Let's be honest, functionality that touches "everything" is a pain in the ass.
However, solving hard problems is fun and that's why we do what we do! Tough problems made easy is what good tech does and we strive for simplicity with every new release. More details on other released items below.
We have added the delivery window to the main dispatch workbench (delivery schedule builder)to allow quick view sorting by date/time committed needed
○ This same display covers both manually-created order/delivery requests as well as those that are automatically created by the software
○ Full transport (FTL) and LTL/short-truck are also both supported
A new web service (API) has been published to provide quick and ready comparisons between what was requested vs what was actually delivered
○ This web service allows a user to see any differences between delivery instructions sent to a carrier (product, qty., delivery window, load code/contract) and what the carrier actually executed
○ This same API can be used for internal, owned-and-operated deliveries as well.
We have published a web service to allow the easy import of driver credentials, licenses, and badges
○ We are often asked “how to get driver details that have already been created in a 3rd partyHR module or ERP system” into TFX – now they can! Simple API to consume and these details can be pushed directly into TFX to update the driver profiles that are used in dispatch and logistics planning.
○ API also supports updates made in 3rd party software -> TFX.
Another web service has also been published to import driver schedules into TFX
○ This API allows drivers’ schedules, time off, and holidays to be imported into TFX from a 3rd party service
○ The real-time load status is visible to the supplier and customer in TFX.
Expanded service support for customers that dispatch only to common carriers
○ In our dispatch workbench, the columns are typically assignable to drivers or trucks/trailers – this can be done automatically based on a driver or asset schedule.
○ With this enhancement, customers that only use common carriers for deliveries can have these carrier names automatically assigned to these same columns – allowing a user to see which loads have been assigned to which carriers.
○ If a supplier has a con-mingled business model (e.g. uses both in-house drivers and common carriers), s/he is able to toggle back and forth to see both types of loads being dispatched.
We have added optional data fields for TFX -> PDI web service
○ Users can now include time in/out data in the delivery details JSON object we send back to PDIE
The next updates to our inventory management and forecasting service have been released
○ We have revamped our “starting usage profile” that is created during set up – which is used until sufficient sales data (training data for the machine learning processes) is captured by the system
○ We have expanded the time band (striping) support to allow users to customize the howTFX will distribute sales data – these same bands determine the inventory capture frequency in the forecasting engine
○ We have also simplified the demand capture template to include fewer required fields –the intent is to provide much greater customization flexibility for our customers and their needs
We have added support to capture real-time, customer-provided POD (proof of delivery) details:
○ Users will be able to see the customer POD details on invoices and digital delivery tickets (DDTs).
○ Ability for users to enter POD details when creating a manual deliveries and order/delivery requests (including load creation).
○ Drivers are also able to add POD details they receive from customers post-delivery (onsite) for both FTL and LTL deliveries; this is optional and can be restricted/enabled in settings.
○ Customer POD details can be provided in the mobile driver app when dropping multiple products (different POD details for each product)
TFX now supports internal inventory transfers in our Dispatch & Logistics Mgt and Invoicing & reconciliation services
○ If a trailer is assigned to a shift, every order added to a load will decrement the trailer’s available capacity (this is already available in the load – but now it is presented in the workbench).
○ Optional validation helps ensure the user does not overload a trailer or truck.
We now support service requests that are commonly scheduled in dispatch: First up, pump outs!
○ We have modified the ship-to object to include a parameter to mark the location as a "company owned site" – the same modification is present in the dispatch workbench (DSB).
○ This allows alignment when the lift point is a company-owned bulk plant; this allows inventory to transfer but remain “inside” as a transfer. Several supply-side companies leverage virtual inventory mgt and this change makes it easier to support.
We have expanded our common carrier support functionality to include the creation of carrier regions (Phase 1)
○ Suppliers can create carrier regions to better support dispatching to larger common carriers
○ These regions include optional attributes that can be used to load balance capacity (e.g. number of dispatchers assigned, contact details, trailer capacity, asset count, etc.).
