Planning Board
To access: Dispatch → Planning Board
The Ditat Planning Board helps users plan which trucks should handle which shipments and trips. The board is customizable per user and updates automatically based on processes that run periodically.
Planning Board Modes
There are three modes for the Planning Board. Modes are universal — all users' boards will operate in the same mode. Modes are configured on the Dispatch Setup Options page.
Pre-Planning (Recommended)
In this mode, the Planning Board is pre-filled with truck locations from the TMS. From that point forward, trucks are only moved by manually pre-planning them on the board.
Think of Pre-Planning as a separate system that starts with a snapshot of current truck locations and shipments, then becomes disconnected from live TMS data. Like a dry-erase board, planners can freely move trucks, plan ahead for vacations or availability, and explore "what-if" scenarios — such as: if this truck takes this shipment, what would be available next?
This mode will not self-update. If a truck is assigned to a shipment outside of the Planning Board, the board will not reflect that change.
Fix Burnt Trucks
In this mode, the Planning Board is pre-filled with truck locations from the TMS. Trucks are displayed where they are pre-planned to be, unless they are marked as burnt (no load assigned for more than 24 hours).
Think of this mode as a hybrid between Pre-Planning and Real Time Sync. If a driver is burnt, the system will look for any loads assigned outside the Planning Board and update the driver's location to where that load delivers.
Planners can still manually move trucks on the board. However, if the system detects a trip that would push a truck's next availability to a later date, it will update the board automatically. For example, if a truck was moved to show available on Friday but is then assigned a load that delivers on Sunday outside the Planning Board, the board will update to reflect Sunday.
Real Time Sync
In this mode, the Planning Board continuously updates truck locations based on the latest delivery time of all assigned trips. The system drives the board entirely — trucks cannot be moved manually.
Think of this mode as a live report that always shows each truck as available at the location and time where its last assigned trip will be completed. To see which trip is driving a truck's availability, double-click the truck on the board and review the Recent Trips section — the top trip is the one with the latest delivery date.
Note: Everything below this section is customizable per user, allowing each planner to configure the board to suit their workflow.
Planning Board Layouts
Layout | Description |
|---|---|
Grid | The original Planning Board layout. Displays two lists: trucks at the top and shipments/trips at the bottom. Columns in each section are customizable. |
Days | The most commonly used layout. Displays trucks and shipments organized by the day they will be available or need to occur. |
Half-Days | Breaks each day into AM and PM periods, useful for planning morning and evening activity. |
6 Hours | Breaks each day into four 6-hour periods. |
Hourly | Breaks each day into individual hours. Most useful for short, in-city runs. |
Grid View of Planning Board
Days View of Planning Board (Most Common)
Half Days View Of Planning Board
6 Hour View of Planning Board
Hourly View of Planning Board (Used for local short runs)
Planning Board Toolbar
Button/Option | Description |
 | Closes the Planning Board. |
 | Offers selected load(s) to selected driver(s). Use the checkboxes to select drivers and loads, then click Offer. Loads will appear on the driver's mobile device for 30 minutes, allowing them to view details and accept or decline. |
 | Opens this help guide page. |
Show as | Sets the layout for this user's Planning Board.  |
Search | Highlights a matching load or truck on the board. Enter a truck number to search for trucks. For loads, use an asterisk followed by the load number (e.g.,  |
 | When checked, the Trucks section is displayed on the board. |
 | When checked, the Pending Loads section is displayed on the board. |
 | When checked, unassigned loads are shown in the Trucks section, displaying where each truck will be once all shipments are assigned. Useful for seeing how many trucks you will have available in each zone. |
 | When checked, pre-assigned pending loads remain visible on the board. When unchecked, they are hidden once pre-assigned. |
 | Opens filters to control which trucks are displayed on this user's board. |
 | Opens filters to control which loads are displayed on this user's board. |
 | Top row (colored boxes) – Controls which truck zones are displayed. Check a box to show trucks available in that zone. Hover over a box to see the zone description. |
 | Bottom row (colored boxes) – Controls which pending load zones are displayed. Check a box to show pending loads picking up in that zone. Hover over a box to see the zone description. |
Truck Filters
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Driver | Filter by driver type: All, Solo, Team, or No Driver Assigned. |
Burnt | Filter by burnt status: Burnt, Not Burnt, or All. |
GPS Status | Filter by tracking status: With Tracking, Without Tracking, No Device Assigned, or All. |
Trailer type | Filter by trailer type. Select All to show every option. |
Has hazmat | Filter by whether the truck has a hazmat endorsement. |
Issues | Filter to show or hide trucks with issues. |
Truck | Filter to show trucks with or without an assigned driver. |
Covered | Filter to show trucks with or without a covered note. |
Ownership type | Filter by ownership: company trucks or other. |
Sort | Select how trucks should be sorted on the board. |
Custom Groups | Filter to show only trucks belonging to selected custom groups. |
Pending Load Filters
Field | Description | |
|---|---|---|
Load | Filter by driver requirement: Solo, Team, or Both. | |
Issues | Filter to show or hide loads with issues. | |
Department | Filter by department: Brokerage or Own Trucks. | |
Trailer Type | Filter by trailer type required for the load. | |
Booked By | Filter to show loads booked by a specific user. | |
Hazmat | Filter by hazmat status: Hazmat, Non-Hazmat, or All. | |
Booked For | Filter to show loads booked for a specific user (assigned on the shipment). | |
Sort | Select how loads should be sorted on the board. | |
Zone | Set the radius for the zone in which loads should be displayed. |
Trucks icon breakdown
Field # | Description | |
 | Displays the number of trucks available in this section. | |
 | Green symbol — current GPS tracking is active for this truck. | |
 | Red symbol — GPS tracking is delayed for this truck. | |
 | No symbol — No GPS tracking device is assigned to this truck. | |
 | This truck has completed its last delivery and is waiting for a new load. | |
 | No symbol — This truck will be available in the near future. | |
 | This truck delivered more than 24 hours ago and needs a new load assigned. | |
 | Opens the pre-plan window for this truck. See Pre-Assign Trucks below. | |
 | Shows the location the driver would like to head to next (added in the Pre-Plan section). | |
 | Shows where and when this truck will next be available, based on its last delivery location or pre-planned location. | |
 | Indicates upcoming or past expirations for the truck, trailer, or driver. Appears 2 weeks before an expiration date. | |
 | The ID number for this truck. | |
 | One head icon indicates a solo driver; two indicate a team. | |
 | Indicates whether this truck had a Reefer or Dry Van on its last trip. | |
 | Checkbox used to select this truck for offering loads or pre-planning. | |
 | Shows whether this is a Leased (L) or Company (C) truck, and the zone where it will next be available. | |
 | Indicates the truck has been marked as covered — someone has a plan for it and it should not be moved. Hover to see the cover note. | |
 | A comment about this truck, added from the Pre-Plan section. | |
 | A Planning Board tag assigned on the truck profile. Recommended use: driver name or identification. | |
 | Shows how many trucks are available in each zone for this period. | |
 | Indicates the assigned driver has a hazmat endorsement. | |
 | Indicates the truck's ready date does not align with its previous assignments. |
Pending Loads Icon breakdown
Field # | Description |
 | Displays the number of shipments/trips that need to be assigned in this section. |
 | Indicates this load is for brokerage. |
 | Indicates this load should have already been picked up. |
 | Indicates a reefer trailer is required for this shipment. |
 | Indicates a dry van trailer is required for this shipment. |
 | Indicates this is a hazmat load. |
 | Indicates the load's priority is set to Urgent. |
 | Indicates the load's priority is set to High. |
 | Indicates the load's priority is set to Medium. |
 | Indicates the load's priority is set to Low. |
 | Indicates there is a drop and hook at this location. A green trailer icon indicates a preloaded trailer is assigned. |
