G4L system provides a possibility to create and manage the list of drivers working for you. One click of a mouse can assign driver to a unit, i.e., attach to a vehicle. Then in the reports on this unit, a driver will be indicated. It is particularly useful when several drivers work with the same unit. There is also a possibility to detect drivers automatically with the help of iButton system. Moreover, created drivers can be formed into groups.
To start working with drivers, choose the 'Drivers' item in the top panel, or click the necessary item in
the main menu customizer. Afterwards, choose the mode you would like to work with (drivers or
groups).
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:
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:
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.
To create a new group of drivers, press the 'New' button. Enter name and description, and choose drivers to fill the group. Press OK.
A list of created driver groups is displayed in the work area. Groups are arranged alphabetically. The
same as for drivers, a filter or a dynamic search can be used for groups. Moreover, groups can be edited,
copied, or deleted. Note that upon deleting a group you cannot delete its contents.
Drivers not included in any group can be found in the 'Drivers outside groups'.
Series of standard actions are available for drivers in a group (unfold a group in order the corresponding buttons to appear).
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.