○ In future phases, carriers will also be able to create/modify these same regions that can then flow into supplier accounts where hauling/freight contracts have been created – keeping data in-sync.
A new technical design has been implemented to improve performance to our much-utilized invoice and DDT summary pages
○ A few sprints ago we released web services that allow users to fetch larger runs of delivery data – now that we have customers using this service, we have modified page default settings and limited the lookback window for this page.
○ Newly-added region support allows for more surgical and relevant queries.
○ Historically, we have provided several customizable columns included in the grid/table view – while most of these were seldom used, they were still loaded into the browser and this created drag. In response to one of our super-duper-users (a wrecking ball, really, when it comes to heavy data queries – we’ll pretend his name is “not Scott”…), we have modified the default set to what is most commonly being used.
We have added a PO/contract-level setting that will pre-populate net/gross/dropped quantity in our mobile driver app
○ This is in response to higher rates of driver error in certain customer regions – especially when we have a contract that calls for specific values to be used for back-office invoicing.
○ All fields are presented as “active edit” and are subject to eBOL over-write where supported.
○ This is an optional setting.
We have released our first significant change to our forecasting service!
○ We have refined our initial sales/usage distribution set up for enabling forecasting; this allows a user to define distribution over day-of-week and within the user-defined time bands (striping) during the day.
○ This set up is the basis for enabling training data to begin feeding our machine-learning algos (fancy, schmancy AI).
○ As we collect more actual usage data, the backstop or initial distribution is replaced and refined.
○ Our bulk upload feature for historical data has been updated to align with our new model.
○ The fallback logic in our “Customer Create/Update API” now supports customer-created mappingID and ExternalRefID values.
○ In our SAP integration, we now display the DR_ID value in the delivery group window on the dispatch workbench (DSB)
We have updated our driver scheduling feature to make it easier to create schedules for drivers and assign these to regions and trucks/trailers.
○ Users are now able to use a multi-select option when creating driver schedules or moving drivers between regions.
○ Users are now able to select and assign multiple trucks/trailers to a driver(s).
○ User are also able to create driver schedules in the future – with or without an end date.
○ We have also created an option to add a driver to a shift “on-the-fly” in the dispatch schedule builder (workbench):
■ Applies only if the user has enabled the columns = driver names on the workbench
■ If one or more driver(s) is not scheduled to work on that day, a dispatcher can assign one of these drivers (without scheduling him/her first) to a newly added column
Users are now able to add the terminal supplier or vendor when creating a delivery/order request
○ In addition to adding a load code to an order, a dispatcher can now specify a terminal supplier for the lift. This is an optional field.
○ A terminal supplier assigned to an order will be passed to the driver (via driver app) along with the delivery schedule details.
○ If a location has been assigned to a carrier, the order TFX automatically sends to the carrier can include the terminal supplier as well.
TFX also supports an optional terminal supplier parameter in delivery details capture
○ Although we can programmatically extract terminal supplier values from eBOLs, we have extended our delivery details capture to include support for terminal supplier or vendor values; these supplier names can be translated by using the self-serve value-mapping available to users.
○ Optional data parameter is included in the TPD (3rd party delivery) API, bulk file upload, and manual delivery creation.
We have expanded our “Carrier Light” functionality to include delivery status
○ Smaller carriers (or those that are unable to easily use TFX) can leverage functionality we deployed awhile back that we call “carrier light” – this allows real-time access to inventory and sales data for customer locations, orders created in TFX and sent to the carrier for fulfillment, and the ability for the carrier to go back into the simple (and one-page) order summary and provide delivery details (BOL#, net/gross/delivered qty., timestamps, load codes, etc.) – takes about 15 – 30 seconds and delivery details are back to the supplier!
○ Now the carrier can use this same interface to provide delivery status updates – what we sometimes call the “pizza tracker” part of our dispatch service. “Where is my driver now, has he left the terminal, is he arriving soon?”
