Dispatch Planner

Dispatch Planner v2 is a real-time planning workspace that shows unassigned trips alongside available drivers and assets, so dispatchers can match and assign loads without switching between screens.

Overview

Dispatch Planner v2 gives your team a live, side-by-side view of trips waiting for assignment and the drivers and assets available to cover them. The planner surfaces availability windows, priority tinting, and smart assignment suggestions so you can dispatch faster and with more confidence. The workspace has two main tables: a Trips table on the left showing Open and Planned loads, and a Drivers/Assets table on the right showing available assets. Selecting a trip or a driver filters the opposite table to show only compatible matches, turning a multi-step dispatch into a single workflow. The planner also supports inline editing of key fields, driver notes, driver events, bulk actions, and in-app driver chat: all without leaving the planning screen.

Where to Find It

Navigate to Loads and Trips > Dispatch Planner v2 in the main navigation menu. All authenticated users can access Dispatch Planner v2. Certain configuration options within the planner are restricted to specific roles; those restrictions are described in Settings & Permissions below.

Key Concepts

Trip Eligibility

Only trips that meet both of the following conditions appear in the Trips table:

The trip’s load must be tendered as a carrier subsidiary. Loads tendered as a brokerage subsidiary are excluded from Dispatch Planner v2.
The trip must be in Open status.

Trips in Covered, Dispatched, In Transit, or a completed status are visible in the sidebar but do not appear as assignable rows in the planning table.

Asset Eligibility

An asset (driver or truck) appears in the Drivers/Assets table only when it has an assignment preference configured. Assets without an assignment preference are not shown in the planner, regardless of their active status or availability. The more complete the configured preferences, the more accurate the dispatch suggestions the planner can surface. Assignment preferences are set up in Assets > Assignment Preferences. See Settings & Permissions below for the setup steps.

Availability Calculation

The planner calculates driver availability using the following logic:

Available at: the exact date and time the driver becomes available, calculated as last trip delivery time plus average dwell time
Available for: the duration the driver will be free before their next planned trip
Next planned at: the start time of the driver’s next scheduled trip
Available in: a countdown until the driver becomes available

Availability is most accurate when driver events are kept up to date in the assets table.

Priority and Row Tinting

Each trip can be assigned one of four priority levels: None, Low, Medium, or High. The Trips table uses row tinting to reflect priority: no color for None, a light tint for Low, a medium tint for Medium, and a dark tint for High. Priority can be set inline directly from the grid.

Assignment Actions

Two assignment actions are available when pairing a trip with a driver:

Assign: assigns the selected assets to the trip without dispatching. The trip moves to Covered status. Use this when you want to lock in assets but are not yet ready to dispatch.
Assign and dispatch: assigns the selected assets and dispatches the trip in one step. The trip moves to Dispatched status. Use this to complete the dispatch in a single action.

Covered means assets are assigned but the trip has not been dispatched. Dispatched means the trip has been released to the driver and is ready to move.

Bulk Actions

Bulk Actions lets planners select multiple trips in the Trips table and apply an operation to all of them at once, turning an hours-long one-by-one workflow into a two-click operation. Six operations are available:

Bulk Assign — moves selected trips from Open to Covered.
Bulk Dispatch — moves selected trips from Covered to Dispatched.
Bulk Assign & Dispatch — moves selected trips from Open to Dispatched in a single step.
Bulk Unassign — returns selected Covered or Dispatched trips to Open.
Bulk Change Dispatcher — reassigns the dispatcher on selected trips without changing their status.
Bulk Set Priority — sets the priority level on selected trips without changing their status.

See How to Use Bulk Actions in Dispatch Planner for full step-by-step instructions.

Three-Level Availability Settings Hierarchy

Availability settings follow a three-level hierarchy: Alvys platform defaults apply first, company-level settings override those defaults, and fleet-level settings override the company setting for individual fleets. This means a fleet can be configured differently from the rest of the company.

