Tracking & Scheduling
User Guide
Version 2.15
3/28/13
© 2011 Command Alkon Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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Contents
Welcome ... 6
Tracking and Scheduling Operations ... 8
Change Truck Status ...9
Change Truck Information ...9
Change Order Status ...10
Display Trip Profile ...11
Change Task ...11
Driver Overtime ...12
Change Conditions ...13
Change Plant Info ...13
Punch In/Out Truck ...14
Punch In/Out Driver ...15
Reset Trucks ...15
Display Trucks ...16
Display Loads ...16
Tracking ... 18
Tracking Screen Overview ...18
Tracking Screen Layout ...19
Drag and Drop Functionality ...22
Operations Past Midnight ...23
Order Line Double-Click Functionality ...24
Right-click Functionality ...25
Sort/Search Features ...26
Keyboard and Mouse Functions ...29
Themes ...30
Screen Access ...33
Miscellaneous Features ...33
Scheduling ... 36
Schedule Screen Layout ...36
Order Modeling ...39
Scheduling Screen Enhancements ...41
Configuration ... 46
Tracking and Scheduling Setup ...46
EXP Configuration ... 58
Admin Privileges ...58
Themes Administration ...58
XML Options ...63
Special Features ... 74
Show Late Loads as Overdue ...74 Truck Rostering ...76Welcome
Command Alkon products cover many phases of business, but at the same time, it never forgets that the lifeblood of the construction material industry runs through dispatch operations. Dispatchers must have a functional, reliable means of managing fleet operations. Command Alkon’s Tracking & Scheduling system is designed to provide just that.At the heart of the system is Tracking, a flexible tool that enhances dispatchers’ ability to service customers without compromising the time-critical dispatch environment.
The Windows XP user interface allows Tracking & Scheduling to provide the expanded flexibility without the complexity of many Windows solutions, resulting in a high performance dispatch solution.
This manual has four major chapters: • Tracking and Scheduling Operations • Tracking
• Scheduling • Configuration
Tracking and Scheduling
Operations
The Tracking and Scheduling Operations screen lets you change order, truck, and plant information as they relate to tracking and scheduling. It also lets you display truck and load information for the current day. The screen offers a viable alternative for customers who do not wish to purchase the graphic T&S module.Most users do not use the Tracking and SchedulingOperations screen directly; rather, they access it through the Tracking or Scheduling screens.
Tracking & Scheduling Operations screen (DBATSOP)
Topics in this section: Change Truck Status Change Truck Information Change Order Status Display Trip Profile Change Task Driver Overtime Change Conditions Change Plant Info Punch In/Out Truck Punch In/Out Driver Reset Trucks
Display Trucks Display Loads
Change Truck Status
Change Truck Status lets you change the status of a truck for the current day. Please note that you cannot change the status of a truck until it has been clocked in.
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPA)
To change a truck’s status:
1. Enter the Truck Code and press <Tab>. The truck’s current information displays. 2. Select a New Status for the truck. If nothing is selected, the system will move the
truck to the next logical status. For example, if you enter the truck code, and the truck’s current status is To Job, when you accept the screen it the truck will move to the next logical status; in this case, On Job.
If you set a signaling-enabled aggregate truck’s status to Unload, COMMANDseries sends a message indicating the truck’s next assignment (if known).
3. The current time (the time the screen was initially displayed) will default in the New Status Time field. Edit the time if necessary.
4. Accept the screen to change the truck’s status.
If you punch the truck out, the driver is also punched out automatically (if the driver was not already punched out).
Change Truck Information
Change Truck Information lets you change certain information on a truck for the current day.
To change truck information:
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPB)
2. The system will display the current order and ticket to which the truck is assigned, along with current status information. This information is provided for reference purposes; it cannot be changed on this screen.
3. To assign the truck to a different plant, enter the new Plant Code.
4. Enter a Flag. The flag displays on this screen as well as the graphic T&S screens. Flags can be used as reminders for dispatchers. For example, if a truck has been ticketed to a COD job, the dispatcher might put a $ flag on the truck as a reminder to get the payment from the driver upon return.
5. Select an appropriate Color for the truck entry. This will be the default color for the truck, absent a condition-triggered color change.
6. If the truck is bringing leftover material back, enter the amount in the Returned Material field.
Three checkboxes control different aspects of mobile signaling. The values default from the truck file, but can be changed from this screen:
7. The Automatic Signaling checkbox indicates that the truck has some manner of auto-signaling unit.
8. The Enable GPS checkbox indicates the presence of a GPS tracking device.
9. The Enable Auto-Statusing checkbox will be active if Enable GPS is enabled. When checked, indicates that the truck can send automatic GPS-based status updates, and receive GPS trip packets.
10. Accept the screen.
Change Order Status
Change Order Status lets you change the status of an order for the current day. After the order date and order code are entered, the current order information displays.
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPC)
You can changes three things from this tab:
1. Current Status changes the status of the entire order. If the order has multiple schedules, the status change will be applied to all the schedules.
2. Color will change the color of the order information line on the Tracking screen. Different colors can be assigned to orders to indicate priorities.
3. If the order has multiple schedules, change the status for each individual schedule by selecting a schedule from the drop-down list and then changing the Schedule Status.
Display Trip Profile
When a GPS-enabled truck is ticketed, COMMANDseries sends the truck a "trip packet," or profile, containing GPS coordinates for the plant as well as the destination. This screen lets you review a truck’s current trip profile.
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPJ)
Change Task
Tasks and Conditions provide for additional flexibility within the tracking system. If you have tasks and conditions implemented, you can use this screen to change tasks as needed. To change a truck/driver’s current task:
Change Tasks tab (DBATSOPK)
2. Select a task from the drop-down list. The available tasks will depend on the system configuration.
3. If the specified task allows the user to enter a projected task duration, the Estimated Minutes. The value will be used as a timer on the Tracking screen.
4. Accept the screen.
Driver Overtime
The Driver Overtime screen lets you review the number of hours a driver has worked, comparing that figure with the driver’s assigned overtime table. The same information is also available on the Ticketing screen, and through the Driver Overtime report.
If tasks and conditions are configured appropriately, the Tracking screen can indicate when a driver is close to or past the specified overtime threshold.
