Dispatch Planner
🗣️ Roles: Admin, Partner Admin, Office Admin, Dispatcher, Operation Manager
Overview
The Dispatch Planner is your centralized hub for managing trips and assets efficiently. Configure your planner to display relevant trips, customize columns for your workflow, and seamlessly assign drivers to optimize your dispatch operations.
Prerequisites
Before using the Dispatch Planner, you'll need to complete these essential setup steps to ensure your trips and assets appear correctly.
Set Tender As and Carrier on Trips
To have your loads appear in the Dispatch Planner, you must configure the tender settings correctly.
Go to the load details page
Look at the top right panel and select Change Tender button
Set the Tender As to a carrier subsidiary
Assign a Carrier to the Trip
ℹ️ Brokerage subsidiary trips are automatically filtered out and do not appear in Dispatch Planner. Only open, covered, dispatched, and in-transit trips that are assigned to a carrier subsidiary will appear in the planner.
Configure Availability Settings (Optional)
Customize how driver availability is calculated in the Dispatch Planner. These settings control the Available at and Available for columns in the Drivers table.
🗒️ Note: Availability settings follow a three-level hierarchy: Alvys defaults → Tenant overrides → Fleet overrides. The system always uses the most specific setting available. To reset a fleet override back to the tenant default, clear the field and save.
Navigate to Settings in the left sidebar
Select Planning Configuration
Under Driver availability, configure two fields:
Average Dwell Time — The average time a driver spends at the delivery location before becoming available. Default: 2 hours 0 minutes.
Minimum Available Duration — The minimum amount of free time a driver needs to be considered available for a new trip. Default: 4 hours 0 minutes.
Click Save to apply
ℹ️ These settings apply to all fleets by default. To override for a specific fleet, go to Settings, select the fleet, and configure the same fields under Driver availability. Fleet-level settings take priority over tenant defaults. An info banner shows the inherited values so you always know what you are overriding.
Setup Dispatch Preferences
Configure your assets to appear in the Dispatch Planner by setting up dispatch preferences.
Navigate to Assets
Go to Dispatch Preferences
Click Add Preference for your assets to appear in the planner
🥇 Important: Each asset requires a dispatch preference configuration. If you do not have a dispatch preference configured for your asset, it will not show in the assets table on the dispatch planner.
Inline Editing
Edit key trip fields directly from the grid — no need to open Trip Info or the load details page. Available on the Trips table for Dispatcher, Priority, and Trip-level Custom References.
How to Tell a Column Is Editable
Blue header label — editable columns show their header in blue (e.g., Dispatcher, Priority).
Empty cells show an em-dash (
—) in muted text.Hover on an editable cell shows a subtle highlight.
How Inline Editing Works
Single-click an editable cell to open the editor.
Type to search (where applicable) or select a value.
Click away or press Enter to save.
Press Escape to cancel without saving.
💡 Changes appear instantly — the cell updates the moment you save, and the grid reconciles in the background. If the save fails, the value reverts and you'll see a toast notification.
Editable Fields
Dispatcher
Searchable dropdown of dispatchers. Start typing to filter by name.
ℹ️ Clearing a dispatcher (setting to empty) is not currently supported inline. To remove a dispatcher, open the load details page and use Trip Info → Change Dispatcher.
Priority
Rich-select dropdown with four options:
None — no priority
Caution (yellow)
Important (orange)
Critical (red)
Changing priority applies instantly to that trip. Other trips on the same load will reflect the new priority on next refresh.
Trip-Level Custom References
All four reference types are editable inline:
Select (List) — searchable dropdown of your configured values
Text — free-form text input
Date — type the date directly
Bool (Yes/No) — dropdown
First-time edits create the reference; subsequent edits update it.
🗒️ Note: Load-level custom references are not yet editable inline — only trip-level references. To edit load-level references, use the load details page.
Priority Row Tinting
When a trip has a priority set, its row is tinted for at-a-glance visibility:
🟡 Caution — yellow row
🟠 Important — orange row
🔴 Critical — red row
Tints update automatically when priority changes via inline edit.
Trips Configuration
Customize your trips table in the Dispatch Planner to match your workflow needs.
Configure Columns, Sorts, and Filters
Set up your trips table with the optimal column layout for efficient dispatch management.