How to Use It

Dispatch Planner v2 supports several interconnected workflows. Refer to the dedicated how-to articles for step-by-step instructions:

Assigning and dispatching a trip (trip-first and driver-first flows)
Configuring trip columns, sorts, and filters
Configuring asset columns, sorts, and filters
Adding and editing driver notes
Adding and editing driver events
Sending a driver chat message from the planner
Using Bulk Actions (bulk assign, dispatch, unassign, change dispatcher, and set priority)

Settings & Permissions

Set Tender As and Carrier on Trips

Before a trip appears in Dispatch Planner v2, its load must be tendered as a carrier subsidiary. To set this:

Open the load details page for the load you want to appear in the planner.
Locate the Carrier Details section in the top-right panel of the load details page.
Click the Change Tender button.
Set the Tender As field to the carrier subsidiary (not a brokerage subsidiary). Screenshot showing the Carrier Details section on the load details page with the Change Tender button and Tender As field visible

Loads tendered as a brokerage subsidiary will not appear in Dispatch Planner v2, even if all other conditions are met.

Configure Availability Settings (Optional)

Availability settings control the thresholds the planner uses to calculate when a driver is eligible for a new trip. This is optional; the planner uses Alvys platform defaults if no company or fleet overrides are set. Availability settings are reached at Settings > Planning configuration. Any authenticated user with access to the Settings area can view and edit them; no dedicated permission gates these fields.

Navigate to Settings > Planning configuration.
Locate the Driver Availability section on the page.
Set the “Available for” minimum field. This is the minimum free time a driver must have to be considered available. The Alvys default is 4 hours.
Set the Average dwell time field. This is the estimated time a driver spends at a delivery location before becoming available again. The Alvys default is 2 hours.
Click Save.

Fleet-level overrides: To set different thresholds for a specific fleet, navigate to that fleet’s settings and apply the override there. The three-level hierarchy described in Key Concepts above determines which value takes effect for any given driver.

Set Up Assignment Preferences

Assets must have an assignment preference configured before they appear in Dispatch Planner v2. This is required for every driver and truck you want the planner to surface. Viewing and managing assignment preferences requires the “ViewDrivers” and “ViewTrucks” permissions.

Navigate to Assets > Assignment Preferences.
Click the blue + New Assignment button for the asset you want to configure.
Complete the preference fields for that asset and save. GIF showing the Assignment Preferences setup flow: navigating to Assets > Assignment Preferences, clicking + New Assignment, and completing the preference fields.

Assets without a configured assignment preference will not appear in Dispatch Planner v2. The more complete the preferences, the better the dispatch suggestions the planner surfaces.

Limits & Behavior

Trips Table

The Trips table supports configurable columns, sorts, and filters. Use the column configuration menu to show, hide, or reorder columns.

GIF showing the Trips table column configuration: opening the column menu, toggling columns on and off, and reordering them

Inline Editing

Certain columns in the Trips table support inline editing. An editable cell displays a visual indicator when you hover over it. To edit inline:

Click the editable cell.
Make the change.
Press Enter or click away to save.
The change is reflected in the table immediately.

The following fields support inline editing from the Trips table:

Dispatcher
Priority (options: None, Low, Medium, High)
Trip-Level Custom References (four reference types)

Note on the Dispatcher field: the Dispatcher field requires a value once it has been set. To clear a dispatcher back to empty, use the full trip edit screen rather than the inline grid. The inline Dispatcher dropdown shows only active users who have dispatcher access. If the user you are looking for does not appear, confirm they have the correct role assigned in your account. Clicking any row in the Trips table opens the Trip Sidebar on the right side of the screen. The sidebar displays:

Fixed Header: trip ID, status, and key metadata
Static Map: origin and destination
Stops Timeline
Scorecard: rate metrics for the trip
Details Section
Customer and Carrier Sections
Smart Footer: status-aware action buttons

The Smart Footer buttons change depending on the trip’s current status:

Open trips: a Show Drivers button and a Dispatch button are shown.
Covered or Dispatched trips: an Un-assign button is shown.
In Transit or completed trips: no action buttons are shown.

