Understanding key terms and concepts
As with any business, your company has its own language. New employees need to learn the terms and business practices that are unique to your company.
You can customize Fuel Dispatch to use many of the terms your company uses. However, it comes with a few of its own unique terms. To understand how the system works, you need to know how we use these terms.
Stop
A stop occurs at a particular place during a driver’s route. A stop is defined by:
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A physical location
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An activity, called an event in Fuel Dispatch
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The date and time of the event
Some stops are determined by a customer’s order; others are not. For example, suppose a customer wants commodity picked up at the rack and dropped at a particular store. To complete the order, the driver makes a trip that consists of these four stops:
Stop 1: Driver deadheads from his home terminal to the rack.
Stop 2: Driver loads the product at the location recorded on the customer’s order.
Stop 3: Driver unloads the product at the store that is the order destination.
Stop 4: Driver returns empty from the drop location to the rack to load product for his next assigned order.
Because the customer did not specify Stops 1 and 4, they are not associated with the order. As a result, the customer will not be billed for them. Stops 2 and 3 are billable because the customer requested the pickup and delivery.
Note: In the trip described above, not all stops are associated with the order; however, all of them are part of the same movement.
Event
An event is an activity that occurs at a stop location. Multiple events may occur at the same stop. In Fuel Dispatch, events must occur for a trip to be completed. For example, if you must move cargo from point A to point B, the trip consists of at least two events: a pickup and a delivery. In Fuel Dispatch, a pickup is called a load, and a delivery is called an unload.
An event code identifies the type of activity that is to occur at a stop location. Event codes are recorded in the Call On Demand Order Entry application. The system uses these codes to determine:
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If miles between the current stop and the previous stop are to be considered loaded miles or empty miles
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If the stop is billable to the customer and/or payable to the driver
List of event codes
The following table lists all possible event codes. Note that the secondary event codes are not used by Fuel Dispatch.
Event Code |
Event Name/Description |
Type |
Billable |
*Payable * |
BBT |
Begin Bobtail This event occurs at the beginning of a movement. The tractor makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
BMT |
Begin Empty This event occurs at the beginning of a movement. The tractor makes a move with an empty trailer attached. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
IBBT |
Billable Begin Bobtail This event occurs at the beginning of a movement. The tractor makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IBMT |
Billable Begin Empty This event occurs at the beginning of a movement. The tractor makes an empty move with an empty trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
BCST |
Billable Customs This event identifies a stop at a customs location. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IEBT |
Billable End Bobtail This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IEMT |
Billable End Empty This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes a move with an empty trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IRDR |
Billable Redirect First available in Fuel Dispatch: 2018.2 This event occurs when a load is redirected using the Retain/Redirect Billable feature on the Call On Demand Order Entry window. See Redirecting loads and retains. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
CTR |
Change Trailer The trailer used to haul a load became disabled. As a result, a different trailer must be assigned to finish the trip. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
CHK |
Check Call Upon arrival at the stop, the driver is to make contact with the dispatcher. |
Secondary |
No |
No |
HCT |
Chg Trl at Hook Loc The tractor is hooked to a different trailer at the stop location. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
DEP |
Departure The driver is to leave the stop at a predetermined time. |
Secondary |
No |
No |
DRL |
Drop Loaded The driver is to drop a loaded trailer. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DLT |
Drop Loaded Trailer The driver is to drop a loaded trailer at the stop location. This event is used in conjunction with a Hook Loaded Trailer (HLT) event. DLT and HLT events are inserted by the system when you use the Park and Hook option from the Dispatch menu in Dispatch to split a trip. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
DMT |
Drop Empty Trailer The driver is to drop an empty trailer at the stop location. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
DTW |
Drop Trailer for Wash The driver is to drop an empty trailer at a wash site. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DLD |
Driver Load The driver is to load the trailer at a pickup point. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DUL |
Driver Unload The driver is to unload the trailer at a delivery point. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
EBT |
End Bobtail This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
EMT |
End Empty This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes a move with an empty trailer attached. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
EXC |
Exchange Currently not functional |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
FUL |
Fuel Stop Stop where the driver refueled. |
Primary or secondary |
No |
No |
HPL |
Hook Preload The tractor is hooked to a trailer that was brought to the stop location and loaded prior to the tractor’s arrival. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
HLT |
