Creating a Driver

In the corresponding monitoring panel choose the appropriate mode ('Drivers'), click the 'New' button, and indicate required parameters.

Name: Give driver a name that will be visible during the tracking process and in reports.

Code: Enter unique driver code needed to identify the driver if an automatic method of binding will be used. Codes of different drivers should be different.

Description: Type any comments (optional). It is shown in driver's tooltip.

Phone number: Enter driver's phone number. It will be shown in driver's tooltip and can be used to send SMS messages to the driver and make calls. Note that units or drivers with the same phone numbers cannot exist in the system. If you attempt to create a driver with a phone number that is already reserved to another driver or unit, a special alert will be displayed, and this phone number will not be saved.

Mobile key: Password for mobile authorization.

Exclusive: If this flag is enabled, this driver can be the only one assigned to a unit. In case you bind this driver to a unit (in real time) which already has one or more assigned drivers, those drivers are reset automatically. This flag works only for drivers within a common resource.

Photo: To quickly identify a driver, you can attach their photo or any other image. To do this, press the Browse button and find and load an image from the disk. Supported formats are PNG, JPG, GIF, and SVG. In the driver's editing dialog, you can delete an image used. To do so, point a cursor on it, and click the appeared delete button. Click OK to save changes, or Cancel to dismiss them.

Custom fields: Create driver's card adding any information as custom fields (information may include external links). They are shown in driver's tooltip and can be summoned in reports. Note that custom fields with the same name cannot coexist within one driver.

At the end press OK. The new driver will appear on the list.

Hint. Like any other resource contents, drivers can be imported and exported through files or directly from one resource to another. However, that is not true for driver groups.

Managing Driver List

Drivers are listed in the alphabetical order. To quickly find a certain driver, use the dynamic filter above the list. There are also filters to display drivers belonging to a certain resource or group or display drivers per their status (loose/bound). Those filters are presented in the form of dropdown menus above the list.

To display a driver on the map, tick the checkbox on their left. As drivers do not have their own coordinates, they borrow their location from units to which they are assigned. Click on driver's name on the list to center the map on their position. An assigned driver is represented by a small icon at the bottom right corner of unit's icon. If a driver is not attached to any unit currently, their last known position is shown (with a bigger icon). If there is no data about driver's location (for example, if they have never been bound to any unit), such a driver is not shown on the map.

Note that in order drivers to be displayed on the map you should check if the corresponding layer icon in the main menu is active.

DDD files received from tachograph contain driver's activity information. Such files can be uploaded automatically (due to the corresponding settings of an equipment), or manually (using 'TachoManager' application). Received information on driver's activity helps to control whether a driver follows the AETR standards or not. Driver's activity is displayed in the tooltip of each driver, and contains the following data:

• current state (driving, work, availability, rest), and its duration;
• uninterrupted driving info (time left for driving/exceeded driving time, and the necessary rest duration);
• driving info for the current shift (time left for driving/exceeded driving time, and the necessary rest duration);
• week's driving info (time left for driving/exceeded driving time, and the necessary rest duration);
• two-weeks driving info (time left for driving/exceeded driving time, and the necessary rest duration).

Moreover, the tooltip shows driver's name, phone number, enlarged photo, resource (if there are several), description, and custom fields (if any were set). Unit that is driven by this driver is also indicated if the driver is bound to any. If you have Skype on your computer, the phone number is highlighted, and you can make a call if clicking on it.

If a driver is bound to a unit, unit icon is displayed on the right of trailer's name. If you place the cursor over this icon, the unit's tooltip is displayed (the same as in the Monitoring panel).

Several actions can be performed over drivers:

or — bind/unbind driver to/from a unit as well as delete incorrect bindings (disabled if not enough access);

— register working shift or delete bindings;

— send SMS to driver (the button is not displayed if the current user does not have enough rights; if the button is dimmed, it means there is no phone number in driver's properties);

or — edit or view driver's properties;

— create a new driver using this one as a basis;

— delete driver (the button is dimmed if you have not enough rights).

Driver's Assignment

Several drivers can be assigned to one unit. To assign drivers to units, you need to have access flag 'Create, edit, and delete drivers' on the resource where those drivers belong.

There are two ways to bind a driver to a unit: manual and automatic.

Manual Binding

The manual assignment can be performed in both modes ('Drivers', 'Groups') of the 'Drivers' panel. Use the corresponding switch button Bind / Unbind to attach or detach drivers to/from units. The button is disabled if your access is not sufficient.

Click 'Bind to unit' button (), choose a unit the driver to be bound to, and click 'OK'.

Availability of units in this list depends on the work list in the Monitoring panel. If there are no units in the list, click 'Add all available' button. If the list is still empty, then you have no access rights to these units.

To unbind a driver from a unit, click an icon of a unit opposite to driver's name, and then use the corresponding button (). Besides, you can unbind a driver by registering a working shift, or deleting bindings from history.

