Truck Route File - DEL 1

The following truck route features are supported:

Truck route codes can be established using the Classification Codes File.
The schedule of each route can be maintained in the Truck Routes File. This includes the days and time of departure, cutoff times for orders, number of days from point of shipment until arrival at customer site, and the appointment time at the customer's location. This and most other truck routes functions are accessed via the Delivery Systems menu.
Stops on each route can be established in the Stops File, and/or the Billto File. Customers can be assigned to stops.
The schedule of interwarehouse transfer routes can be maintained in the Interwarehouse Transfers Table.
Order entry can automatically assign a ship date based on the customer's assigned route.
Order entry can display ship and arrival dates for items at any warehouse including the transfer time as well as local delivery schedules to each customer.
Inbound EDI orders or orders entered via the Internet can automatically assign a ship date based on the customer's assigned route.
All warehouse documents reference the truck routes assigned to each order.
Warehouse picking and loading procedures can be organized by truck route.
Online sales analysis by truck route is available within the Classification Codes File Maintenance Program.
Extensive reporting for truck routes is available via the X by Y Reports and the reports available on the Delivery Systems Menu.

The Route File defines the departure time, cutoff time, and call after times for each day of the week for each warehouse and route. In addition, this file enables you to assign and calculate the number of days for a delivery to be made to your customers prior to and after the cut off time for each truck route by warehouse. The Route File is synonymous with Truck Route File.

Route File Entry Screen

Field Name	Description/Instructions
Warehouse	Enter the originating warehouse for this route.
Truck Route	Enter the alphanumeric code you assigned to this truck route. These codes are defined in the Classification Codes File.
Run Number	This two-character numeric or alphanumeric field indicates a subset of the original route. This field is used to define multiple schedules within a single route, such as Monday only versus Monday and Wednesday. It is an extension of the original route code. For example, you can set up run numbers 01, 02, 03, AA, and BB with route A1. When a delivery schedule is created using a run number other than 01, any customer who should have deliveries generated based on that schedule should have the run number specified in the third truck route code of their customer record in the Billto File. Run number 01 is assumed if a run number is left blank on any screen. Within order entry, the truck route code specified on the Shipto Screen should contain the run number in the third truck route field. This field will default from the Shipto screen or the Billto File, but it can be overridden. Schedules using run numbers can be for an appointment schedule or just a deviation of the main route schedule. For example, let's say your truck runs every Tuesday and Friday. However, one customer wants to receive deliveries only on Friday. Rather than setting up a new route code for the customer, you can create a new run number off the original route. Run numbers cannot contain a blank as the first character however you can use a blank as the second character. The default value is 01.

Route File Profile Screen

Example of a Daily Route (Monday - Friday)

Example of a Twice Weekly Truck Route

If you attempt to make an entry in the Daily fields (the top portion) and the Appointment Shipping fields (bottom portion) at the same time you will receive an error message. You can set up a route by days of the week, or by appointment, but not both.

Field Name	Description/Instructions
Warehouse	The originating warehouse for this route.
Stops First	Enter the state of the first scheduled stop on this delivery route.
City	Enter the city of the first scheduled stop on this delivery route.
Truck Route	The alphanumeric code you assigned to this truck route.
Last Stop	Enter the state and city on the last stop on this route.
Run #	The run number within the route.
Stops	Enter the maximum number of stops feasible for this truck route.
Cubes	Enter the maximum number of cubes feasible for this truck route.
Wght	Enter the maximum amount of weight feasible for this truck route.
U/M	This field indicates the Unit of Measure for the Weight field for Max Per Day.
Ending W/H	The warehouse where the truck returns at the end of the route.
Day	The Delivery System allows you to schedule deliveries by the days of the week corresponding to the days shown in this column.
Cutoff	After this time, no new orders will make the next truck for delivery. Enter the time in military format. For example, 22:00 = 10:00PM and 09:30 = 9:30AM.
Call After	The time order entry personnel should call to check if the merchandise will make the truck. Enter the time in military time format. All automatic route scheduling is based on cutoff time.
Depart	The actual time the truck leaves the warehouse. When trucks leave at night for a next morning delivery, we recommend that you enter an AM time entry for the following day rather than an PM entry for the day the truck leaves. For example, if a truck leaves at 23:00 hours (11:00 PM) on Monday, enter the time as 01:00 (1:00 AM) on Tuesday. Calculating delivery days will be easier if you follow this important guideline.
# Days Arrival Prior/After	The number of days it takes for merchandise to go from the warehouse to the customer when the order is placed prior to cutoff time, and the number of days it takes after the cutoff time. Note that on Thursdays, it takes one day to ship if the order is placed before the cutoff time. This is because the truck runs on Friday. However, if it is after the cut-off time on Thursday, it could take five days, because it will miss the Friday delivery and will wait until Tuesday.
Days From Warehouse	The number of days it takes to deliver to customers from the shipping /departure day. Enter 0 if it arrives at the customer's site on the same day it ships. It is recommended that all the days of the week have the same number of days in this field. This field is simply the offset of days between your warehouse and the destination. That offset should be the same regardless of the day of the week. This entry is used to help calculate the delivery date during order entry when F10 is pressed on the Order Entry Detail screen.
Appt Time	The time of day the delivery will arrive at the customer's site in military time, if known. This field is relevant only if this route record relates to a single customer.
Specify Next Appointment Shipping when your delivery is less than once a week
Next Ship Date	Enter a shipping date that falls on a desired appointment date. The trucking programs automatically calculates the actual next ship date based on this entry and the number of days between runs. Therefore, this date does not have to be the next actual ship date. It is any valid date that, combined with the number of days between runs, to calculate the next true ship date.
Departure Time	The time of departure from warehouse in military time.
#of Days between Runs	The interval between shipments and appointments. For example, enter 14 for every two weeks.
Days from Warehouse	The number of days it takes to deliver to customers from the shipping/departure day. Enter 0 if it arrives at customer's site on the same day as it ships.
Prior Day Cutoff	The cutoff time for orders on the day prior to departure. Expressed in military time.
Appointment Time	In military time, when the delivery will arrive at the customer's site.

