TruckMate 2024.1 New Features: Operations

Previously, TruckMate sorted list values in a custom-defined field alphabetically. You could not change this order if, for example, you wanted to rank values in a specific way.

Now, you can order values any way you choose by using new options available within Codes Maintenance.

To move a value up or down in the list order, select it and then click Move Up or Move Down respectively.

To sort the entire list alphabetically (0-9, A-Z), click Sort.

The changes you make here affect every application that supports list-based custom defined fields.

Previously, when you installed TruckMate, you would see the release year (for example, TruckMate 2023) appended in these locations:

As of TruckMate 2024.1, these items are now labeled TruckMate. They no longer reference a release year.

This change does not affect how applications are launched. However, if you are testing a pre-release of TruckMate, be sure to change the installation path. This prevents accidental overwriting of your production environment.

In SQL Execute, the Use Transactions feature lets you preview any changes to your database made by running statements. You can then choose to commit or cancel the changes.

Previously, it was difficult to tell at a glance whether the feature was enabled. Now, if you select Use Transactions, a confirmation message displays.

If you click Yes, the button remains highlighted.

With this release, you now have more ways to customize the editor pane in SQL Execute.

When you go to Tools > Options > Customize Editor, the Colors/Highlighting Setup window opens.

New options include:

For security purposes, you must upgrade your version of DB2 to 11.5.9 or higher when you upgrade to this version of TruckMate.

Several major changes have been made to the way TruckMate calculates LTL mileage for P&D trips.

Two new settings have been added to Security Configuration under Security > Business Events > Communications:

Occasionally, a mobile communications provider sends communication from a device that is not found within the TruckMate environment. When this happens, TruckMate adds an entry into the log file for the Mobile Communications Manager service, as shown in this example:

With this release, changes have been made so that those who do not normally have access to this log file are aware of missing devices and can choose what to do with them.

For more information, see Handling missing devices.

In D2Link, a new Schedules tab lets drivers see whether a trip is currently active.

These TruckMate statuses appear as indicated:

Previously, drivers were unable to update Legsum date/time fields while they were on trips. Typically, they would have to contact a dispatcher to provide the update.

Now, these macro fields have been added:

With forward macros, these fields can be used to send out the current value to a driver for them to see. With return macros, these fields can be used to send values back to the dispatcher so that specific trip data can be updated.

Per mobile communication requirements, separate fields were created for dates and times. However, this allows for more control over the type of data that needs updating (for example, date and time or just the time).

With this release, TruckMate contains added support for estimated transit times for vendor-based movements.

For details on how to set up this functionality, see Using transit time matrices to calculate a vendor’s estimated arrival times.

On the User Fields tab in Codes Maintenance, a new TRIP option is available in the Table Name field. When selected, you can decide in the Field Type field how users can interact with user-defined fields in these locations:

Options include:

You can also select the Column Read Only checkbox to prevent columns from being edited. This feature only applies to grid columns; it does not apply to trip templates and trip schedules.

In addition, the Trip Schedules window now contains a User Defined Fields tab. It appears for both line haul and city route trip schedules.

These changes were made to the Generate Trips from Schedules window in Multi Mode Dispatch:

In Trip Envelope Processing, you can now add missed attempted stops for freight bills after the fact. This functionality works for leg-based trips (typically truckload or intermodal) and stop-based trips (typically P&D).

Depending on the type of trip, you can:

For details on this new functionality, see:

A new MMDISP.EXE Application Configurator option provides greater control over internal and external updates to P&D trips containing unfinished pickups.

The Allow Arrive at Dock status update if Unfinished Pickups remain on P&D Trip option has these values:

If left at the default, TruckMate functions as before.

If changed to Ask - mobile: False:

Regardless of the Application Configurator value chosen, if you are using Multi Mode Dispatch and you attempt to change the status of a P&D trip with unfinished pickup bills to Arrive at Dock, a message displays asking if you want to proceed.

Previously, significant delays occurred in TruckMate when attempting to update trips containing more than 1000 freight bills.

With this version, update performance has improved significantly.

Keyboard shortcuts have been added and are available for any trip in the Freight Bills grid on the Resources tab. They correspond to shortcut menu options, as described in this table.

In Trip Envelope Processing, the Add Resource window lets you add resources to a trip. Now, when you press TAB in this window, the cursor follows a logical sequence.

Previously, the Trip Envelope Processing terminal plan grid only showed pickup, linehaul, and delivery records.

Now, it also displays any attempted pickup (P##) or attempted delivery (D##) records that existed against a particular freight bill. This provides a clearer view of the freight bill’s history, and helps ensure that attempted assignments are correct.

TruckMate now responds more quickly when you expand routes and lanes in these applications:

A new DISPATCH.EXE Application Configurator option, Copy UDFs from Trip Template, lets you determine whether certain trip template or schedule user field values are automatically copied to trips when they are created. By default, all 10 user fields are deselected. Select the ones corresponding to the fields whose values you want to use on new trips.

In Multi Mode Dispatch, you can change these values when they appear in Trips grids, if you have not set the columns to read-only.

You can create a split trip with multiple split bills. Previously, if a resource on this type of split trip entered the split bills' destination zone, TruckMate displayed a confirmation message for every split bill assigned to the trip.

Now, this message no longer appears in this instance.

The message still appears when you assign split bills to trips manually within Dispatch or Multi Mode Dispatch.

When an unconfirmed seal number is broken by a user with a supervisor override, a comment appears in the Comments field on the Seal # grid. This comment describes who is responsible for the break.

With this release, the comments have been made clearer, as described in this table.

For dockworkers with restricted usage (Restricted Unload Location Selection is True in ConnectedDock Admin) who are unloading trips, the card view now lists cards in this order:

This functionality is synchronized across all locations from which an item can be moved. Users are able to proceed from any location.

A new APK, ConnectedDock_datawedgeRelease, has been added to the ConnectedDock APK package.

If you want to take advantage of DataWedge features on Zebra products, you can use this APK in place of the symbolRelease APK. With an appropriate DataWedge profile for ConnectedDock, users can use DataWedge features alongside ConnectedDock.

For more information, contact Trimble Transportation Support.

Previously, these barcode type options were available in the standard ConnectedDock application on Zebra devices:

Now, in addition to these, ConnectedDock supports the Interleaved 2 of 5 barcode type.

With TruckMate 2024.1, the Zebra TC57 device has been certified for use with ConnectedDock.

With this device, you must use the symbolRelease APK, which is now included in the APK package. This package is available when you run ConnectedDock from within the TruckMate application folder.

For information about the certification process, contact Trimble Transportation Support.