Access the Dispatch Planner
Configure your columns for trips
Always keep Trip Number pinned to the left (essential for quick identification)
Always keep Actions pinned to the right (essential for quick access)
Add or remove all other columns to suit your specific workflow needs
🥇 Tip: All columns are sortable and many columns are filterable using the filter icon. Use these features to quickly find specific trips and streamline your dispatch process.
🗒️ Note: The Trip Number and Actions columns should remain pinned to the right as they provide critical functionality regardless of your workflow configuration.
Opening the Trip Sidebar
In the Dispatch Planner, locate the trip you want to view in the trips table
Click on the trip row to open the sidebar
The sidebar will slide in smoothly from the right side of the screen
Trip Sidebar Components
The sidebar provides all essential trip information organized into clear sections:
Fixed Header
Displays the trip ID and current status with a color-coded badge that updates in real-time
Static Map
Shows numbered pins for each stop location
Displays the vehicle's last GPS ping position
Auto-fits all stops in view (map is non-interactive for simplicity)
Stops Timeline
Vertical list showing each stop's location and time window (in local timezone)
Real-time status indicators (open, in transit, completed)
"Late" tags when stops fall behind schedule
Miles between stops and ETAs displayed when trip is in transit
Scorecard
Quick financial snapshot showing trip value, loaded miles, and rate per mile
Auto-updates when trip details change
Details Section
Load information including order number, weight, and equipment type
Hover over any field to reveal a copy icon for one-click copying
Customer & Carrier Sections
Contact details with clickable phone numbers and email addresses
Copy functionality for quick access to contact information
Smart Footer The footer displays context-aware buttons that change based on trip status:
Open/Planned trips: "Show Drivers" and "Dispatch" buttons
Covered/Dispatched trips: "Un-assign" button
In Transit/Complete trips: No buttons shown
💡 The sidebar includes keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation. Press Escape to close the sidebar, or use arrow keys to navigate between different trips while keeping the sidebar open.
Assets Management
Configure your driver and asset table to streamline communication and assignment processes.
Configure Columns, Sorts, and Filters
Customize the driver table layout for optimal visibility and workflow efficiency.
Access the driver table in the Dispatch Planner
Turn columns on or off based on your specific workflow needs
Always keep Driver pinned to the far left (essential for quick identification)
Always keep Actions pinned to the far right (essential for quick access)
🗒️ Note: All columns can be sorted and many columns can be filtered using the filter icon. Use sorting and filtering to quickly locate specific drivers and optimize your assignment workflow.
Add/Edit Driver Notes
Maintain important driver information directly from the Dispatch Planner.
Locate the Driver Notes column in the driver table
Click in the cell where you want to add or edit a note
Enter your note
Press the Enter key or click away to save
Driver Notes Modal
View the 10 most recent notes, sorted from newest to oldest.
Add, edit, or delete notes (users may only edit their own).
Copy note content with one click for easy sharing.
Each note includes:
Author
Timestamp (localized to user’s time zone)
Add/Edit Driver Events
Open Driver Activity sidebar
Click “Add Event”
Enter event details, then save
Event now shows in chronological order in the driver’s activity sidebar
Opening the Asset Sidebar
In the Dispatch Planner, locate the driver row you want to view
Click on the asset row to open the sidebar
The sidebar will slide in smoothly from the right side of the screen
Asset Sidebar Components
The sidebar provides all essential information organized into clear sections:
Overview Tab
Granular details about the driver, truck and trailer
Activity Tab
Breakdown of trips and driver events
Post Trucks to DAT
Navigate to Dispatch Planner List View and select the Drivers table.
Find an available driver/truck combo.
Click Post next to the driver/truck.
Confirm posting details (schedule, equipment type, location, etc.).
Click Post—the truck is now listed on DAT!
Unposting a Truck from DAT
Open the Drivers table in Dispatch Planner.
Locate a posted truck (or use the "Posted" filter).
Click Unpost and confirm.
The truck is removed from DAT.
Automatically Unposting on Trip Assignment
If a dispatcher assigns a trip to a posted truck, they will see a confirmation modal to warn that the asset is currently posted to DAT.
Filtering & Managing Posted Trucks
Use the new "Posted" column to track which trucks are listed on DAT.
Apply the "Posted" filter to quickly find active postings.
Driver Chat
Communicate directly with drivers through the integrated chat feature.