Driver Overtime tab (DBATSOPL)
For more information, consult the Managing Driver Overtime Section in either the COMMANDconcrete or COMMANDaggregate User Guides.
Change Conditions
The Change Conditions tab lets you review and change a given truck’s current conditions.
Change Condition-s tab (DBATSOPM)
Conditions can be changed using the drop-down menus and the add occurrence buttons. In addition, this screen can also be useful in identifying potential conflicts. For example, the screen shot above shows a truck with two conditions, one for a pre-ticketed truck, and one for a break warning. Because the warning condition has the higher priority, it will be displayed on the Tracking screen instead of the pre-ticket condition. Therefore, a dispatcher seeing the warning might not realize that the truck is also pre-ticketed. By reviewing this screen, the dispatcher would know that the truck is pre-ticketed, and that a new truck needs to be assigned to that load.
Change Plant Info
Change Plant Info lets you change the fleet sizes, specified capacity and current capacity for a plant for a specified date.
Specified Capacity is the capacity of the plant when it is in perfect operating condition. If for some reason the plant cannot operate at that capacity, enter the adjusted capacity in the
Current Capacity field; the scheduling routine then attempts to adjust for the diminished plant capacity. If you have entered data on the Truck Capacity screen, that information will be shown in the lower part of the form.
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPD)
The Scheduling screen uses the current capacity to calculate the Pre-Load Demand
graph, and the fleet size to determining the Fleet Adjustment graph. To reset capacity back to the maximum, clear the Current Capacity field.
Punch In/Out Truck
Punch In/Out Truck lets you punch a specified truck in or out. After the truck code is entered, the system determines whether the truck is being punched in or out and displays the appropriate prompt for entering the time. This screen is basically a specialized version of the Change Truck Status screen.
You can only punch in trucks that are out of service and punch out trucks that are in an In Yard status.
To punch a truck in/out:
1. Enter the Truck Code of the truck you wish to punch in/out.
Tracking and Scheduling Operations (DBATSOPE)
2. Edit the Driver Code, if necessary. The driver will be punched in/out along with the truck.
4. Plant Code, Flag, and Color can all be changed on this screen. These changes are temporary and will be reset when the truck is punched out.
5. Select Automatic Signaling if the truck is equipped with automatic signaling. 6. Accept the screen to punch in/out the truck.
If a newly punched-in truck’s Next Order field contains an assignment, a message displays noting that this is a New Assignment.
Punch In/Out Driver
Punch In/Out Driver lets you punch a specified driver in or out. After the driver code is entered, the system determines whether the driver is being punched in or out and displays the appropriate prompt for entering the time. You can only punch in drivers that are out of service and punch out drivers that are in an In Yard status.
Punch In/Out Truck (DBATSOPF)
Reset Trucks
Selecting Reset Trucks does exactly what it says: it resets all trucks (or a single truck) for the day, removing them from current assignments and placing them in an Out of Service
status.
Warning:
Great care must be taken when using this function. Resetting trucks during the day will effectively cancel all current orders. All the order and ticket information will then have to be re-entered manually.
To preserve truck dispatch records from the day prior, the Reset Trucks function does not clear the To Plant and Next Order Information fields of Aggregate trucks.
To reset a truck/all trucks:
1. Enter a Truck Code if you wish to reset a single truck, or leave the field blank to reset all trucks.
2. Accept the screen. You will get a confirmation box warning you of the potential dangers of resetting the trucks during operating hours. Select Yes.
Display Trucks
Display Trucks displays the current status of trucks for the current day. You can display all trucks or only active trucks.
Display Trucks (DBATSOPH)
You can adjust the sort characteristics of the list by clicking on the various column headers.
Display Loads
Display Loads shows all loads delivered for the current day.
Tracking
COMMANDseries scheduling allows for entering scheduling parameters on the Ordersscreen, such as quantity per hour, minutes apart, etc. The T&S screens display this information in real time to provide dispatchers with up-to-the-minute information and easy access to dispatching functions. Scheduling is continually updated from ticketing, keeping the current day’s schedules accurate.
The truck tracking module of COMMANDseries monitors your company’s truck fleet through every phase of the workday to maximize the use of the fleet, allow the dispatcher to react to changes in the job condition, and ensure that planned service levels are reached. Topics in this section:
Tracking Screen Overview Tracking Screen Layout Drag and Drop Functionality Operations Past Midnight
Order Line Double-Click Functionality Right-click Functionality
Tracking Screen Overview
The Tracking and Scheduling screens display information directly related to the scheduling, dispatching, and tracking of customer orders. The order taker uses the scheduling information to make sure that sufficient resources are available to meet a requested order. Dispatchers use this information to make decisions regarding truck and driver usage during the course of a day’s deliveries.
To Load Tracking & Scheduling:
1. In the COMMANDseries menu, select Dispatch > Tracking & Scheduling.
2. The program will load. The title bar will initially read “Accessing Database . . . Please Wait” as the system builds the display from order, schedule, and truck records.
The initial screen layout is determined by the user’s individual Tracking & Scheduling Configuration. The default screen used here will be Standard Concrete Tracking.
Tracking Screen (Standard Concrete Tracking)
Tracking Screen Layout
The Tracking screen displays all critical information about a day’s business.
Order Line
Order lines appear at the top of the screen, sorted according to the screen configuration. If sorted by plant (a common configuration) the orders appear underneath their assigned plant.
The yellow column header goes with the yellow order line.
The fields on the Order line are as follows:
• Ord (Pkt) – The Order Code and the Pocket Number.
• Customer/Address – The Customer Name and the Delivery Address. Double-click the column header to rotate through Customer/Address, Customer, and Address. • Start – Start Time.
• Trv – Travel Time, taken from the To Job time in the schedule. • Spc – Truck Spacing.
• Unl – Unload time.
• Ordered – Ordered Quantity for the order.
• Delv’d – Amount of material that has been ticketed against the order. • Pl – The Scheduled Plant for the order.
The Order line can also indicate that an order has a special status.
The white block on the left indicates that this order is a Will Call.
The white block on the right indicates that this order is On Hold.
Orders in Will Call or Hold status will display in the Order line section of the screen. However, specific loads will not display in the Orders to Load list. To ticket either type of order, simply drag a truck to the order line. The Ticketing screen will prompt you to update the order’s status prior to ticketing.
Order to Load
Loads appear under Orders to Load as the load’s ticketing time approaches.
You can control how far in advance of the first load time an order will appear on the screen by adjusting the Truck Tracking Orders-to-Load Lead Time setting in Dispatch
Configuration. This setting lets you have the screen display, for example, only orders that are to be delivered in the next two hours.
Orders to Load on Tracking Screen
By default, the Orders to Load section displays only the next load for each order. The reasoning is that since the timing of an order’s subsequent loads are dependent on the ticket time of the first load, it does not make sense to display loads whose load times are likely to change. To toggle between using this mode and displaying all upcoming loads regardless of the order code, press A:
Orders to Load displaying All orders
Trucks In Yard/Out of Service
The lower middle section of the screen displays Trucks In Yard and Trucks Out of Service. Double-click on the section header or press N to toggle back and forth between the two screens.
Trucks Returning
Trucks in To Plant status display in two areas of the screen: • The individual Order Line
• The Trucks Returning section
Trucks Returning
Having the token in both locations is fairly useful. The returning truck on the order line tells you that a specific truck has finished at a specific job site and is returning to the plant. The Trucks Returning section displays all returning trucks in one place, right next to the
Trucks in Yard display, making it easier for the dispatcher to allocate trucks to upcoming loads.
Drag and Drop Functionality
The COMMANDseries Tracking and Scheduling screen lets dispatchers ticket trucks simply by using the mouse to “drag and drop” a truck to an order.
To punch a truck in:
1. Display the Out of Service pane.
2. Select a truck, and drag it to the appropriate Plant Line. When you release the truck, it will be clocked in, and will appear as In Yard.
You can use the same method to transfer a truck from one plant to another. To ticket an order using drag-and-drop:
1. Using the mouse, point to the desired truck token and click the left mouse button. 2. Holding down the button, drag the pointer to the order you wish to ticket. You may
drag to the Order Line for the desired order, or drag to the load token in the Orders to Load section.
3. Release the left mouse button. The ticketing screen displays; the order, truck, and load information will default into the appropriate fields. Review the information for
accuracy, making any necessary changes (driver, load size, etc.). 4. Accept the screen to generate the ticket.
5. When an order is ready to load, generate a ticket for the order, either by dragging the truck token to the load, or from the ticketing screen.
Changing Truck Status
If your fleet is equipped with Mobile Signaling units, truck statuses will be updated
automatically, either when a driver presses a button on the signaling unit or when the GPS system detects that a truck’s status has changed. Otherwise, dispatchers will need to update the status of each truck manually, based on radio communications from the drivers.
To change a truck’s status, simply click on the truck token and drag it to the new status. You may drag to the new status underneath the order line, or you may drop it on the appropriate status column header.
Ticketing F.O.B. Orders
The standard Tracking screens provide dispatchers with a means of monitoring truck statuses; the screens do not normally display F.O.B. orders. Press J on the keyboard to toggle the tracking screen between regular orders and F.O.B. orders.
When a customer arrives to pick up an F.O.B. order, do the following:
1. From the main Tracking screen, press J on the keyboard. The screen shifts to F.O.B. mode. The lower displays and all of the delivery orders will disappear and be replaced with the current F.O.B. orders.
2. Right-click on the order to be ticketed, and select Ticket Order from the pop-up menu.
3. The standard Ticketing screen displays.
4. Ticket the load using a generic truck (the system should have a number of generic trucks in the system for such purposes).
5. Press J to return to standard orders.
Operations Past Midnight
If T&S encounters an order for tomorrow that has a load scheduled to be loaded today, when the order’s lead time is reached, the order will internally move to today so the dispatcher can see that the order will be due soon (just as all today's orders normally display). This will display the order for tomorrow for most of the day as available for the scheduler, but will then switch the order over to today’s screen so that the dispatcher can load the truck at the correct time.
This date change is strictly internal for T&S; the order record in the CMDseries database is not changed.
When the clock reaches midnight, the Tracking system must be restarted; the restart will reset the order so that it will continue to display when tomorrow is the current date.
Scheduling displays are unaffected by orders that cross midnight; the demand always displays at the correct time on the scheduling graph. This is a compromise between the order taker's need to find the order if the customer calls to make changes, and the
dispatcher’s need to have an appropriate amount of warning time indicating that the truck should be loaded.
Example
If you enter an order for tomorrow that will start shipping on the current day, the order will appear under tomorrow’s date until the order lead time is reached. For example, an order for tomorrow is due On Job at 12:30 A.M. tomorrow, and the truck needs to be loaded at 11:20 P.M.today to satisfy the On Job time. There is an order lead time of two hours. The order will display on the T&S Order List for tomorrow until 9:20 P.M., which is the load time of 11:20 P.M. minutes the two hour order lead time. At 9:20 P.M., the order switches from tomorrow’s Order List to today's Order List and displays on the Tracking screen.
Order Line Double-Click Functionality
The Tracking screen also includes double-click functionality to quickly access desired information from a specific order. To perform this function, place the cursor over the desired order line area and double-click the mouse button. The following table describes the double-click functionality of each order line area:
Order Line column Function Order Number /
Pocket Number Retrieves the order and positions the cursor in the customer number (Shipping) field.
Customer Name /
Address Retrieves the order and positions the cursor in the Address field. Delivery
Start Time (Start) Retrieves the appropriate schedule information and places it into the Order Line Schedule Information screen. Places the cursor in the Start Time field.
Travel Time (Trv) Retrieves the appropriate schedule information and places it into the Order Line Schedule Information screen. Places the cursor in the Travel Time field.
Spacing (Spc) Retrieves the appropriate schedule information and places it into the Order Line Schedule Information screen. Places the cursor in the Truck Spacing field.
Unload (Unl) Retrieves the appropriate schedule information and places it into the Order Line Schedule Information screen. Places the cursor in the Unload Time field.
Ordered Quantity
(Ordered) Retrieves the order and positions the cursor in the Quantity field. Order
Plant (Pl) Retrieves the appropriate schedule information and places it into the Order Line Schedule Information screen. Places the cursor in the Plant Code field.
Right-click Functionality
Users can also access various scheduling, ticketing, and tracking routines by right-clicking various objects on the Tracking screen. Right-click on an object to bring up a context-specific menu:
Object Menu Option(s) Description
Plant Line Change Plant Info Calls the Change Plant Information
screen in Tracking & Scheduling Opera-tions.
Order Line/ Orders to Load Token
Change Order Status Calls the Change Order Status screen in
Tracking & Scheduling Operations.
Change Order Info Loads the order into the Orders editor. Order/Trucks Location
Ticket Order Loads the order into the Ticketing screen. Change RTT info Loads order into the Orders editor, then
calls the Schedule screen and the Round Trip Trucks screen.
Show Loads Calls the Load Schedule screen, which
dis-plays all loads for the order, including pro-jected/actual status times.
Truck Token Call Truck Calls the Signaling Operations screen. If the truck’s signaling unit can receive text messages, a message box will display. Change Truck Status Calls the Change Truck Status screen in
Tracking & Scheduling Operations. Change Truck Info Calls the Change Truck Info screen in
Tracking & Scheduling Operations. Change Tasks Calls the Change Tasks screen in Tracking
& Scheduling Operations. Ticket Truck/Change
Ticket Info Calls the •TicketingIf the truck is unticketed, the screen. truck will be entered in the truck code field and the user can enter the additional information before ticketing.
• If the truck is currently ticketed, that ticket will be loaded into the Ticketing screen.
Sort/Search Features
Tracking has a number of search features that will simplify many dispatcher problems.
Find Truck
There are many situations in which the dispatcher needs to find a truck. When the users presses T on the keyboard, a search box will display.
Press T to find a truck
When you press OK, the system will locate the truck on the tracking screen, and will scroll the order display so that the truck’s current order is at the top.
Once the orders have been scrolled, the search is over: at this point, all standard Tracking
screen functions are available. The truck can be called, the order or ticket retrieved, etc. Once the situation with the truck has been resolved, the dispatcher can restore the display by scrolling down with the arrow keys.
Find Order
In addition to searching for trucks, you can also search for orders. Sometimes a customer will call wanting information about an order, but will be unable to provide an order code. Before, dispatchers had to leave the Tracking screen to perform a customer search from Order Entry. Now, they will have a flexible tool that they can use from the Tracking
screen.
Pressing O (the letter, not the number zero) calls the Find Order screen.
Press O to find an order
When you press OK, the system will search both the Customer Name and Delivery Address fields for the specified search string. The order display will scroll to place the first matching order at the top. Press F3 to find the next occurrence of the search string.
If no matches are found, the system will display “No More Matches for _____” on the message line.
One-click Order Search
The standard order search is useful if you have the customer or address handy. But in some cases, the problem is a little more basic. Suppose you’re looking at the Orders to Load
column and spot an order that is late. If it is very late, you might want contact the customer to let him know about the problem. To do that, you may need to retrieve the order and look for a contact number. But to do that, you must first find the order in a very crowded order display.
One-click Order Search
Simply click on the order in the Orders to Load column: Tracking will automatically perform an order search and scroll the selected order to the top of the screen, so you can quickly retrieve the order.
One-click Order Search can also make it easier for you to determine what order will get the next load. If four orders are scheduled to be loaded now, but there are only three trucks available, you can quickly review those four orders, determining if all of those orders are indeed on schedule, if an order is behind schedule, or if there are already trucks on site waiting to pour. The result is more efficient use of your available manpower and equipment.
One-click Order Search also works for the Trucks Returning column. Select a truck in the Trucks Returning column, and that order scrolls to the top of the screen.
From here you can select a date; the screen will go directly to that date. If you need to return to the current date, you can either select the current date on the calendar or click at the bottom of the calendar, where it reads: Today: MM/DD/YYYY.
The calendar can only take you to dates within standard dispatch parameters; that is, from (current date - Days Back to Allow Dispatch value) through (current date + 25). Nothing will happen if you click on a date outside the acceptable range.
Sorting Options
Tracking provides many sorting options and users quickly change sorting options from the
Tracking screen itself. This sorting ability, combined with other Tracking screen functionality, gives dispatchers and order takers much more flexibility.
Let’s say that a customer calls wanting to update some information on a given order. Before, unless the customer could provide an order code, the Customer Service Representative (CSR) was forced to perform a search from the Orders screen to find the order in question. Now, the CSR has options directly on the Tracking screen. Not only can a CSR quickly find the order, but the CSR can take the opportunity to review any other order that customer might have that day.
Sort menu
Sort options can also be changed from the Sort Options screen, which can be called by pressing the S key.
Press “S” to display the Sort Options screen
There are three sort options that begin with Plant. If any of these sort options are selected, the Plant lines will display on the Tracking screen. They will not display for the other sorting options.
The orders are now sorted, but if we are only interested in the orders, we don’t need to see the trucks. Pressing U will toggle between standard Tracking and Order-only display.
There aren’t that many orders on the above screen. One reason for that is that many
customers set the Orders to Load Lead Time value on the Configuration > Dispatch screen to only show orders that will be loaded in the next 120 minutes. If the customer has orders later than that range, they will not appear.
Press Y to toggle between displaying the restricted set of orders and displaying all orders for the current date. That way, you can be sure of seeing everything the customer has on the schedule for the entire day. Only orders that have been completed will not appear.
If your system has a long lead time, this step may not be required.
Pressing “Y” displays all current day orders
From here, the CSR can bring up each of the customer’s order, confirming or modifying order and schedule information as needed.
Best of all, once the CSR has finished with the customer, only two keystrokes (Y, U) and two mouse clicks (Sort, Plant > Order Code) will restore the Tracking screen back in its initial configuration, ready for the next customer.
Keyboard and Mouse Functions
Tracking has the following mouse and keyboard functionality.
Mouse
• Resize the screen to expand the display. • Middle wheel scrolls main screen.
• Drag left/right the column divider between customer name and address. • Drag left/right the banner divider between orders to load and in yard. • Drag left/right the banner divider between in yard and returning. • Drag up/down the orders to load banner.
Keyboard
Themes
T&S offers several different themes for users:
Home Restore a view of orders starting at the first order on screen; restart order search.
End Go to the last order in the current view.
+ Go ahead 1 day in all configurations in the date group.
- Go back 1 day in all configurations in the date group.
A Toggle show all loads in the orders to load window.
B Toggle the unloading column display mode in aggregate tracking.
