How to create and edit Run Templates in the Admin Portal
Overview
Run templates can help to streamline your Dispatch operations by providing a template for regular run routes, including delivery areas, start and end locations, default vehicles and drivers. Runs can be created from run templates via the Dispatch Board page when consignments are being allocated.
You can create as many run templates as required to service typical run routes.
In this article:
Creating or Editing a Template
Run Template Use Cases
Run Templates can support a number of scenarios. These will vary across different freight service providers, but typical uses cases among Hitrak customers include:
- General area-based template covering a route or region which is regularly serviced, involving consignments for multiple customers.
- A customer-specific route, i.e. a Run which only collects from or delivers to a specific customer or subset of customers.
- A driver-specific route. This is useful for freight service providers with owner-drivers who regularly cover a specified route.
For larger businesses, it is recommended to clearly name Run Templates based on their intended use case. This will assist other users who will be creating Runs using templates via the Dispatch Board to select the correct template.
Creating or Editing a Run Template
Templates are available to create and edit in the Delivery menu in the sidebar.
To get started on a new template:
- Navigate to Delivery>Run Templates.
- Click New Template.
- Define the Settings.
To make changes to a previously created template:
- Navigate to Delivery>Run Templates. This page shows a list of all existing templates by default, but the search filters can be used to narrow this down as required.
- If the template's name or partial name is known, enter this into the Name field.
- Alternatively, use the other fields to filter results by Dispatch Group, Job Type, Service Types, Driver or Vehicle.
- Inactive templates are excluded by default. Use the Include inactive checkbox to include these in the search if required.
- Click Reset at any time to remove filters and search again.
- Click the desired template's name from the list to open it.
- Click Edit to open Edit mode for all tabs to edit the settings.
Template Settings
General Data and Constraints
In this tab, the basic settings are defined. Some fields are optional to provide flexibility on how specific the template is.
In the Template Data section:
- Enter a Name for the Template. This could relate to the area, the driver, or other identifiable feature.
- If multiple run types are set up (e.g. Driver Run, Linehaul Run), select a Run Type from the dropdown.
- Enter the Run Region.
- Select the Default Driver, Default Offsider and Default Vehicle for runs using this template.
Note 🔎 If a Run is created using a template with a Default Driver or Default Vehicle set, Driver and Vehicle details can be modified for that specific Run as needed.
In the Constraints section:
- Select the Job Type (Collection, Delivery etc.)
- If the Job Type is set to Collection, select a Check-In Hub.
- Select the applicable Service Type(s).
- Set Maximums for the Consignments, Weight and Volume for runs using the template as needed.
Set the Default locations:
- Choose Site or Custom Address from the Start Location dropdown to the left of the page.
- If the location is a Site, use the Lookup Sites dialog to search for a site code or name. Select the desired Site from the search results, and click Accept.
- If the start location is a Custom Address, enter the Name and Address details into the Custom Address dialog, and click Accept.
- Choose a from the End location options in the dropdown field to the left. In addition to a Site or Custom Address, the end location can be set to the same as the start location by selecting Route will end at start location.
Location settings
- Choose a Site or Sites to include in the route area. Sites can be added or removed later as needed.
- Select the points on the map that will be covered by the route. Each point will join automatically to the last one selected, to create a shaded area on the map.
- If you make a mistake and need to start again, click Clear Area.
- When the location settings for the template have been defined, click Save.
Schedules
If a Run template route follows a regular schedule, this can be defined in the template itself.
In the Schedules tab:
- Click Create Schedule.
- Enter a Name and select a Recurrence of Weekly or Monthly.
- Select the Days for the schedule.
- Define the Planned Start time (required) and Planned End time (optional).
If required, multiple schedules can be created for the same Run Template.
E.g., if the same route is covered daily, but on Monday, Wednesday and Friday it starts in the morning, and on Tuesday and Thursday it starts in the afternoon:
- Create a schedule in the template for Mondays and Wednesdays with the planned start time.
- Create another schedule within the template for Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the alternative time.
For details on how to use Run Templates when working in the Dispatch Board, see Creating Driver Runs and Allocating Consignments.