How to track & manage your assets on Dispatch Board

“Get to know Dispatch Board” is a series of articles that will span several weeks. Throughout this series, we’ll be taking an in-depth look at every feature that Dispatch Board has to offer.

Welcome to the fifth installment of “Get to Know Dispatch Board,” where we’ll be taking a deeper look at the “Logistics” section of the software. 

Last week, we broke down Dispatch Board’s “Scheduling” section, which you can check out here. With that said, let’s dive into the “Logistics” section. 

Dispatch Board’s “Logistics” section plays an important part in managing the day to day needs of your fleet as a whole. 

It allows dispatchers and other company decision-makers to keep a close eye on all their assets, including drivers, trucks, and trailers.

When you first click the “Logistics” section, you’ll see a dropdown menu that says “Assets” and “Maintenance.” Under the “Assets” tab you’ll find “Drivers,” “Trucks,” and “Trailers,” which allows you to access all of your assets. First, let’s start with “Drivers.” 

If you need to enter new driver information, you can do so by clicking on “New Entry.” Once the following screen has been prompted, you can begin to enter all of your driver’s information, including name, birth date, phone number, email, languages, address, scored card, license number, license state, and additional notes.

After entering their information, you’ll notice that the list has been updated. 

The system will also notify you when information requires updating, primarily with things such as license and medical card expirations. On the list, you’ll see three different kinds of colors, each indicating whether or not updates are required. 

If the driver’s column is white, then their information is perfectly fine. If it’s yellow, then something is coming up in about a month that requires updating. Finally, if it’s red, something urgently needs to be updated.

The system will always warn you when a license or medical card needs updating, which allows users to stay on top of things and keep drivers on the road. 

Finding out what needs to be fixed is also easy! Just hover your mouse over the column that requires attention, and the system will tell you exactly what’s needed. 

In the case that a driver’s required information is taking longer than expected to be fixed, you can also label drivers Active and Inactive. You can also edit any information by simply clicking the gear button at the end of the columns.

Any updates can also be tracked with ease, as the system provides a detailed history of any changes that have been made. The list of drivers can also be exported if necessary. 

In addition to managing drivers, you can also manage assets such as trucks and trailers. Just like when managing drivers, the “Trucks” tab has the ability to add info, filter by specific info, and export the list.

When adding a new truck, you’ll be able to enter the truck number, year, make, VIN, license plate, plate state, equipment, plate expiration, and when the last inspection was performed. 

Additionally, just like with drivers, you’ll be notified when something requires your attention with columns that will either be yellow or red. Again, you can see what needs to be done by hovering your mouse over the column. 

The system also allows you to enter planned maintenance and federal inspections, allowing you to have a detailed history of when they were performed and when your next one is coming up. 

The “Trailers” tab also allows you to enter similar information to that in the “Trucks” one. You can enter the trailer number, year, make, VIN, plate, plate state, plate expiration, and last inspection. In addition, you can add planned maintenance and federal inspections as well.

That’s about it for the “Assets” subsection, so let’s quickly get into the “Maintenance” subsection. This subsection allows you to view full in-depth information on all your maintenance needs and also shows you a history of all maintenance events.

When you click it, the drop-down menu will display “Trucks” and “Trailers,” and each will show you their respective maintenance information.

Once on the respective page, you’ll see a list that will contain information on all of your units. If you go to the gear button at the end of the column, you’ll be able to manage everything on the page. This goes for both the “Trucks” and “Trailers” tab.

You can add a new planned maintenance (PM), see PM mileage & history, and even pause, resume, or delete a PM. You can also do the same for Federal inspections and even add additional notes or specifications. 

Overall, Dispatch Board’s “Logistics” section provides users with a vast amount of information that can be leveraged to improve overall efficiency and safety. 

By using it to track and maintain assets such as trucks, trailers, and even drivers, you can put your company ahead of the competition by keeping drivers on the road.

If you have any further questions, please contact us at (888) 228-4460 or through email at [email protected]!