C Toggle 3-way to display customer name/address, customer-name, or address in the main window.
E Activate the calendar dialog box to choose a new date for all configu-rations in the date group.
F Modify the playback speed when replaying a set of journal files.
G Toggle 'Gantt chart' mode on truck tracking when using optimization
I Toggle hide non-loading trucks (for aggregate sites where signaling and statuses are not used).
J Switch to FOB screen.
N Toggle between in yard and out of service displays.
O /
Ctrl+F Find Order.
P / F3 Find next matching order. Used after O, Control+F, or Home.
Q Toggle home plant display in horizontal tracking.
S Change Sort Order.
T Find Truck.
U Toggle hide all trucks (equivalent display to order monitoring).
V Choose Theme.
X Toggle the plant line display options.
Traditional Tracking screen
Tracking Screen using Full Graphic theme
Please note that the location and appearance of the Date/Time box differs in the two screen shots. Despite the difference, the functionality of the box remains the same:
The basic appearance of the screen can be adjusted through the use of themes. Users can change themes by using the menu (Options > Themes), or by pressing the V key to call the
Theme Options screen.
Theme Options
As soon as a theme is selected in the drop-down box, the screen will adjust, making it easier to select a theme. Three default themes are provided:
• Standard (resembles the old Tracking & Scheduling screen)
• Graphic
• Full Graphic
Themes only change the appearance of the screen; functionality is not affected. However, users should note that in the Standard theme, messages, date, and time are displayed at the top of the screen (as they are in the old Tracking & Scheduling screen); in other themes, the same information is provided in a status bar at the bottom of the screen. This placement should be noted because certain functions (configuration and the calendar) are accessed by clicking or double-clicking on the date.
These default themes may not be altered, but additional themes may be provided by the local admin.
Screen Access
Users can still shift from different screens using the keyboard. However, users can also shift screens from the Window menu:
The menu options include the keyboard number to access the screen, facilitating the training of new users.
In earlier versions of Tracking & Scheduling, users could assign letters as switch keys: T, T1, or S3, for example. This initially caused a problem with Tracking because the letters O, T, and S were pre-assigned to specific search commands. If a system had switch keys that conflicted, the T&S search took precedent.
Now, the switch key functionality has precedence. If a user has a switch key of T2, then when the user presses T from Tracking, the system will wait for the rest of the switch key instead of invoking the Truck Search function.
We recommend placing numbers before letters in switch key assignments: using 2T instead of T2, for example. This preserves the ability to call the Truck Search function with the keystroke T. If T2 is set as a switch key, then users will have to press TT to call Truck Search.
Miscellaneous Features
Just because we like you.Dynamic Sizing
In the standard Tracking screen, the program window could be, but the screen elements didn’t adjust to account for the changed dimensions. Tracking automatically resizes the width of the status columns, allowing use of the full width of the monitor.
In addition, there is limited ability to manually resize certain screen elements, using standard Windows resizing functionality. Columns can be resized by using the double-arrow to drag them apart or together.
Resizing columns
The Trucks In Yard/Out of Service and Trucks Returning columns can be resized, as can the Customer and Address columns (when both are displayed; you can still toggle between the two columns as well).
In standard tracking, the number of lines used to display orders could only be adjusted through the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screens. In Tracking, the number of order lines can be adjusted from the tracking screen itself:
Resizing Order Space
At the beginning of the day, there may be lot of orders, and need as much screen space as possible devoted to the order list. Instead of opening the Tracking & Scheduling Configuration screen and adjusting the available space, just resize using click and drag functionality. And when there aren’t that many orders on the screen, the space for orders can be decreased, in the process increasing the space for Trucks in Yard.
The “handle” for resizing the order space is only available on the Orders to Load column; the resizing arrow will not appear on the Trucks in Yard or Trucks Returning Columns. When Tracking closes, it remembers the various sizes and placements for use when the program is restarted.
Home/End Key Functionality
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, there are a lot of orders on the Tracking screen: so many, in fact, that scrolling from the top of the list to the bottom of the list can become tedious.
Users can now use the <Home> and <End> keys to quickly jump to the beginning or end of the order list.
Graphic Date Selection
Previously, to change the date on the Tracking & Scheduling screen, you had to use the +
and – keys. Those keys still function, but you have an additional option. You can single-click on the date to bring up a graphic calendar.
Double-clicking on the date will still call the Tracking & Scheduling Configuration
Scheduling
While the Tracking screen lets you manage the day’s deliveries, the Scheduling screen shows you the big picture, so you can:• More efficiently manage your fleet.
• Gauge the impact of new orders in the midst of an already hectic schedule.
• Identify scheduling problems before they get out of hand, or, if they do get out of hand, regain control of the situation as efficiently as possible.
The system supports multiple scheduling screens, or even multiple scheduling graphs on a single screen. Either option provides the ability to easily monitor individual plants.
Accessing the Scheduling Screen
The method of accessing the Scheduling screen is dependent on user configuration. The T&S system provides for up to 99 different screen configurations.
The default configuration assigns the number 2 to the Full Scheduling screen. Pressing the number 2 on the keyboard will switch you to that screen. To switch back to Full Concrete Tracking, press 1.
If the menu is enabled (see Themes for additional information), you can access any of your configured screens using the Windows menu (see Configuration for additional
information).
Schedule Screen Layout
The Scheduling screen is a graph representing your fleet demand. Additional information is also included, based on the screen configuration.
Full Scheduling screen
Screen Header
The screen header provides reference information needed to interpret the scheduling graph.
Screen header
• (02) - Designates the screen number within Tracking & Scheduling.
• Date\Day – The date\day being displayed. The date can be changed using the plus (+) and minus (-) keys, or you can double-click the date at the bottom of the screen to display a graphical calendar.
• Plant\Name – The plant being displayed.
• Trk – Indicates the scale of the vertical (truck) graph axis. A value of 1 indicates that a single hash mark on the axis represents a single truck.
• Hr – Indicates the scale of the horizontal (hours) graph axis. In this case, a value of 10 indicates that a single hash mark represents ten minutes.
• Note:Both scale settings can be adjusted from the Tracking & Scheduling Setup
screen, discussed later.