○ The real-time load status is visible to the supplier and customer in TFX.
Expanded service support for customers that dispatch only to common carriers
○ In our dispatch workbench, the columns are typically assignable to drivers or trucks/trailers – this can be done automatically based on a driver or asset schedule.
○ With this enhancement, customers that only use common carriers for deliveries can have these carrier names automatically assigned to these same columns – allowing a user to see which loads have been assigned to which carriers.
○ If a supplier has a con-mingled business model (e.g. uses both in-house drivers and common carriers), s/he is able to toggle back and forth to see both types of loads being dispatched.
TRUEFILL's new Freight Service allows the automatic creation of carrier freight-only invoices
○ A carrier is now able to create tables for freight rates, fuel surcharges, and accessorial fees; when a delivery is made by a carrier using these tables, a freight-only invoice can be created and provided instantly to the supplier.
We have added functionality to our “Carrier Light” feature that allows common carriers to receive inventory data and orders
○ As an option for smaller carriers, TFX will send a link to a carrier which, when bookmarked, can be refreshed anytime to present the latest, real-time inventory details and any orders that have been sent to the carrier (orders can be created by the supplier or the end customer).
○ The carrier will now be able to go to this bookmarked page, see their orders, and provide delivery details (e.g. BOL#, net/gross, time stamps, loading codes) – which has the same effect as if the driver had used our driver app or the carrier provided the delivery details via the web services (APIs).
○ Updated delivery details are made available to the supplier and customer and are processed through the exception management and reconciliation services – and are sent to the back office. This process begins within seconds of delivery detail submission.
We have added a “counter” for trailer capacity to the dispatch workbench
○ If a trailer is assigned to a shift, every order added to a load will decrement the trailer’s available capacity (this is already available in the load – but now it is presented in the workbench).
○ Optional validation helps ensure the user does not overload a trailer or truck.
We now support service requests that are commonly scheduled in dispatch: First up, pump outs!
○ We have added service requests to our universal dispatch service – and pump outs are the first service that can be scheduled into a load.
○ A pump out request can be created in the dispatch workbench (for suppliers/carriers) or via the customer portal.
○ Pump out options include a.) Simple product removal, b.) Remove and replace (same product), or c.) Remove and replace with a different product. Any product that is removed includes the option to price – and disposal for cross-drops to ensure “bad mix” is not brought back into inventory; if a cross drop creates a new, saleable product (e.g. dyed diesel is dropped into a tank of clear dieselàdyed diesel is now in the tank) TFX accounts for the product in inventory and dispatcher is able to schedule delivery or create a preload.
○ When created, service requests are added to a separate queue that is available to the dispatcher on the workbench.
○ The mobile driver app has also been updated to handle pump outs – and all scenarios.
○ Optional service fees can be added to the pump out activity.
○ A balance invoice can also be created and pushed into the back office.
○ Users are now able to add a trailer when creating manual deliveries in TFX.
○ Expanded our value mapping page to better support bulk plants created in PDIE.
○ We have added support for non-conforming exception messages coming from PDIE.
We have added a new start page for all suppliers and supplier/carriers
○ New start page reflects the services that we actually provide vs. a more “monolithic” presentation – which, admittedly, given the very broad range of functionality can be a bit overwhelming to new users.
○ Includes existing services (e.g. inventory management and forecasting, dispatch and logistics) as well as a nod to some soon-to-be-released services (supply management).
○ In more enhancements and changes coming as we version other supporting services to add more “starting your day” value to these pages.
○ The old dashboard/portal page may still be accessed from the preference settings page for users that want to use it.
We have added functionality to support smaller carriers that provide freight services for our customers
○ We already have an option that allows a carrier to receive a link to a webpage that includes inventory data for all locations (and products at these locations) to which they have been assigned; all the user needs to do is bookmark the webpage and refresh anytime she wants to see the latest inventory details. If the location is reassigned to a different carrier (or pulled in-house to manage) that location will no longer be available to the carrier. The carrier will then use whatever process or technology she likes to create the loads, dispatch, and deliver product to our customer.
