Basic setup

By default, assigning a driver or tractor to a trip will cause the status of the trip to change from Available to Planned.

However, you can use the TractorDriverforPlanned General Info Table setting to require that both a driver and tractor must be assigned in order to change the status to Planned.

By default, when a driver and tractor are assigned to a trip, the system records that pairing in the tractor and driver profiles. Then, when either of those resources is assigned to a future trip, the system will automatically assign the paired (linked) resource.

If you wish to manually record a pairing for a driver and tractor that are always (or usually) assigned together, you can link them together in either of these ways:

By linking resources together, when one is assigned to a trip, the system will automatically assign the other one.

By default, the driver/tractor relationship is not protected. This means that the system will automatically update the driver/tractor pairing recorded in the profiles each time a driver and tractor are started on a trip. As a result, the next time you assign that tractor or driver, the system will automatically assign the resource with which it was last paired.

For example, when you assign a driver to a trip, the system will automatically fill in the Tractor field with the ID of the tractor most recently paired with that driver.

However, you can use the DrvTrcProt General Info Table setting to protect the relationship recorded in the master files of the driver, the tractor, or both.

By default, the system automatically updates the driver/tractor pairing based on each completed order. For example, suppose you assign Driver 1 and Tractor 1 on an order. However, Tractor 1 goes out of service before it starts. You change the tractor assignment to Tractor 2. If you have the General Info Table setting DrvTrcProt=None, the next time you add Driver 1 to an order, Tractor 2 is also assigned.

You can change the default pairings without accessing the Driver profile or the Tractor profile using the Maintain Tractor-Driver Assignment window.

In this window, you can:

When you assign a driver to a trip, the system automatically assigns the tractor with which the driver is linked in File Maintenance. By default, if you assign the driver and tractor to an order and then remove or change one of them, the linked asset remains assigned to the order. You have to remove or change it manually.

The [Dispatch]UnassignLinkedAssets setting in your TTS50 allows you to set up the system so that, when the tractor or driver is unassigned (i.e., you select UNKNOWN), the linked asset will also be unassigned. For example, if you change Tractor to UNKNOWN in the Asset Assignment window, Driver 1 is also set to UNKNOWN.

This functionality is available in the Assign Driver/Equipment window, which you access in Order Maintenance, Trip Folder, or Planning Worksheet. It is also available when you assign assets to a trip using the Trip Folder’s Stops tab and the All Stops tab of the Order Maintenance window.

By default, when you assign a driver or tractor to a trip, the system automatically assigns the other resource based on the pairing recorded in the resource’s profile. This functionality is helpful when your company usually keeps a driver assigned to the same tractor.

However, there may be times when a driver must be paired with a different tractor. This type of assignments is sometimes called slip-seating. It refers to the type of scheduling used when a driver is not always assigned to a regular tractor, but moves in and out of tractors as needed.

To manage slip-seating, you can use the [Dispatch]KeepTractorDriverRelationship setting in your TTS50 to set up the system so that it will handle changes to resource assignments in one of three ways:

The [Dispatch]KeepTractorDriverRelationship setting in your TTS50 controls which method is used.

By default, you can edit the Tractor, Driver 1, and Driver 2 assignments in the Assign Driver/Equipment window. However, you can use the [Asset Assignment]AssetAssignmentDisabledStatus setting in your TTS50 to prevent editing based on a trip segment status, such as Started.

When you protect the Tractor, Driver 1, and Driver 2 fields on the Assign Driver/Equipment window, you can use the [Asset Assignment]AssetAssignmentDisabledMessage setting in your TTS50 to add a customized or system-default message to the window.

This illustration shows the system default message on the Assign Driver/Equipment window.

Use this setting to add a message to the Assign Driver/Equipment window.

If your company routinely starts trips with an empty move, you can use the [Asset Assignment]DHCheckBox setting in your TTS50 to select the Enable Dead Head/Bobtail checkbox in the Assign Driver/Equipment window by default. You can always clear or re-select the checkbox as needed.

In the Dead head start time, location and trailer(s) section of the Assign Driver/Equipment window, the Start On field displays the date/time the empty move will start. You can use the [Asset Assignment]UseTripStartForBeginEmptyTime setting to control the start time for an empty event that occurs at the start of a trip. You can base the start time on travel time or on the time for the first pickup.

When you plan a trip in the Trip Folder using previously assigned resources and add a bobtail or deadhead, the system by default inserts a Begin Empty (BMT) event at the start of the trip. The location for this event is the ending location of the tractor’s previous trip.

The following setup allows you to add the empty event to the end of the tractor’s prior trip, rather than the start of the current trip. By default, the system adds the event as an End Empty (EMT), but you can change the event type during asset assignment.

The required setup includes: