Planning Board
The Ditat Planning Board is intended to help users to plan which Trucks should handle which Shipments/Trips. The Planning Board is customizable for each user and updates itself automatically by processes that are set to run periodically.
Planning Board Modes
There are 3 different Formats that your Planning Board can be set to work in this is a universal format that all users' boards will work in. For more information on where to set this click here. These Modes are set on the Dispatch Setup Options Page.
There are 3 modes for the Planning Board:
Pre-Planning - In this mode the Planning Board will be pre-filled with Trucks locations from the TMS, but moving forward trucks will only be moved by manually moving the trucks on the board by Pre-Planning the Trucks. This is the intended Mode for the Board.
Pre-Planning
Think of Pre-Planning as a separate part of the system that is initially pre-filled and then the two are disconnected and things that are done in Ditat, but not on the Planning Board will not affect the Planning Board. Think of this as a dry erase board that is prefilled with the original locations of the trucks and the shipments to fill. This version of the board will not self-update itself. You planners can use this board to come up with plans by moving trucks to when they are next available if on vacations and pre-planning trucks to see if this truck takes this shipment what would be available next. This board will not update if a truck is assigned to a shipment that it was not pre-planned on.
Fix Burnt Trucks- In this mode, the Planning Board will be pre-filled with Trucks locations from the TMS, moving forward the system will show the truck as available where the driver's latest delivery date has them set to deliver or where they are Pre-Planned to be.
Fix Burnt Trucks
Think of this mode as a Hybrid between the Pre-Planning and the Real Time Sync. Trucks will be displayed where they are Pre-Planned to be, unless they are marked as burnt (have not been on a load for over 24 hours). If a driver is Burnt then the system will look to see if they were assigned a load outside of the planning board and update the driver to where that load delivers. In this version, you can still pre-plan trucks and move trucks manually on the board to show when a truck will be available. In this version, if the system determines that there is a trip that would change where the truck is available next to a later date it will make the change. So for example, if I had moved a truck to available on Friday and then assign that truck to a shipment that will deliver on Sunday without using the planning board then the board will change the available date/time.
Real Time Sync - In this Mode the Planning Board will continuously move the Trucks to new locations on the Planning Board based on the latest delivery time of all the trips the driver is assigned to. In this mode, the system drives the planning board, there is no way to manually move a truck.
Real Time Sync
Think of this mode as reports that are updated every few minutes that will always show the truck available where the trip with the latest delivery date will deliver. In this mode, the board will always show the trucks as available where the last trip will be completed. You will always be able to check where we see that point being by double-clicking on the Truck on the planning board and going to recent trips. The top trip is the trip that we show will be completed on last and that is where we will show the truck as available.
Everything from here down is customizable for each user so they can see the board the way they need it to work.
Planning Board Layouts
Grid- The Grid layout is the original version of the Planning Board. This version will show you 2 lists one of your Trucks shown at the top and one of your shipments/trips shown at the bottom. In this format, you can choose which columns to display in each section of the board.
Days- The Days layout is the most commonly used layout for the Planning Board. In this layout, the Trucks and shipments will be shown on each day they will be available/need to happen.
Half-days - This half days layout will show the day broke down into AM and PM. This layout will help to see what needs to happen in the mornings and evenings of each day.
6 hours- This 6-hour layout will show the day broken down into 6-hour periods. This layout will help to see what needs to happen in 6-hour periods.
Hourly- This hourly layout will show the day broken down into hour periods. This layout will help to see what needs to happen each hour very useful for short-in-city runs.
