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.
TMW Operations can be customized to use many of the terms your company uses. However, TMW Operations 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 TMW Operations.
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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 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 will not be billed for them. Stops 2 and 4 are billable because the customer requested the pickup and delivery.
Note: In the trip described above, not all stops are associated with the order. But, they are all 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.
There are two types of events:
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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 TMW Operations, a pickup is called a load, a delivery is called an unload.
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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 is used to identify 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:
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Whether miles between the current stop and the previous stop are to be considered loaded miles or empty miles.
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Whether or not the stop is billable to the customer and/or payable to the driver.
List of event codes
| 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 BBT This event occurs at the beginning of a movement. The tractor makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IBMT |
Billable BMT 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 EBT This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes an empty move with no trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
IEMT |
Billable EMT This event occurs at the end of a trip. The driver makes a move with an empty trailer attached. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
CTR |
Change Trailer(s) 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. Note: This event pertains to split trips. The
|
Primary |
No |
Yes |
IHCT |
Billable Hook Change Trailer The tractor is hooked to a different trailer at the stop location. The only difference between this event and the HCT event is that this event is billable. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DEP |
Departure The driver is to leave the stop at a predetermined time. |
Secondary |
No |
No |
DRL |
Final Drop Loaded Tr 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 |
IDLT |
Billable Drop Loaded Trailer The driver is to drop a loaded trailer at the stop location. The only difference between this event and the DLT event is that this event is billable. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DMT |
Drop Empty Trailer The driver is to drop an empty trailer at the stop location. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
DTW |
Drop Trl for Wash The driver is to drop an empty trailer at a wash site. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
DLD |
Driver Loaded The driver is to load the trailer at a pickup point. |
Primary |
Yes |
Yes |
DUL |
Driver Unloaded 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 Preloaded Trl 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 |
IHLT |
Billable Hook Loaded Trailer The tractor is hooked to a loaded trailer at the stop location. The only difference between this event and the HLT event is that this event is billable. |
Primary |
Yes |
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 |
No |
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 |
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 |
XDT |
Crossdock Drop Trailer This event is used with the Turnpike Doubles feature. The driver drops a trailer at a designated staging area close to the turnpike. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
XHT |
Crossdock Hook Trailer This event is used with the Turnpike Doubles feature. The driver picks up a trailer at a designated staging area close to the turnpike to transport it across the turnpike. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
XDU |
Trnsfr Unload XDU This event is used with the cross dock feature. The driver unloads a trailer at a temporary location, such as a warehouse. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
XDL |
Trnsfr Load XDL This event is used with the cross dock feature. The driver loads a trailer at a location where the cargo was temporarily stored, such as a warehouse. |
Primary |
No |
Yes |
Order
An order is a customer request for the movement of goods or materials. Such a request must be recorded in TMW Operations' Order Entry application before resources (that is, 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, and/or 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 associated automatically with a movement at the time it is recorded in TMW Operations. This number can be considered the blanket ID for all activities that occur during a trip.
The system tracks two types of movements:
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Loaded
A loaded movement is the transport 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, TMW Operations 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, 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 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 will be paid for the activities that he performed during his segment of the trip.
Note: In TMW Operations, a movement that consists of multiple trip segments is called a split trip.