• Fleet – Indicates the size of the fleet(s). If only one plant is displayed on the screen, the two numbers will always be the same. If multiple plants are displayed, there will be multiple Plant Loading lines at the bottom of the screen. The Fleet value in the header shows the fleet size of the first plant in the display list, and then the total number of trucks for all displayed plants.
both US Customary and metric orders are scheduled, quantities will be converted to the system’s default Unit of Measure (UOM).
Scheduling Graph
The scheduling graph displays truck demand for the day. The graph has additional elements to assist the busy dispatcher.
Scheduling Screen graph
• Pre-load adjustment – You can have all the trucks in the world, but your plant can only batch so much concrete in an hour. If the current schedule has times when the material demand exceeds the plant capacity, the pre-load adjustment graph indicates times when loads will have to be ticketed early in order to meet the schedule. Pre-load adjustments like the one shown above might not be a problem; ticketing a load ten minutes early is not likely to have an impact on the delivered material. But if the pre-load adjustment has you ticketing pre-loads over 30 minutes early, you might consider adjusting the schedule.
• Fleet Size – The green line indicates the fleet size for the displayed plant(s). The label on the left indicates what plant(s) are being graphed. Double-click the label to call the
Change Plant Info screen in Tracking and Scheduling Operations, making it easy to adjust fleet sizes.
• Fleet Adjustment – If truck demand exceeds truck availability, the schedule will be delayed. The Fleet Adjustment graph only displays if flagged in the Configuration and the Fleet Adjustment Graph (truck demand) exceeds your fleet size, indicating how long it will take to recover.
• Ticketed Loads – Diamonds in the main graph indicate loads that have already been ticketed.
Plant Loading
Plant Loading Information
Note: If the screen displays multiple plants, multiple rows will be displayed.
The green line displays the number of loads scheduled to be batched during that hour. The white line indicates the quantity scheduled to be batched during that hour. At the far left of the white line is displayed totals for both loads and quantities. If both US Customary and metric orders are scheduled, quantities will be converted to the system’s default UOM.
Order Modeling
When a customer wants to place an order in the midst of an already hectic schedule, its good to confirm your ability to service the customer. Before an order is accepted, it can be modeled to view how it will fit in the current schedule. This option aids in schedule planning and lets the scheduler cross-check order information with truck availability.
Note: The Scheduling screen must be open before the modeling operation begins. To model an order:
Let’s say that tomorrow’s schedule looks like this:
You have a customer on the phone, wanting 100 yards of concrete tomorrow, starting at 1:30 P.M.
1. With the customer on the phone, set up the order, including all of the information on the Order Line Scheduling Information screen. Do not save the schedule yet. 2. Select Model from the Options pull-down menu located on the application toolbar.
screen, the field will default to the first scheduling screen in your configuration list.
Accept the screen.
Scheduling Screen (EDTORDRD)
4. The selected scheduling screen will become active, and the modeled order will display.
Modeled Order
Looking at the model, you see that you don’t have the available trucks to deliver the order at that time.
5. Go back to the Schedule Information screen. Talk to the customer and see if they can take the order later (things open up starting at 4:30 P.M., for example), or if the truck spacing can be extended. As soon as you change any of the values on the screen, you can shift back to the modeled screen to see how that change impacts the model.
Remodeled order
In the above screen, the order has been pushed back to 2:30 P.M., and the truck spacing has been increased from 25 to 30 minutes.
6. If this schedule is acceptable to the customer, accept the order. If not, continue to work until you can accommodate the customer’s needs.
Scheduling Screen Enhancements
The Scheduling Screen is useful in showing and resolving scheduling problems.
Order List
The above graphic shows that the fleet is overbooked, and there will be a period starting at 2 P.M. when you’ll be catching up the overbooked orders. To identify the orders being ticketed around that time, double-click the time line. The Order List screen will appear in a separate window.
Order Screen
The Order List displays all orders that are scheduled to be active at the specified time, providing all the information available from the Tracking screen. To broaden the scope of the display, enter a time range in the supplied fields.
Ticketed loads will not display unless the appropriate checkbox is selected.
The Order List automatically calls the Order Modeling function. As you select each order in the Order List, the Scheduling screen automatically shows the model of that order on the Scheduling screen.
As soon as you click on a different order, the model is updated. This feature lets you identify problematic orders, and gives you the information needed to make a decision about which order to try and move, possibly because the order is the smallest order, or perhaps because the other orders are for more important customers.
Once you’ve identified the order you want to move, you can double-click on the order to load it into the Orders screen.
Show Loads
Select the Show Loads button to display the Load Schedule screen for the selected order. The screen provides approximate ticket times for an order’s loads, based on the order’s schedule.
Load Schedule screen (including ticketed loads)
Dispatchers can use this information to delay or speed up delivery in certain situations, such as when managing cleanup loads.
As with various Time Analysis reports, the value in parentheses before the Printed status represents the time between tickets. Accordingly, there will never be a value in front of the first ticket.
If the Load Schedule screen shows ticketed loads, be advised that while the screen shows the actual Printed time for tickets, all other times are calculated from the schedule, using the printed time as the starting point.
These calculated ticket times will reflect manually-edited load schedules, or schedule variances dictated by use of map page travel times and travel time periods.
A future release will include actual ticket times for printed tickets.
Truck Capacity Graph
Once the Truck Capacity screen and Change Plant Info tabs have been updated, you can view your plant’s fleet capacity on the Tracking and Scheduling screen. Records from the Truck Capacity screen table (TCAP) will be used to dynamically calculate the plant’s capacity throughout the day. A red line represents truck availability. You can view variations for each plant and each truck type, depending on what you have entered on the Truck Capacity screen and Change Plant Info tab. In the example below, the dips in the red line represent periods in which various trucks are unavailable for certain periods of time.
The red line indicates variable truck capacity
The graph displays information entered in the COMMANDseries Truck Capacity editor (Files > Plant & Delivery Information > Truck Capacity). The information can be reviewed from the Tracking & Scheduling Operations-Change Plant Info tab.
Change Plant Info
The Truck Capacity button allws you to enter updated capacity information. The dynamic graph is enabled in EXP Tracking by adding the following tags to the
<!--Dynamic Fleet Line in Scheduling --> <read_tcap>True</read_tcap>
Configuration
Tracking & Scheduling is a complex system, and as such it has a sophisticated configuration system.Configuration options fall into two categories:
• Tracking and Scheduling Setup lets you configure specific screens and screen layouts.
