Optimize a Driver's Route
This is the tactical part that may require a bit of logistical thinking as you review a driver's assigned tasks and put them in an order that makes the most sense.
TIP: It may make more sense to review and reorder a driver’s tasks before assigning them to specific dump locations.
We're going to use the example in the below screenshot to showcase how you'll optimize a driver's route on the Dispatch Board.
Please Note: Because there are many different ways to organize a driver’s route and many different variables that might need consideration, this is a pretty straightforward example to highlight the basics.
In the screenshot above, there are three colored task pins with task initials on the map background. These represent the three tasks assigned to the driver for the day.
You'll also see the Home icon for your yard and the Truck icon for your dump.
TIP: If the Home and Truck icons don’t show on your map, click the Settings icon at the top of the Dispatch Board and toggle on Show Locations from the list that appears.
Because of the different types of tasks and how far away the dump is, the assigned driver will probably have to backtrack at some point.
The dispatcher's goal in this case is to ensure the driver doesn't retrace their route too many times.
After analyzing all the details, the dispatcher could decide to have the driver follow this order:
- Starting from the Yard, go to the Pick Up and pick up the full dumpster.
- Drive to the Dump and empty the dumpster.
- Drive back to the Yard and drop off the empty dumpster.
- Drive to the Drop Off and deliver the new dumpster.
- Drive to the D&R next and pick up the full dumpster.
- Drive to the Dump and empty the dumpster.
- Drive back to the D&R and deliver the empty dumpster.
- Return to the Yard.
To make sure that the tasks appear for the assigned driver in the order that they need to be completed, the dispatcher will need to drag and drop the tasks to match the above sequence of events.
The screenshot below shows the first Pick Up task with the assigned driver starting at the Yard, picking up the dumpster, and then heading to the Dump (shown on the task card) before dropping the dumpster off at the Yard again.
After all the tasks and their related locations are organized in the desired order for one driver, the dispatcher can then move on to the next step.
TIP: Something that wasn't shown in the above example that your business may use frequently is the Time Window field. If a task is created with a specific time window, those times will appear on the task card for you to include in your routing.
Confirm a Driver's Route
Once all of a driver's stops are done being organized, it's time to confirm their route by clicking the "Route" button at the top of their column.
Docket ‘s route feature gives you a high-level idea of what your driver’s day will look like after you’ve ordered their tasks.
You’ll see a rough timeline of when tasks may be started and completed based on factors like start time, drive time, and onsite durations.
After you click on “Route” you’ll be asked to select a starting time and location for your driver.
The time will default to 7am local time unless that driver has a different time specified in their Employee profile.
You can always adjust a driver's start time for the day you're currently on by clicking on the Start Time field.
If your driver has GPS tracking enabled in Docket’s mobile app, you can click on “Select Employee Location” to tell Docket that the driver will be starting their day wherever they are at their start time.
If your driver will be starting at your yard, select the appropriate address in the Yard Locations section.
If your driver will be starting their day at a location other than your Yard or they don’t have GPS tracking enabled in the mobile app, you can use the Specific Address section to tell Docket where the driver will be starting their day.
Click “Accept” at the bottom once you’re done and watch Docket’s magic happen!
After the route stops are calculated, you’ll see the Route Details at the top of the driver’s column. You’ll also see their route highlighted on the map background, including the direction the driver will be traveling.
Docket uses a few different variables to calculate the Start Time, End Time, and Total Time in the Route Details section as well as the Arrival time you see at the top of each task card.
Start Time is based on the driver’s starting time you originally entered in the Select Route Start Time & Location box that appeared when you clicked on “Route”.
Arrival time for each task is based on Google Maps’ drive time estimation between each task’s address plus the Onsite Duration set up in your Dumpster Management Settings.
End Time and Total Time are based on the full calculation of the entire route’s drive time and onsite durations.
TIP: Depending on the Routing settings in your Docket account, the Route button will use one of two methods to estimate task Times: “straight line” routing (also known as “as the crow flies” routing) or GPS routing (which takes roads and traffic patterns into account).
Because Docket uses Google Maps’ API to calculate Arrival times for each task, you may see the arrival times change as traffic increases or decreases.
Monitor Tasks Throughout the Day
Even with the best planning, things don’t always work out the way they should. Drivers encounter roadblocks during their routes, clients call in with issues, equipment breaks down, and minor obstacles can distract you from keeping everything nice and tidy.