Assets Table

The Drivers/Assets table supports configurable columns, sorts, and filters. Use the column configuration menu to show, hide, or reorder columns. GIF showing the Assets table column configuration: opening the column menu, toggling columns on and off, and reordering them

GIF showing the Assets table column configuration: opening the column menu, toggling columns on and off, and reordering them

Driver Notes

Driver notes are visible to dispatchers and are stored on the driver record. The planner shows the 10 most recent notes for each driver.

GIF showing the Driver Notes modal: selecting a driver, opening the notes section, adding a note, and saving

Driver Events

Driver events record activity that affects a driver’s availability and appear in the driver’s activity timeline in chronological order. To add a driver event:

Open the Driver Activity sidebar for the driver.
Click Add Event.
Enter the event details: type, date and time, and any notes.
Save. The event appears in the driver’s chronological activity timeline. GIF showing the Add Driver Event flow: opening the Driver Activity sidebar, clicking Add Event, completing the event details, and saving.

Driver Chat

You can send a message to a driver directly from Dispatch Planner v2 without leaving the screen.

GIF showing the Driver Chat flow: selecting a driver in the assets table, clicking the Chat button in the asset sidebar, typing a message, and sending

Trip Assignment

Trip assignment can be initiated from either the trip side (trip-first) or the driver side (driver-first). Trip-first: Select a trip row in the Trips table. The Assets table displays a pinned suggestion row at the top showing the recommended asset match. Click Assign or Assign and dispatch to complete the assignment. Driver-first: Select a driver row in the Assets table. The Trips table updates to show only compatible Open trips for that driver. Select the trip you want to assign, then click Assign or Assign and dispatch.

GIF showing the Trip Assignment flow: selecting a trip, reviewing the pinned suggestion in the assets table, and clicking Assign and dispatch

Availability Columns

The Assets table includes four availability columns that show at a glance when each driver is free:

Available at: the exact date and time the driver becomes available
Available for: how long the driver will be free before their next planned trip
Next planned at: the start time of the driver’s next scheduled trip
Available in: a countdown until the driver becomes available

Availability accuracy depends on driver events being kept current. Update driver events whenever a driver’s schedule changes. Clicking any row in the Assets table opens the Asset Sidebar. The sidebar includes two tabs:

Overview Tab: driver and asset details, notes, and availability summary
Activity Tab: chronological timeline of driver events

FAQs

Q: Why don’t I see my trips in Dispatch Planner v2? A: Trips must be tendered as a carrier subsidiary to appear in the planner. Loads tendered as a brokerage subsidiary are excluded. The trip must also be in Open status. If the tender and status are correct, check whether any active column filters are hiding the rows. Q: My assets aren’t showing in the planner. What should I check? A: Confirm that an assignment preference has been configured for the asset in Assets > Assignment Preferences. Assets without a configured preference are not shown in Dispatch Planner v2. Also check whether any active column filters are hiding the rows, and confirm the driver is active in your account. Q: Can I customize which columns appear in the tables? A: Yes. Use the column configuration menu in either the Trips table or the Assets table to show, hide, and reorder columns. Q: How do I save changes to driver notes? A: Notes save automatically when you click away or press Enter after editing. Q: Which fields can I edit directly from the grid? A: You can edit the Dispatcher, Priority, and Trip-Level Custom References fields inline from the Trips table. Q: Why can’t I clear a dispatcher back to empty from the grid? A: The Dispatcher field requires a value once it has been set. To clear the dispatcher, open the full trip edit screen and remove the value there. Q: I can’t find the dispatcher I want in the inline dropdown. A: The dropdown shows only active users who have dispatcher access. Confirm that the user has the correct role assigned in your account. Q: What do the colored rows in the Trips table mean? A: Row color indicates the trip’s priority level: no color means None, a light tint means Low, a medium tint means Medium, and a dark tint means High. Q: Can I apply an action to multiple trips at once? A: Yes. Use Bulk Actions to select multiple trips via the checkbox column and apply an operation to all of them at once. Available operations include Bulk Assign, Bulk Dispatch, Bulk Assign & Dispatch, Bulk Unassign, Bulk Change Dispatcher, and Bulk Set Priority. See How to Use Bulk Actions in Dispatch Planner for full step-by-step instructions.