• Configuration options are set either from within the T&S program, or from an XML configuration file.
A special version of the Tracking exists just for systems running Optimization. However, not all users will want/need to use the Optimized Tracking screen.
Tracking and Scheduling Setup
The T&S screens can be configured to match the specific needs of a user or group of users. Using the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen, users with appropriate privileges can configure T&S screens.
There are three parts to configuring a given screen: • Selecting basic layout and switch key(s)
• Configuring the Tracking screen (if needed) • Configuring the Scheduling screen(s) (if present.
To define the T&S screens, go to the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen {Dispatch > Tracking & Scheduling Setup}.
Selecting Basic Layout & Switch Keys
To select the basic layout and switch keys:1. Enter the name of an individual User or the name of a Group of users in the User field, or detail to select an existing user. To set the configuration for all users, enter # in the field.
User lookup
When T&S loads, it uses this list to load the proper screen configurations for the current user/group. In the above graphic, there are eleven screen configurations assigned to the generic user #. Candace, on the other hand, only has five. If Candace starts T&S, she will have access to only those five screens. If a user with no assigned screens starts T&S, the user will have access to the screens assigned to #.
It is generally easier to manage T&S at the group level rather than the user level. When a user/group is selected, all of the current configurations for that user will be loaded. If the user/group has no existing screen configurations, the main part of the form will remain blank.
Populated T&S Setup screen (EDTTSHD)
Three read-only reference fields are displayed in the lower left of the display:
Scheduling Grids shows the number of scheduling grids included in the current screen.
The Tracking checkbox indicate which functionality sets are active within the screen.
The Rostering checkbox indicates which functionality sets are active within the screen.
In addition, corresponding Tracking and Scheduling buttons display on the right of the screen. These buttons are used to configure components of each screen. Scroll through the existing screens using the scroll bar, or press Add Occurrence to add a configuration.
2. Enter an identifying character for the current Configuration if this is the initial setup for the user. Normally, screens are simply numbered sequentially.
3. From the Standard Setup field’s drop-down menu, select one of the tracking and scheduling configuration options. By setting up several configurations, you can effectively use several different screens.
The Standard Setup field selects a basic layout for the screen, determining which components (Tracking and/or Scheduling) it will contain. Available layouts are: Full Display Tracking - Standard Tracking screen layout.
Full Display Scheduling – Scheduling graph with no additional information. 2 Grid Scheduling – Display two scheduling grids on one screen.
4 Grid Scheduling – Display four scheduling grids on one screen.
Tracking and Scheduling – Display both Tracking and Scheduling screens at once.
6 Grid Scheduling – Display six scheduling grids on one screen.
2 Grid Tracking and Scheduling – Two independent Tracking and Scheduling screens. This option is best used with a widescreen monitor.
Scheduling Day at a Glance – The Scheduling screen, compressed to display the graph for the entire day.
4. Select a numeric key(s) to use as a Switch Key. Pressing this key while using T&S changes the display to the configuration defined for that key.
Multi-key switch keys are entered using the individual switch key fields. If 1 and 2 are entered, respectively, in the first two fields, pressing 1+2 will take you to that screen. If you have a switch key of 1 for a screen, for example, and 12 for another screen, to switch to screen 1, press 1+<Enter>.
If a user has a switch key of T2, when the user presses T from EXP Tracking, the system will wait for the rest of the switch key instead of invoking the Truck Search
function (which it did in previous versions of T&S).
We recommend placing numbers before letters in switch key assignments: using 2T
instead of T2, for example. This preserves the ability to call the Truck Search function with the keystroke T. If T2 is set as a switch key, then users will have to press TT to call
Truck Search.
5. The Tracking button, Scheduling button, or both buttons will activate, depending on the specified configuration.
Information in the Tracking Setup screen and the Scheduling Setup screen defaults from information entered while setting up the system. If you need to alter any fields for the current configuration, do so in these screens.
Configuring the Tracking Screen
There are many options within both Tracking and Scheduling screens. It is important to experiment with and find the configurations that work best for your company.
Screen Options
There are several basic types of Tracking screens, selectable through the Display Type
field.
• Standard Concrete Tracking – Standard concrete tracking displays.
• FOB Concrete Tracking – Similar to the above, but displays only FOB orders. Users can switch between standard and FOB displays by pressing the J key.
• Concrete Plant Loading Display – Displays only concrete plants and the orders associated with them.
• Concrete Order Product Display – Similar to the standard screen, but with an additional order line column displaying the product code. The Pocket field is not displayed.
The next two screens are actualy two halves of a single, horizontal Tracking screen. If used, they should be configured with adjacent switch keys to let dispatchers easily move back and forth.
• Concrete Horizontal Tracking Left – The left side of the screen focuses primarily on ticketing. This view provides a graphic depiction of upcoming loads, making it easier to identify loading bottlenecks before they happen.
Concrete Horizontal Tracking Left
• Concrete Horizontal Tracking Right – The right portion of the horizontal displays the delivery cycle. Individual orders are in the center of the screen, and represent, in effect, the job site. The two statuses to the left, To Job and On Job, represent the truck getting to the site and preparing to pour. To the right of the orders are the Pouring and
Wash statuses. Once a truck has finished washing, drag the truck to the Plant line to place the truck in To Plant status. The truck will disappear from the screen, and will display on the right Tracking screen.
Concrete Horizontal Tracking Right
• FOB Concrete Horizontal Tracking Left/Right – These two screens share the same functionality as the Concrete Horizontal Tracking screens, but only track FOB orders. Users can also also switch between standard and FOB displays by pressing the J key.
• Standard Aggregate Tracking – As the name says, the Standard Aggregate Tracking screen displays. Functionality is identical to the Standard Concrete Tracking screen. The one key difference is that there are fewer statuses. Loading an aggregate truck dispatches it to the quarry to get material; once loaded, it returns to the scale for weighing and ticketing.
Standard Aggregate Display
• FOB Aggregate Tracking – Similar to the above, but displays only FOB orders. Users can also switch between standard and FOB displays by pressing the J key. • Aggregate Plant Loading Display – Displays only aggregate plants and the orders
associated with them.