However, the Dispatch Board has a few visual indicators that will help you stay on top of everything throughout the day and make it easier to check on progress at the end of each day as you prep for the next.
Manage Task Progress
If your drivers have GPS tracking enabled in Docket’s mobile app, you’ll see icons for each of them moving around the map as they complete their routes.
You’ll also see the task cards change colors when your drivers begin a task and complete a task.
White = Not Started
Blue = Started
Gray = Completed
Orange = Dump Later (Pick Up complete, but bin not empty)
Red = Failed (driver attempted to complete, but couldn't)
We strongly recommend that you look at all the tasks assigned to drivers at the end of each day to ensure that they’ve been successfully completed.
The easiest way to do this is to look at the progress bar at the top of each driver’s column as well as the task colors on the Dispatch Board (shown in the screenshot above).
If you identified any tasks that weren’t fully completed you can follow up with the driver and figure out what happened.
We suggest having the driver follow their normal workflow in Docket’s driver app to mark tasks as Complete or Failed, but if the driver is unavailable tasks can be marked Complete or Failed from the Dispatch Board.
To do that, just follow the below instructions:
- Click on the incomplete task.
- Click on the “Actions” button in the top right corner.
- Click either “Mark as Complete” or “Mark as Failed” depending on the task’s needed status.
If you click “Mark as Complete”, Docket will ask you to enter the dumpster’s PIN (if your business uses PINs to track inventory) and select the date/time the task was completed.
If you click “Mark as Failed”, Docket will ask you to select the date/time the task was attempted to be completed.
We strongly recommend leaving a note about why the task was marked as Failed so there’s no miscommunication between your team and/or the client associated with the task.
Handle "Dump Later" Tasks
Sometimes a driver is able to pick up a dumpster from a client, but can’t make it to the dump for some reason. Unexpected closures, truck malfunctions, and running late can all impact a driver’s day and their ability to fully complete a Pick Up task.
In this situation, the driver can mark the Pick Up task as “Dump Later” in the mobile app after completing it so you know that the dumpster needs to be emptied at a later time before it can be rented out again.
When a driver marks a Pick Up task as “Dump Later” in the mobile app, Docket will automatically create a new Dump PIN task and add it to your Unscheduled list on the Dispatch Board.
The original Pick Up task will also turn orange on the Dispatch Board to indicate that it hasn’t been fully completed yet.
We strongly recommend that your drivers leave a note with the reason why the task was marked “Dump Later” so you can figure out when and where the bin can actually be dumped.
For example, if a particular dump location is shut down for unexpected repairs you may need to dump the bin elsewhere until the original dump location is back up and running.
The notes will also act as a reminder for what happened if you need to confirm details around what happened in the future.
Mark a Task as "Dump Later" From the Dispatch Board
If a driver forgets to mark a Pick Up task as “Dump Later”, you have the ability to mark it as such from the Dispatch Board.
To mark a Pick Up task as “Dump Later”, just follow the below instructions:
- Click on the Pick Up task.
- Click on the “Actions” button in the top right corner.
- Click on "Mark Dump Later" from the menu that appears.
Immediately after this, the task will turn orange on the Dispatch Board and a Dump PIN task will appear in your Unscheduled list.
Schedule a Dump PIN Task
Once the Dump PIN task appears in your Unscheduled list, you can schedule it like any other task.
Just drag and drop the task card to a driver’s column or click on it to fill out the Scheduling section.
The assigned driver will see the Dump PIN task in their mobile app and can complete it like any other task.
Complete a Dump PIN Task
Your drivers should be completing Dump PIN tasks in their mobile app along with the rest of their tasks, but sometimes you may need to mark the Dump PIN task as complete from the Dispatch Board.
To mark a Dump PIN as Complete from the Dispatch Board, just follow the below instructions:
- Click on the Dump PIN to open it up.
- Click on the Status menu at the top.
- Select "Completed" from the menu that appears.
- Click on the “Update Task” button at the bottom of the task to save it.
After the Dump PIN has been marked Complete we recommend that you also mark the original Pick Up task as Complete too by following the below instructions:
- Click on the Pick Up task to open it up.
- Click on the “Actions” button in the top right corner.
- Select "Mark Task Completed at Dump" from the menu that appears.
- Click on the “Update” button at the bottom of the task to save it.
Both the Dump PIN task and the original Pick Up task will now accurately show as Complete and your Dispatch Board will stay nice and organized.
If you have any questions, please reach out to our Support team through the chat widget on the bottom of this page or by sending an email to support@yourdocket.com!