○ We have added a tab to display all delivery/order requests that have been sent to the carrier – this includes any delivery/order request that is manually created by a dispatcher, created by a customer (if the location is assigned to be fully managed by the carrier), and automatically created by TFX.
○ Delivery/order requests can include product, delivery window, and loading codes. For some types of deliveries (e.g. a branded c-store) the delivery window is likely enough; but for commercial customers or retail locations that require more nuanced load planning, this provides the carrier with better replenishment guidance.
○ Carriers will be able to take action to indicate acceptance of assigned delivery/order requests. These actions will be reflected in the supplier dispatch system as well as the customer portal.
○ Stay tuned for upcoming functionality – ability for these same, smaller carriers to provide delivery and BOL details directly into this webpage is coming soon!
We have added terminal suppliers/vendors to our master data mapping tables
○ We allow customers, carriers, and customers to create value mappings for terminals and locations, products, and common carriers – these values are used to translate data being passed from various parties relating to a single transaction.
○ Terminal supplier and vendor is now included in that feature. These can be set for any terminal or bulk plant location.
We have added the ability to include the terminal supplier/vendor when creating a manual delivery
○ When creating a delivery manually, a user is now able to add a terminal supplier to each BOL or lift ticket (for bulk plants or other non-terminal lift points).
We are deploying a new web service to allow customers to get delivery details
○ A new web service (REST API) – GetDeliveryDetails – is available for users to pull delivery details; this is a fetch or pull API.
○ This web service works using token-based authentication. The token is generated using the TRUEFILL login API.
Lite Version of TPO form
○ The new lite version of the supplier’s order creation form has been introduced. The four-page form is now shrinked to a single page form, with sections made collapsible.
○ The default values will be fetched as per the admin set values, which can be modified on the form if and when required.
○ The default values can be set at the company menu → Order Defaults.
Lift file record validation check for LoadDate format
○ TFX will now validate the format of the lift file record parameter “LoadDate”.
○ The passed value should be of 8 char only in the date format of MMddYYYY.
○ If the parameter passed is not in the correct format, then the entire file push will be failed with a failure message in response to the API request.
Flag at order level to allow consolidation of the deliveries
○ An order-level flag has been introduced for users to allow the consolidation of the deliveries of different fuels that are dropped at the same customer location.
○ The changes have been made to process the delivery details through API as well. If the request contains delivery details for more than one fuel, but the order doesn't allow consolidation, then the system will give a validation error.
DR Changes / Cancellation Alerts to Carriers
○ When the Supplier recalls a DR from the Carrier, we have added the email alert being sent to the Carrier
○ We have added the functionality of allowing the Supplier to 'Edit' or 'Delete' a DR which has been assigned to a Carrier without requiring the Supplier to recall the DR. These actions would be possible so long as the DR has not been scheduled by the Carrier.
○ We have allowed the Supplier to recall/edit/delete the DR that the Carrier has published for a future date (i.e., next day onward)
■ Email notification would go to the Carrier for any of the 3 actions that are taken by the Supplier.
Supplier Admin || Ability to edit or delete the Bulk Plants
○ The supplier admin users will now be able to edit or delete the bulk plant(s) created by the company users.
○ The system will not allow the deletion of the bulk plant if there exists any delivery in-flight that has the selected bulk plant assigned as pick-up location.
Load Optimization Phase 1
○ Trailers will have now an optimized value which can't exceed the overall trailer capacity.
○ Dispatch users need to enable this functionality from the settings page, and make sure trailers will leave for the location with 100 percent capacity.
○ The moment trailers are not used with their full capacity, TFX will pop up an Alert message to correct the capacity and then publish (No hard restrictions here).
○ Non optimized load reports will be sent to the selected internal users of the company.