Tracking Screen Options
To configure tracking options:1. After setting the fields on the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen, select the
Tracking button to go to the Tracking Setup screen {Dispatch > Tracking & Scheduling Setup > Tracking}.
Tracking Setup (EDTTSHD1)
2. From the Display Type field’s drop-down menu, select the type of information to be displayed on the tracking screen.
If the Group Orders by Plant checkbox is selected, the orders are sorted by plant code first, then by the selected order sort method.
4. From the Plant Summary Lines field’s drop-down menu, select when plant summary lines should be displayed separating the orders by plant code.
If the Group Orders by Plant checkbox is not selected, no plant summary lines will display.
5. From the Lower Middle and Lower Right Display fields’ drop-down menus, specify the initial display for those areas of the Tracking and Scheduling screens. 6. Select the Customer Address information that will be displayed for each order line
from the field’s drop-down menu.
7. Define the physical parameters of the Tracking and Scheduling screens in the
Starting Row, Starting Column, Number of Order Rows, and Number of Rows
fields.
8. The Minutes Back to Show Detail field specifies how long mobile signaling messages will be available.
Note: This option only applies to users of COMMANDfleet.
9. Mark the Group Order by Plant checkbox to separate orders by shipping plant. 10. Mark the Hide Lower Displays checkbox to remove the Orders to Load, In Yard/
Out of Service, and Trucks Returning columns from the display. This option can be useful in environments where a user needs to see orders and trucks, but will not be ticketing trucks.
11. If the Display LoadAssignments checkbox is selected, ticketed loads (load
assignments) are displayed (default). If the box is unchecked, ticketed/dispatched loads will not be displayed.
12. Mark the Combine Orders To Load and Trucks In Yard Displays if necessary. 13. If the Display Load Timerin Pocket checkbox is selected, the timer for the next load
will display in the Pocket field on the Order Line. 14. Select the Plants button to go to the Plant Setup screen.
The Plant Setup screen lets you select which plants are to be displayed on the tracking windows associated with the Standard Setup field chosen on the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen.
15. Select Yes to display the plant. Otherwise, select No. These buttons specify whether or not a plant is to be included on the Tracking window.
16. Accept the Plant Setup screen to save the new plant tracking display information. 17. From the Tracking Setup screen, select Product Lines to go to the Product Line
Setup screen.
Product Line Setup (EDTTSHDC)
The Product Line Setup screen lets you select which products are to be displayed on the Tracking windows associated with the Standard Setup field chosen on the
Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen.
18. Mark each product line as Yes or No to specify whether or not that product will be included on the tracking window.
19. Accept the Product Line Setup screen to save the new product line tracking display information.
20. Accept the Tracking Setup screen to save the tracking information.
21. Add a second configuration, if necessary, by clicking the Add or Insert Occurrence
button and then repeating this procedure and the prior procedure, starting on page 47.
Configuring the Scheduling Screen
To configure scheduling options:
1. After setting the fields on the Tracking and Scheduling Setup screen, select the
Scheduling button to go the Scheduling Setup screen {Dispatch > Tracking & Scheduling Setup > Scheduling}.
Note: If you don’t see both the Scheduling button, click down arrow at the bottom of the window’s scroll bar.
Scheduling Setup (EDTTSHD2)
2. Select the type of information that will be displayed in the graphs from the Display Type field’s pull-down menu. Options include:
Trucks – Displays the number of trucks required vs. truck capacity. This data is presented for both the current plant (foreground) and all plants as a group
(background). The vertical (Y) axis represents the number of trucks required while the horizontal (X) axis represents time, graduated into configurable increments. Two additional horizontal lines represent the number of trucks available at the current plant and at all plants.
Loads – Displays the number of loads required during each time interval. The vertical (Y) axis represents the number of loads scheduled while the horizontal (X) axis represents time, graduated into configurable increments. These time
increments are typically configured to be the same length of time it takes to load a truck. Therefore, if an interval showed three trucks stacked to load during that time, the two following intervals have to remain empty to properly compensate the schedule.
Quantity per Hour – Displays planned production vs. plant production capacity. The data coming into the graph represents required production (i.e., demand) information based upon scheduled order information. The graphic shows meters or yards scheduled for a given time interval. The vertical (Y) axis represents production in terms of cubic meters batched per hour while the horizontal (X) axis represents time, graduated into configurable increments. Horizontal lines represent the maximum plant capacity for the plant and can be adjusted manually.
3. In the Title field, enter the title that will be displayed at the top of the grid portion of the scheduling window.
4. Specify the physical parameters of the scheduling window in the Starting Row,
Width, Starting Column, and Height fields.
5. Enter a Start Hour to specify the initial starting hour for the scheduling graph. This ensures that the scheduling graph always starts at the same time every day.
6. Enter a Starting Truck Count to specify the initial truck count for the first row of the scheduling graph. For larger plants, this option prevents a lot of wasted space on the graph by letting you focus on truck demand as is approaches the fleet size. The
disadvantage to this feature is that no trucks will display until the demand reaches this level, which can result in misleading graphs.
7. Enter the Minutes Per Column and Minutes Per Line to specify how many minutes each column/line represents on the scheduling graph.
Selecting 10 minutes per column lets you display 12 hours of information on a single graph.
8. Enter the Trucks Per Row (generally 1) and Trucks Per Line (generally 5). These fields specify how many trucks will be displayed per line. A line at each truck results in a cluttered graph.
9. Enter a Display Line (2) and a Report Line (2 per plant). These fields specify the number of lines used to display the plant quantity per hour and trucks required summary report information on the scheduling window.
10. In the Column Multiplier field, enter a number that will multiply the width between the columns in the scheduling window. This feature lets you accommodate particularly large fleets. Normally, each line represents a single truck. For fleets of 35 - 80, you might need to double this setting. Fleets over 80 trucks may need to set this value at 3. This setting does allow you to fit large fleets onto a single graph; however, the more trucks per line, the less individual detail is displayed. As a result, when approaching your scheduling capacity, it can be more difficult to look at the graph and see if you can accommodate a call-in order.
11. From the ReportType field’s drop-down menu, select what information will be included in the plant summary report information lines on the scheduling window. This section can display quantity, trucks, quantity and trucks, or quantity, trucks, and loads.
12. Select Preload Demand Graph if necessary to display a col
