Auto-Dispatch Overview
Auto-Dispatch is an optional add-on feature that automatically assigns work tickets to shuttle drivers based on a single configurable score combining ticket urgency (sequence, due date, label priority) and shuttle fit (proximity, workload), filtered by on-duty status and capabilities. When enabled, new unassigned tickets are dispatched to the optimal available shuttle, and the dispatch queue is re-evaluated whenever a shuttle completes a ticket or changes availability.
Auto-Dispatch must be enabled for your organization by your Yard Spot account manager. Once enabled, an Admin user can activate the dispatch algorithm from the dispatch settings at any time.
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Shuttle | A yard driver who receives and completes work tickets. Shuttles have profiles with capabilities and on-duty status. |
| Dispatch Queue | A priority-ordered queue of unassigned tickets waiting for automatic assignment so you can observe what tickets are next for dispatch. The most urgent ticket is dispatched first whenever a suitable shuttle is available. |
| Capabilities | Tags (e.g. "hazmat", "oversize") that describe what a shuttle can do. Tickets can require specific capabilities. Your organization can customize the capabilities required for your tickets. |
| Linked Moves | Chains of tickets where one must complete before the next can start (e.g. move A then move B). |
| Priority Score | A single 0–100 value the algorithm computes per (ticket, shuttle) pair from five weighted factors — sequence, due date, label priority, proximity, and workload. The highest-scoring pair is dispatched next. See Dispatch Algorithm. |
| Dispatch Cycle | A single pass through the queue that scores every eligible (ticket, shuttle) pair and assigns the best matches. |
Where to Find It
Most day-to-day dispatch work lives on a single consolidated screen, reached from the Dispatch item in the main navigation. This one screen brings together three areas:
| Area | What it's for | Who sees it |
|---|---|---|
| Dispatch Settings | The execution toggle plus the tuning parameters (capacity, retry attempts, and the five factor weights). Shown as a collapsible panel at the top of the screen. | Admin |
| Shuttles | Create, view, and manage shuttle profiles; toggle any shuttle's on-duty status. | Admin, Dispatch |
| Dispatch Queue | The live, priority-ordered list of tickets waiting for assignment. | Admin, Dispatch |
A couple of related controls live elsewhere:
- Capabilities are defined in Admin Configuration, alongside labels.
- A shuttle driver's own on-duty toggle appears in their toolbar — drivers don't need the Dispatch screen to go on or off duty.
The documentation pages that follow describe each feature in depth, but they all point back to this one Dispatch screen.
Getting Started Checklist
Follow these steps to set up auto-dispatch for your organization. Steps 1, 4, and 5 all happen on the Dispatch screen:
- Create shuttle profiles — In the Shuttles panel of the Dispatch screen, set up a profile for each yard driver and assign their capabilities. See Shuttle Management.
- Define capabilities — Create capability tags in Admin Configuration that match your operation types (e.g. "hazmat", "chassis-move").
- Set label priorities — Assign priority values to your work ticket labels so the algorithm knows which tickets are most urgent. See Capabilities & Priority.
- Configure dispatch weights — In the Dispatch Settings panel, adjust the five factor weights (sequence, due date, label priority, proximity, workload) to tune the algorithm for your yard layout. The five values must sum to 100. See Admin Settings.
- Toggle on — Flip the execution toggle in Dispatch Settings. The algorithm will begin dispatching avaiable tickets immediately.
How It Works
When auto-dispatch is active:
- New unassigned To Do tickets are automatically added to the dispatch queue and assigned to the best available shuttle
- Completing a ticket frees up the shuttle for new assignments and triggers a dispatch cycle. If the completed ticket has a linked successor, the successor is automatically enqueued
- Shuttle going on-duty triggers a dispatch cycle to assign waiting tickets
- Shuttle going off-duty re-queues their unstarted (To Do) tickets for reassignment to other shuttles. In-progress tickets stay with the shuttle
- Deleting a ticket cleans up the queue and frees shuttle capacity
- Manual assignment by a Dispatch or Admin user overrides auto-dispatch — the ticket is removed from the queue
Auto-dispatch doesn't prevent manual assignment. Dispatch and Admin users can always assign, reassign, or unassign tickets directly. Manual assignments take priority over the algorithm.
"Auto-Dispatch Enabled" Banner
When auto-dispatch is turned on, a blue informational banner appears at the top of the Workflow and Work Queue pages, reading "Auto-dispatch is enabled — tickets are being assigned to available shuttle drivers automatically." The banner is a persistent visual cue for dispatchers, so it's always clear whether the process is running.
The banner reacts in real time across all open sessions: when an Admin toggles auto-dispatch on or off, every other live session updates immediately without a refresh.