Automatic Binding

To detect a driver automatically the corresponding equipment must be installed. In authorized personnel control system iButtons with i-wire bus inside are widely used. When getting into the vehicle, the driver applies the electronic key to be identified by the system.

To use the automatic method of binding, some adjustments should be done in the system beforehand.

1. A special sensors of Driver binding type should be created in the properties of each unit intended for auto-binding. A parameter for this sensor can be avl_driver or some other depending on your equipment and its configuration. One or more driver sensors can be created based on different parameters. If more than one driver binding sensor exist within a unit, the option Validate unbinding can be useful. If the option is activated, a driver bound to a unit automatically can be unbound from this unit only if zero value comes from the same parameter that was used to bind the driver. Otherwise, driver reset coming from any parameter will lead to the reset of all drivers bound to this unit.

2. Create a list of units for any resource the drivers of which are intended to be bound automatically. To do so, click 'Auto-binding' icon ( ), and follow the steps listed below.

Upon clicking the 'Automatic binding' icon a list of available resources is opened. Here you choose a resource the drivers of which will be used in automatic binding (with the units chosen in the next dialog). In order to understand which drivers belong to a particular resource, go back to the 'Drivers' panel, and apply a filter by resource (dropdown menu to the right of 'Create' button).

After choosing a resource, click Next. If only one resource is available, then it will be chosen automatically.

Thus, a driver will be automatically bound to a unit with the help of iButton in case that (1) this unit has a special sensor in its properties and (2) this unit is indicated in the list of auto-attachable units applied to the resource where the driver belongs.

Automatic binding of drivers is removed in the same way: summon 'Automatic binding' dialog, choose a resource, and uncheck flags of units for which the automatic binding will not be used.

Register Working Shift

This option can be used, for example, if you would like to register working shift post factum. Use the corresponding button () opposite to a trailer's name, choose the 'Register working shift' option, and click 'Next'. In the appeared dialog window choose a unit to which the trailer will be assigned in the indicated shift, click 'Next'. Now indicate time of shift beginning and end. Moreover, you can indicate either only beginning or only end time. For example, you have indicated shift beginning, and you would like its end to be registered automatically when a unit arrives to garage (as a geofence). To do so, create a notification of 'Geofence' type with method of action 'Reset trailer'. Anyway, registering a working shift you can use only past dates or current time (no future allowed).

Delete Bindings

Incorrect registrations of drivers can affect reports and their informational efficiency. That is why sometimes you may need to delete such (un)bindings from the database. In the dialog, choose the last option — Delete bindings — and press Next. Specify time interval and press

Show to display all bindings and unbindings of the driver on the interval. Check invalid messages and press 'OK' to delete them.

Note. Like with units, the last message from the driver (whether assign or reset) cannot be deleted.

Simultaneous Bindings

A driver can be bound simultaneously only to one unit. If somehow (for example, through registration of shifts) you are trying to bind a driver to another unit, later assignment cuts off the previous one.

However, several drivers can be assigned to one unit at once. It is reasonable with long-distance truck drivers and truckers.

If you want to avoid situation when a unit may have several drivers assigned to it, use the flag Exclusive in drivers' properties. If a driver with such a flag is bound to a unit, other previously assigned drivers are reset automatically. Note the following restrictions:

• For correct operation, all drivers must belong to one resource.
• It works only in real time, i.e., there are no such rules when registering drivers' working shifts.
• It does not work in reverse way, i.e., if a driver with Exclusive flag is currently assigned to a unit and another driver without that flag is being assigned, both of those drivers will be bound.

used in group reports. Only drivers who belong to the same resource as the group itself can compose the group.

To start working with groups, choose the corresponding mode in the 'Drivers' panel.

Usage of Drivers

While Tracking Online

The name of the driver is displayed (if available) in unit's tooltip and in extended unit information. To activate this option, check Driver in User Settings. The photo and phone number is also displayed if available.

Besides, it is possible to have a special column in the Monitoring panel to display drivers. For this, it is required to activate Show drivers column in the Monitoring panel customizer.

Attention! When a new driver is assigned, information about it in tooltip is refreshed within a minute (not instantly).

Drivers can be located on the map, which was described above.

In Notifications

Drivers appear in notifications. You can configure a notification to get informed when a driver is assigned to a unit or unbound from it. Using notifications, you can also unbind driver automatically, for example, when entering the depot.

In Reports

The drivers can be also mentioned in reports if the appropriate column is chosen in report template. This is available for the following tables: Trips, Engine hours, Rides, Unfinished rides, Fuel fillings, Fuel thefts, Speedings, and some others. To see drivers in a resulting report, choose the appropriate column in the report template.

In different kinds of reports, drivers can be used as a criteria of intervals filtration, meaning that you can get trips, parkings, etc. for certain driver (or without any) if you set his name mask in the report template.

Besides, if you have Advanced Reports module, you can generate a report totally dedicated to working shifts of a certain driver or even a group of drivers.