This guide is intended to get Operations teams underway with the basics of managing consignments and manually allocating to Driver Runs in Hitrak.
In this article
Creating and Editing Consignments
💡Check out the Admin Portal Knowledge Base for more detailed information on Dispatch and other Admin functions.
Consignment Search
Existing consignments can be searched by a number of criteria. A consignment may need to be searched to view its status, make changes, or investigate exceptions.
To find a consignment, navigate to Search in the sidebar menu and choose the search criteria using one of the three search options available:
1. By the Hitrak Reference
Use this if the Hitrak consignment reference number is known.
2. By Sender and Receiver details
If the consignment reference isn't available, but the Sender and Receiver details are known, consignments can be filtered by these details.
3. Use Advanced search to filter by other data.
Here, consignments can be searched by Status, Customer, Service types and other fields.
Adding Consignments to a Run
The Dispatch Board allows dispatchers to plan their Collection, Linehaul and Delivery Runs, by providing a view of consignments relevant to each depot. Consignments can be filtered by a number of criteria here, using the Search filters at the top of the page.
Consignments matching the search criteria are organised into tabs on the Dispatch Board page as follows:
Pending: Consignments not yet requested for pickup (Draft or Ready status).
Inbound*: Consignments in transit to the depot.
Unallocated: Consignments not yet picked up from the sender, and not yet allocated to a run.
Checked in: Consignments checked in at the depot, but not yet allocated to a run.
Allocated: Consignments already allocated to a run.
Outbound*: Consignments which have left the dispatch group, but are not yet delivered.
Delivered: Consignments delivered to their final receiver.
ℹ️The Inbound and Outbound tabs will not appear for Hitrak customers who operate in a single region.
When a consignment is ready to add to a Driver Run, it can be allocated from the Dispatch Board Unallocated and Checked In tabs, in one of three ways:
1. Auto Allocate
Auto allocation matches consignments to create and update Runs automatically, based on pre-built Run Templates. This allows the majority of consignments to be allocated quickly and accurately to the appropriate Runs.
From the Checked In or Allocated tab:
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Click Allocate to Run -> Auto Allocate to process all consignments in the tab.
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Use the filters to view Templates for the relevant Run Date, Job Type (e.g. Collection or Delivery Run) and other criteria, and click Search
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Select specific Templates using the checkboxes, or click All Templates/All Schedules to match consignments to all of the available templates, with or without using Schedules.
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In the below example, All Templates has been used.
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Click Accept
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On the next screen, click Accept again to confirm the Run creation and allocations.
ℹ️ For more detail on Auto allocation and Run Templates, see Auto-allocating Consignments and Managing Run Templates.
2. Allocate to an existing Run
From the Checked In or Allocated tab:
- Select all consignments to be added to the same Run.
- Click Allocate to Run -> Allocate to Existing Run.
- Select a Run from the list, and click Accept.
- If the Run is still in Draft, click Actions>Activate.
- The assigned driver will be able to view and start the Run in the Driver App.
3. Allocate to a new Run
- Select all consignments to be added to the same Run.
- Click Allocate to Run -> Allocate to New Run.
- Select whether the Run will be delivering to a receiver or a hub, and click Accept.
- Type a name for the Run.
- Select the Driver and Vehicle.
- Set the Start and End locations. This is typically a 'site' already configured in Hitrak for a company hub.
- To make the run available to the assigned driver, click Actions->Activate.
- The driver will be able to view and start the Run in the Driver App.
ℹ️For more detail on creating and updating Driver Runs, see Creating a Run and Editing a Run.
Creating and Editing Consignments
Consignments can be created and edited directly in the Admin portal. This is useful for team members who may need to create or make changes to a consignment on behalf of a customer, e.g. if a return needs to be created, or when changes to the Receiver or Freight details are required after pickup has been requested.
Creating a Consignment
- In the sidebar menu, click New Consignment.
- Select the Customer. This determines the dropdown options for other fields in the first section.
- Select the Requesting site, Invoice Account and Service Type for the consignment.
- Enter the delivery date in the Requested Delivery Date field.
- Enter the Sender and Receiver details. These can be selected from the customer's list of sites, or entered manually.
- Enter the Freight line items. The quantity, item type, description, weight and volume or dimensions must be entered for each line of freight.
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Click Add. The line of freight will be automatically saved.
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Repeat to add the remaining freight items for the consignment.
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When all details have been entered, save the consignment:
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Save and Create Next navigates to add another consignment for the same customer.
- Save and Close ends the process and returns the user to their previous page.
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✨ If the weight or volume of a freight line is not entered, these fields will default to the minimum values set by the system.
Editing a Consignment
To make changes to an existing consignment:
- Locate the consignment on the Dispatch Board, or use the Search page to find the one that needs to be edited.
- Click the consignment reference to open the details page.
- Freight and Hireage details can be edited in the Freight tab.
- Delivery Extras and manual Surcharges can be edited in the Extras and Surcharges tab.
- For all other changes, including Sender and Receiver address, references and dates, click Actions->Edit to open Edit mode.
For full details on making changes to consignments in the Admin portal, see Editing Consignments.