Delivery Time Estimate for Loads
○ Now, while building a load for a driver, a dispatcher will be able to make certain that a driver isn’t driving/working too many hours - there are regulations that govern this.
○ A user will be able to know how much time each delivery will take when building the load adding manual inputs to serve as a time proxy.
Ability to Stop ATG polling for Tanks and edit Inventory manually
○ Now, users will be able to stop the ATG polling for tanks when the device installed on tanks may be hampered or turned faulty.
○ Also he/she would be able to edit the inventory reading manually if ATG devices have fetched incorrect readings.
Hide Bulk Retry PDI Button
○ Users will not have easy access to this button going onwards as we have moved this button on the preference settings page.
○ Earlier users used to hit this button frequently and it was queuing up the records unnecessarily.
Let's be honest, functionality that touches "everything" is a pain in the ass.
However, solving hard problems is fun and that's why we do what we do! Tough problems made easy is what good tech does and we strive for simplicity with every new release. More details on other released items below.
We have updated our driver scheduling feature to make it easier to create schedules for drivers and assign these to regions and trucks/trailers.
○ Users are now able to use a multi-select option when creating driver schedules or moving drivers between regions.
○ Users are now able to select and assign multiple trucks/trailers to a driver(s).
○ User are also able to create driver schedules in the future – with or without an end date.
○ We have also created an option to add a driver to a shift “on-the-fly” in the dispatch schedule builder (workbench):
■ Applies only if the user has enabled the columns = driver names on the workbench
■ If one or more driver(s) is not scheduled to work on that day, a dispatcher can assign one of these drivers (without scheduling him/her first) to a newly added column
Users are now able to add the terminal supplier or vendor when creating a delivery/order request
○ In addition to adding a load code to an order, a dispatcher can now specify a terminal supplier for the lift. This is an optional field.
○ A terminal supplier assigned to an order will be passed to the driver (via driver app) along with the delivery schedule details.
○ If a location has been assigned to a carrier, the order TFX automatically sends to the carrier can include the terminal supplier as well.
TFX also supports an optional terminal supplier parameter in delivery details capture
○ Although we can programmatically extract terminal supplier values from eBOLs, we have extended our delivery details capture to include support for terminal supplier or vendor values; these supplier names can be translated by using the self-serve value-mapping available to users.
○ Optional data parameter is included in the TPD (3rd party delivery) API, bulk file upload, and manual delivery creation.
We have expanded our “Carrier Light” functionality to include delivery status
○ Smaller carriers (or those that are unable to easily use TFX) can leverage functionality we deployed awhile back that we call “carrier light” – this allows real-time access to inventory and sales data for customer locations, orders created in TFX and sent to the carrier for fulfillment, and the ability for the carrier to go back into the simple (and one-page) order summary and provide delivery details (BOL#, net/gross/delivered qty., timestamps, load codes, etc.) – takes about 15 – 30 seconds and delivery details are back to the supplier!
○ Now the carrier can use this same interface to provide delivery status updates – what we sometimes call the “pizza tracker” part of our dispatch service. “Where is my driver now, has he left the terminal, is he arriving soon?”
○ The real-time load status is visible to the supplier and customer in TFX.
Expanded service support for customers that dispatch only to common carriers
○ In our dispatch workbench, the columns are typically assignable to drivers or trucks/trailers – this can be done automatically based on a driver or asset schedule.
○ With this enhancement, customers that only use common carriers for deliveries can have these carrier names automatically assigned to these same columns – allowing a user to see which loads have been assigned to which carriers.
○ If a supplier has a con-mingled business model (e.g. uses both in-house drivers and common carriers), s/he is able to toggle back and forth to see both types of loads being dispatched.
TrueFill’s new Freight Service allows the automatic creation of carrier freight-only invoices
○ A carrier is now able to create tables for freight rates, fuel surcharges, and accessorial fees; when a delivery is made by a carrier using these tables, a freight-only invoice can be created and provided instantly to the supplier.