 | Opens the notes field for this shipment, visible on the Planning Board. |
 | The pickup city and state for this shipment. |
 | The delivery city and state for this shipment. |
 | The customer this shipment is for. |
 | The total routed miles for this shipment. |
 | Indicates a team driver is required for this load. |
 | The AGR for this shipment — the amount used to calculate percentage-based driver pay (shown as total and per mile). |
 | Checkbox used to select this shipment/trip for offering loads or pre-planning. |
 | Indicates there is a missing appointment for this load. |
 | Shows the pickup zone for this shipment. |
 | The estimated weight for this load. |
 | The estimated pallet count for this load. |
 | The shipment/trip number. The number displayed can be configured in Dispatch Setup Options (standard Shipment ID or any of the 5 reference numbers). |
 | Shows how many shipments/trips need to be assigned in each zone. |
 | The scheduled pickup date and time. |
 | The scheduled delivery date and time. |
 | Toggles whether this load is visible on the driver portal. A full green globe = visible; globe with X = not visible. |
 | Indicates there are additional stops on this shipment. |
Pre-Assign Trucks
To pre-assign a truck, click the Pre-Assign button next to the truck. This opens the following window:
Field | Description |
Trip/Shipment | The trip or shipment to pre-assign to this truck. When entered, the Ready Date and Location fields will be auto-populated from the shipment/trip data. |
Comment | A note that will appear in the comments section for this truck on the Planning Board. |
Load To | The area or location the driver would like to head to next. Displayed in the Load To section on the truck. |
Covered(Note) | A note that will display with a Covered indicator on the truck. Used when you have a plan for a truck but it hasn't been formally assigned yet. |
Going Home | Changes the ready location to the driver's home address. |
Reset To Dispatch Data | Resets the ready date and location to the driver's last trip assignment. |
Refresh Ready Data | Updates the ready time to use the truck's last check call time instead of the delivery appointment time. |
Ready On | Sets the date and time when the truck will next be available. Auto-populated when a load is pre-assigned. |
Location | The location where the driver will be available next. |
Address Information | Moves the truck to show as available at the entered address. Auto-populated when a load is pre-assigned. |
Pre-Assigned load
When a truck is pre-assigned to a shipment, it moves on the board to show available at the shipment's scheduled delivery time, and the truck number appears on the shipment to indicate the pre-assignment.
In the example below Truck 1288 was Pre-Assigned to Shipment 1095. That moved Truck 1288 to available on the board when that shipment is scheduled to deliver and added 1288 to the shipment on the board to show that Truck 1288 is Pre-Assigned to it.
Show Future Trucks
When Show Future Trucks is enabled, pending loads appear in the Trucks section of the board. This allows planners to see where a truck will be available after completing each unassigned load — for example, "The truck that takes Shipment 1206 will be available at 4 PM in St. Louis."
Truck Info Card
Double-click any truck on the Planning Board to open its Truck Info Card. This card provides key details about the truck, driver, and assigned carrier.
Top section
The top section of the card remains visible regardless of which tab is selected below it and may include:
Truck Information – Year, Make, Model, Plate, Max Weight, and any custom groups the truck belongs to.
Carrier Information – Displayed if the assigned driver works for a carrier. Shows company name, contact information, and pay plan (if assigned).
Driver Information – Displayed if a driver or team is assigned to the truck. Shows each driver's name, contact information, driver/carrier preferences, and custom groups.
Recent Trips
Shows the most recent trips assigned to this truck, including pickup and delivery locations and mileage for each trip. A weekly summary at the top shows the number of trips and margin information for the current week and the two prior weeks.
In Real Time Sync mode, the trip with the latest delivery date in this list is the one that determines where the truck is displayed on the board.
Hours of Service
If an ELD provider is integrated, this tab displays HOS data for the driver, including a log of changes with remarks, shipping documents, and trailer number.