Planning Board Toolbar
Field # | Description |
 | Exit will close out of Planning Board. |
 | This will offer load(s) to driver(s). Use the check boxes next to the driver(s) and the load(s) to select. Then Click the offer button. Loads will show as available on the driver's mobile device for 30 minutes. They can see the details of the load and then accept or decline the load. |
 | Will open the Help Guide to this page. |
Show as | Will determine which layout will be used for this users Planning Board.  |
Search | Use this search box to highlight a load or truck below. For searching trucks just enter the number. When searching for loads use a '*' and then the numbers from the load number to search out that load. Google search functionality can be used in Google browsers. (CTRL+F)  |
 | If this box is checked, then the Truck's section will be displayed on the Planning Board. If unchecked it will not be displayed. |
 | If this box is checked, then the Pending Loads section will be displayed on the Planning Board. If unchecked, it will not be displayed. |
 | If this box is checked, you will see Future Trucks in the trucks section of the Planning Board. This will show the shipment/trip number when and where each unassigned load will deliver. This will allow you to see how many trucks you will have in the zones once all the shipments are assigned. |
 | If this box is checked, then Pre-assigned pending loads will be displayed if the box is unchecked then once a load is Pre-Assigned on the Planning Board the load will not be displayed on the board. |
 | This Icon will allow you to Filter which Trucks will show on this user's Planning Board. |
 | This Icon will allow you to Filter which Loads will show on this user's Planning Board. |
 | The top row of colored boxes are the Zones to display for trucks. If the box is checked, trucks will be displayed that are available in that Zone. You can hover over a box to see the description of that Zone. |
 | The bottom row of colored boxes are the Zones to display for pending loads. If the box is checked, Pending Loads will be displayed that are available in that Zone. You can hover over a box to see the description of that Zone. |
Truck Filters
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Driver | Use this filter option to select if All trucks should be displayed on the planning board. You can limit the results to trucks with solo drivers, team drivers, or trucks with no driver assigned. |
Burnt | Use this filter to display on Burnt Trucks, Not Burnt Trucks, or All. |
GPS Status | Use this filter to display trucks with tracking, without tracking, no device assigned, or All options. |
Trailer type | Use this filter to select which trailer types should display. Choose all to show all options. |
Has hazmat | Use this filter to select if trucks that have a hazmat endorsement or not should display. |
Issues | Use this filter option to select if trucks with issues should display or not. |
Truck | Use this filter to display trucks that have a driver assigned or not. |
Covered | Use this filter to display trucks with or without a covered note. |
Ownership type | Use this filter to display trucks that are company trucks or not. |
Sort | Here select how the planning board should sort trucks. |
Custom Groups | Here planners can select from the custom group option list to only display certain groups of trucks. |
Pending Load Filters
Field | Description |
|---|---|
Load | Use this filter to display loads that require a solo driver, team, or both. (Team+Single) |
Issues | Use this filter to filter out loads with issues. |
Department | Use this filter to display loads for brokerage or your own trucks. |
Trailer Type | Use this filter to display loads based on trailer requirements. |
Booked By | Use this filter to display loads booked by a certain user. |
Hazmat | Use this filter to display loads with or without hazmat product. All will display both. |
Booked For | Use this filter to only display loads booked for a certain user. This is assigned on the shipment. |
Sort | Here select how loads should be sorted on the planning board. |
Zone | Here select the radius of a zone that loads should display. |
Trucks icon breakdown
Field # | Description |
 | This shows you the number of Trucks that are available in this section. |
 | A green symbol here indicates that there is current GPS tracking for this truck. |
 | A red symbol here indicates that there is delayed GPS tracking for this truck. |
 | When there is no symbol here that indicates that there is no GPS tracking device assigned on this truck. |
 | This symbol indicates that this truck is ready for a new load. The truck completed its last delivery and is waiting for a new load. |
 | When there is no symbol here that indicates that this truck will be available in the near future. |
 | This symbol indicates that this truck is Burnt. A burnt truck is one that delivered more than 24 hours ago and needs a new load. |
 | This symbol is where you can Pre-Plan this truck. See the Pre-Plan trucks section below for information on how to Pre-Plan a truck. |
 | This is the load to information for this truck. Under the Pre-Planning section, you can add the location that the driver would like to go to next. |
 | This is where the Truck will be available next. This will come from the delivery location of the last load or the Pre-Planned location. |
 | This symbol indicates that there are expirations that have happened or are upcoming for this truck, trailer, or driver. This will appear 2 weeks before expirations will happen. |
 | This is the Truck number for this unit. |
 | These head icons display if a solo or team is assigned to this truck. One for solo, two for team. |
 | This symbol indicates that this truck had a Reefer or Dry Van with it on its last tip. |
 | This box can be used to select this truck, can be used for offering loads to drivers or to Pre-Plan trucks. |
 | This box will show if this is a Leased or Company Truck and what Zone the truck will be available in. ('L' for leased, 'C' for company) |
 | This symbol shows that this truck was marked as covered. This is to inform users that someone has a plan for this truck and not to move it. You can hover over the checkbox to show the cover note. |
 | This is a comment about this truck, these comments can be added from the Pre-Plan section. |
 | This is a Planning Board Tag this tag can be assigned on the truck profile. This will allow you to add other notes about this truck. (It is recommended to use a driver name or identification for this tag.) |
 | This box is used to show how many trucks are available in each zone for this period. |
 | This symbol is to show that the driver of this truck has a Hazmat endorsement. |
 | This icon is used to display if the ready date doesn’t line up with previous assignments. |
Pending Loads Icon breakdown
Field # | Description |
 | This shows you the number of Shipments/Trips that need to be assigned in this section. |
 | This symbol indicates that this load is for Brokerage. |
 | This symbol indicates that the load should have already been picked up. |
 | This symbol indicates that a Reefer is required for this shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates that a Dry Van is required for this shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates that this is a Hazmat Load. |
 | This symbol indicates the load's priority level is set as Urgent on the shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates the load's priority level is set as High on the shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates the load's priority level is set as Medium on the shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates the load's priority level is set as Low on the shipment. |
 | This symbol indicates that there is a Drop and Hook at this location. This trailer symbol in Green specifies there is a preloaded trailer assigned for this drop and hook. |
 | This symbol is where you can add notes for this shipment that will be shown on this Planning Board. |
 | This is the pickup City/State for this shipment. |
 | This is the delivery City/State for this shipment. |
 | This is the Customer that this shipment is for. |
 | This will show how many miles are routed for this shipment. |
 | These symbols are used to show that a Team is required for this load. |
 | This will show the AGR for this shipment. The amount a percentage-based driver’s pay will be calculated from. (Total/Per Mile) |
 | This box can be used to select this Shipment/Trip, can be used for offering loads to drivers or to Pre-Plan this load to a truck. |
 | This symbol is to show that there is an appointment missing for this load. |
 | This is to show which Zone this shipment will pick up in. |
 | This will show the estimated weight for this load. |
 | This symbol will show how many pallets are estimated for this load. |
 | This is the Shipment/Trip number for this load. The number displayed here can be updated in Dispatch Set up Options. It can be the standard Shipment Id or any of the 5 reference numbers from the shipment. |
 | This will show how many shipments/trip need to be assigned in each Zone. |
 | This will show the Pickup Date/Time. |
 | This will show the Delivery Date/Time. |
 | This icon can toggle if this load will show on the web portal. A full green globe will show, an 'X' on the globe will not show that shipment on the driver portal. Click the globe to toggle. |
 | This icon indicates that there are additional stops on the shipment. |
Pre-Assign Trucks
To Pre-assign a Truck click on the Preassign button next to a Truck, that will open the following window.
Field | Description |
Trip/Shipment | This will show trip or shipment that the truck is Pre-Assigned to. When entered the Ready Date/Location section will be filled with the data from this Shipment/Trip. |
Comment | When a note is added here it will be displayed in the comments section on the truck on the Planning Board. |
Load To | When something is added here it will be displayed in the Load To section on the truck on the Planning Board. Like example 9 from the Trucks icon breakdown section above. This is mainly used for the Driver would like to head to an area. |
Covered(Note) | When something is added here it will be displayed with a Covered Check on the truck on the Planning Board. Like example 17 from the trucks icon breakdown section above. This is mainly used when you are working on a plan for a truck but it is not in the system to Pre-Assign it. |
Going Home | This will change the ready location to the driver's home address. |
Reset To Dispatch Data | This will reset the ready date/location to be the driver's last trip assignment. |
Refresh Ready Data | This will update the ready time to use the truck's last check call time instead of the delivery appointment time. |
Ready On | This will move the truck to show as available next on the entered date and time. This will get auto-filled from the Pending Load if you Pre-Assign a load. |
Location | Change the location the driver will be ready at here. |
Address Information | This will move the truck to show as available next at the address you enter. This will get auto-filled from the Pending Load if you Pre-Assign a load. |
Pre-Assigned load
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 checked you will see pending loads shown in the Trucks section like below. The Truck that takes shipment 1206 will be available at 4 PM in Saint Louis.
Truck Info Card
If you double click on any truck on the planning board you will get the Truck info card. This truck info card will give you important information about the Truck, Driver, and Carrier assigned to the Truck. The Hours of service tab will provide HOS from an integrated ELD.
Top section
This top portion of the truck info card will stay the same for all of the tabs you select below. You will have multiple sections that can show at the top
Truck information - This section can show the Year, Make, and Model of this truck as well as Plate and Max Weight information. If the truck is in custom groups those will also be displayed in this section.
Carrier information - If there is a driver assigned to this truck and that driver works for a carrier this section will be present. The carrier section will show the company name as well as contact information and pay plan if one is assigned to the carrier.
Drivers' information - If there is a driver or team of drivers assigned to the truck then you will see boxes for each driver. These boxes will include the driver's name, contact information as well as any driver or carrier preferences for this driver and any custom groups the driver is in.
Recent Trips
The recent trips section will show the latest trips that are assigned to this truck. If you use real-time sync for the planning board this section's latest delivery will put the driver where the truck is displayed on the Planning Board.
This will show where the last trips were set to pick up and deliver, as well as how many miles for each trip.
At the top of the trips section, you will see a summary of trips the truck has been assigned to for the current week, last week and the week before that including margin information.
Hours of Service
If you integrate with an hour of service provider, the HOS info will show on this card as well as a log of changes with remarks, shipping docs, and trailer number.