Locate the message icon in the driver table
Click the message icon to access driver chat
Send messages directly to communicate with your drivers
Trip Assignment
Efficiently assign drivers to trips directly from the Dispatch Planner.
Assignment Workflow Options:
Option 1: Trip-First Assignment
Select a trip from the trips table
Find and select a driver from the assets table
Choose your assignment type (see below)
Option 2: Driver-First Assignment
Select a driver first from the assets table
Find a trip to assign to that driver
Choose your assignment type (see below)
Assignment Types Available:
Assign: Standard assignment - assigns the trip to the driver for future dispatch
Assign and Dispatch: Immediate assignment - assigns and dispatches the trip immediately
🥇 Tip: Both direct assignment and dispatch assignment are available directly from the planner interface, eliminating the need to navigate to other screens and streamlining your dispatch workflow.
Driver Availability
The Dispatch Planner calculates driver availability based on the driver's current and upcoming commitments — including trips, events, and non-revenue loads. The system looks at everything a driver is assigned to and determines when they will realistically be free for their next trip.
How Availability Is Calculated
The key calculation is:
Available at = Estimated arrival at final delivery + Average Dwell Time
Rather than using the scheduled delivery appointment window (which is often inaccurate), the system uses the driver's ETA at the last stop plus a configurable dwell time. Dwell time accounts for unloading, paperwork, fueling, and any other time spent at the delivery facility before the driver is ready for their next assignment.
The system considers all driver commitments — trips, events, and non-revenue loads — and whichever ends latest determines the availability time.
The Minimum Available Duration setting defines the minimum window of free time a driver needs to be considered meaningfully available. For example, if a driver has only 30 minutes between commitments, they won't show as available if your minimum is set to 4 hours.
ℹ️ To configure Average Dwell Time and Minimum Available Duration, see the Configure Availability Settings section under Prerequisites above.
Availability Columns
Four availability-related columns are available in the Drivers table. Enable them using the column configuration menu.
Available at — The date and time the driver is expected to be free. Displayed as MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM with the timezone of the location where the driver's last event ends.
Available for — How long the driver will be available before their next commitment. Displayed as hours and minutes (e.g., 14:43). Shows ∞ if the driver has no upcoming planned activity.
Next planned at — The date and time of the driver's next scheduled commitment after their current availability window.
Available in — The city and state where the driver will become available. This is the location where the driver's last delivery or event ends.
🥇 Tip: Use the Available for column to quickly identify drivers with enough free time for a new trip. Sort by this column to see your most available drivers first.
FAQs
Q: Why don't I see my trips in the Dispatch Planner?
A: Ensure that your trips have the "Tender As" field set to a carrier subsidiary. Brokerage subsidiary trips are filtered out and will not appear in the Dispatch Planner.
Q: My assets aren't showing in the Dispatch Planner. What should I check?
A: Verify that you have configured dispatch preferences for your assets. Go to Assets > Dispatch Preferences and add preferences for any assets you want to appear in the planner.
Q: Can I customize which columns appear in my Dispatch Planner?
A: Yes! Both the trips table and driver table allow you to add, remove, sort, and filter columns. It's recommended to keep key identifiers (Trip Number, Driver) pinned to the left and Actions pinned to the right.
Q: How do I save changes to driver notes?
A: After clicking in a Driver Notes cell and entering your text, simply press the Enter key to save your changes. You can also access the full history of driver notes by clicking the driver notes icon.
Q: Which fields can I edit directly from the grid?
A: On the Trips table, you can inline-edit Dispatcher, Priority, and trip-level Custom References. Editable columns are marked with a blue header label. Load-level references, Tender As, and Carrier are not yet editable inline — use the load details page for those.
Q: Why can't I clear a dispatcher back to empty from the grid?
A: This isn't supported inline yet. To remove a dispatcher from a trip, open the load details page and use Trip Info → Change Dispatcher.
Q: I can't find the dispatcher I want in the inline dropdown. What do I do?
A: The inline dropdown currently shows only dispatchers who have an assignment preference configured. If the person you need isn't listed, assign them via Trip Info → Change Dispatcher on the load details page — the grid will pick up the change and display their name correctly.
Q: What do the colored rows mean?
A: Yellow, orange, and red row tints reflect trip priority — Caution, Important, and Critical respectively. Change a trip's Priority column to update the tint.