Hook Loaded Trailer The tractor is hooked to a loaded trailer at the stop location. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
HMT |
Hook Empty Trailer The tractor was hooked to an empty trailer at the stop location. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
LLD |
Live Load The freight is to be loaded at the location while the tractor is present. Loading is done by someone other than the driver. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
LUL |
Live Unload The freight is to be unloaded at the location while the tractor is present. Unloading is done by someone other than the driver. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
NBS |
Non-Billable Stop A Non-Billable Stop is not an actual stop. It is used to indicate a location through which the driver should pass on his route. Note: The system may calculate route points as loaded or empty miles, depending on the status of the trailer. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
NBCST |
Non-Billable Customs This event identifies a stop at a customs location. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
INSERV |
Placed In Service This event is used to:
|
Primary |
No |
No |
PUL |
Post Unload Freight is to be unloaded from the trailer after the driver and tractor have departed. Using this event with the primary Drop Loaded (DRL) event frees up the driver and tractor at the time of the Drop Loaded event. However, it leaves the trailer as unavailable until the Post Unload event is marked as complete. |
Secondary |
Yes |
No |
PLD |
Pre Load Freight is to be loaded onto the trailer before the tractor has arrived. |
Secondary |
Yes |
No |
RDR |
Redirect First available in Fuel Dispatch: 2018.2 This event occurs when a load is redirected using Retain/Redirect on the Call On Demand Order Entry window. See Redirecting loads and retains. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
RTP |
Route Point A route point is not an actual stop. It is used to indicate a location through which the driver should pass on his route. Note: The system may calculate route points as loaded or empty miles, depending on the status of the trailer. |
Primary or secondary |
No |
Yes |
SAP |
Schedule Appt Contact must be made with the customer before the driver arrives at this stop. |
Secondary |
No |
No |
TRP |
Track Point Unlike a route point, a track point is an actual stop made by the driver. It is used to indicate a location through which the driver passed on his travel route. Note: The system may calculate track points as loaded or empty miles, depending on the status of the trailer. |
Primary or secondary |
No |
No |
WSH |
Trailer Wash The driver is to pull the trailer to a wash site and wait while the trailer is washed. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
UNA |
Unauthorized The driver made an unauthorized stop. |
Primary or secondary |
No |
No |
IVR |
Voice Call Upon arrival at the stop, the driver is to telephone the dispatcher. |
Secondary |
No |
No |
Order
An order is a customer request for the movement of goods or materials. Such a request must be recorded in Fuel Dispatch’s Call On Demand Order Entry or Oil Field Order Entry applications before resources (driver(s), tractor/trailer/carrier) can be dispatched to move the load. Each order is assigned a unique ID number.
The primary information recorded for an order includes:
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Names of the shipper and consignee involved in the move
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Dates and times of the scheduled pickup and delivery
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Quantity, weight, and description of the goods to be moved
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Any special needs or information relating to the order, such as trailer requirements, temperature, hazardous materials, special permits, etc.
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Information used to determine how the order is to be billed
Movement
A movement is the record of all of the activities performed by the resources (driver, tractor, trailer, carrier) assigned to execute a trip. You use the Card Planner or Planning Worksheet applications to record the details regarding the stops and events that occur during a movement. The system automatically assigns a unique ID number to a movement at the time it is recorded in Fuel Dispatch. This number is used as the blanket ID for all activities that occur during a trip.
Fuel Dispatch tracks two types of movements:
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Loaded
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, Fuel Dispatch follows the loaded trailer. In other words, the movement is a record that documents the activity of 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.
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Empty
There are two kinds of empty movements:
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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, a tractor, and an empty trailer travel from one location to another.
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Trip segment
A trip segment is the portion of a movement 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 will be paid for the activities that he performed during his segment of the trip.
Note: In Fuel Dispatch, a movement that consists of multiple trip segments is called a split trip.
Shift-based dispatch
Shift-based dispatch refers to assigning drivers to standard shifts. Shifts define the drivers' schedule, including regular days on or off duty. Shift-based drivers perform trips that allow them to return to their home terminal at the end of their shift. Shift-based drivers may transport multiple orders in a single shift. In Fuel Dispatch, shift-based dispatch has two main features: driver schedules and the shift-based planning boards.
Long haul dispatch
Long haul dispatch refers to assigning drivers to trips that require extended time on the road. Drivers do not return to their home terminal at the end of the day; they are not assigned to shifts. Long haul drivers may transport multiple orders on a single trip. In Fuel Dispatch, you can set up planning boards to accommodate long haul dispatching.