PROGRAM FLOW

OVERVIEW -
The easiest way to understand The Truckers Helper is to look at it as a "real time" program. What this means in that the program is setup to expect your data in the same order that it actually occurs in the real world. For example, the first thing that happens is someone calls you with a load - so the first information you get on the load is who you're going to bill. Next, you find out who you pickup from and who you deliver to. The final step is to get the load dispatched, or broker it and assign it to a contractor. That is the same order that you will enter your data in the program.

BOOKING/BILLING - here you will assign the ProNumber, the key number used throughout the program to identify this load, and enter the information on who you are going to bill for the load and how you are going to bill them. This information is used in invoicing and in payroll for any drivers or o/o's who are paid based on percentage or rate miles. The program also allows assigning a flat pay for the load in this section.

LOADS - here you enter the actual pickup and delivery customers and the scheduled pickup and delivery dates and times. If you know the truck that this load will be assigned to you also enter that information here. The program will automatically assign the driver to the load here if your drivers have permanent truck assignments or will ask you to assign the driver if you are using slip-seating. This information is used by dispatch to dispatch the load, in the invoice and if you have the routing option with the program in mileage to export the mileages for IFTA tracking. The driver/truck assignment information is used by the payroll section to determine who to pay for this load.

LOAD BOARD - essentially a computer version of the old White Board that companies used to use to track loads, the Load Board is used when you are pre-booking loads and do not know what truck you are going to assign the load to. Loads which are not assigned to a truck in the Loads section will appear here under Unassigned Loads and can easily be assigned to a truck and driver. The Load Board also gives you a quick way to find loads that are waiting to be picked up, loads that are enroute and all loads for a particular truck.
OPTIONAL - if you have the routing with the program, you can also use the Load Board to find available trucks along with their distance from a particlar load.

CONTRACTORS/BROKERING - this functionality is only available in the Fleet version of the program. It is used to broker loads and will print out a contract and load instruction sheet for the contractor. The program will also export a bill for the load to the accounting section to simplify payment of the contractor.

DISPATCH - this page is designed to be used by the dispatcher to give information to the driver over the phone. Here you will find all the information you have entered on this load readily accessible. You enter the actual pickup and delivery dates/times here when the driver calls in. If you track pallets that information is also entered here. If you have the routing with the program, the mileage export will be displayed here when you enter the final delivery for the load. The delivery date is used by payroll if you have the program setup to automatically pay drivers once a load is delivered.

ACCOUNTING - the full featured accounting system is used to enter all of your accounting information. Here you will enter driver advances, reimburesed expenses and all your other income and expense data. All information required elsewhere in the program which is normally available on a receipt is entered here. For example: IFTA - FUEL PURCHASES, the information on gallons purchased and state is captured here when you are entering the receipt in your expenses. PAYROLL - ADVANCES REIMBURSED EXPENSES, these are entered into the accounting section as they are given or when the receipt is received from the driver. This information is automatically imported into the payroll section when you pay the driver.

MILES - if you do not have the routing with the program this is where you will enter all your mileages from your drivers trip reports. If you do have the routing this is where the program will store the mileages it generates for each trip. This information is used for generating IFTA reports, for cost per miles and revenue per mile reports and in the payroll section to determine actual miles run.
OPTIONAL - if you have the routing with the program there is an APPORTION utility. This is used to reconcile the actual miles run by the truck with the mileages created by the routing program. At the end of each quarter you get the actual odometer reading off each truck and enter it in the program. The program will then take any difference and apportion it back into all the trips run during the quarter.

NEXT you'll move to the Accounting Flow.