Example of a Daily Route (Monday - Friday)

This route runs daily Monday through Friday with a cutoff time of 5:00 PM. The truck departs daily at 7:00 AM. The above screen should be read as follows.

On Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, orders entered by 5:00 PM can be delivered the next day on a daily truck that departs at 7:00 AM. Orders entered after the 5:00 PM cutoff time are delivered the day after next.
On Thursday, orders entered by 5:00 PM can be delivered the next day (Friday), but orders entered after 5:00 PM miss the Friday morning truck and wait four days, until the following Monday to be shipped.
On Friday, orders entered before or after the 5:00 PM cutoff will be delivered in three days, on the Monday morning truck. Note that this assumes there must be some weekend work occurring in the warehouse in order to load the Friday orders that are placed after the 5:00 PM cutoff. If in fact the truck is closed off to new orders at 5:00 PM on Friday, without loading on the weekend or early Monday morning, the entry in the # of Days After Cutoff field for Friday should be four, indicating a Tuesday shipment for orders placed after the Friday cutoff. You should also note that the above sample screen could have shown the cutoff on Friday to be 23:59, which would more clearly denote that all orders placed on Friday would make the Monday truck.

If you have customers or salespeople who dial into your system and place orders during the weekend, you should enter the Saturday and Sunday times as well.

Press F1 to continue to the next record, F7 to end the job and return to the Delivery System Menu, or F8 to access the Route File Entry Screen.

Example of a Twice Weekly Truck Route

This screen should be read as follows:

On Monday, orders entered by 4:30 PM will be delivered on Tuesday (1 day).
On Monday, orders entered after 4:30 PM will be delivered on Friday (4 days). If the Monday cutoff time of 4:30 PM is missed, the order misses the Tuesday departure and must wait until Friday.
On Tuesday, orders entered any time will be delivered on Friday (3 days). The truck delivers to customers on Tuesday leaving at 6:00 AM, but orders entered on Tuesday can not make the Tuesday departure.
On Wednesday, orders entered any time will be delivered on Friday (2 days). No entry needs to be made on days that have no cut off time AND have no departure time. However, you could have entered 23:59 as the cut off time and 2 as the number of days prior to and after the cutoff time.
On Thursday, orders entered by 4:30 PM will be delivered on Friday (1 day).
On Thursday, orders entered after 4:30 PM will be delivered on Tuesday (5 days).
On Friday, orders entered any time will be delivered on Tuesday (4 days). The truck leaves at 6:00 AM on Friday, but orders entered on Friday can not make the Friday departure.
Orders entered on Saturday or Sunday will be delivered on the following Tuesday. Note that cutoff times are only required the day prior to the day a truck departs. All other days should have 23:59 as the cut off time. An entry of 23:59 indicates that there is no cut off time.

Press F1 to continue to the next record, F7 to end the job and return to the Delivery System Menu, or F8 to access the Route File Entry Screen.

Suggested Use of Run Numbers

Always set up a default or main run number of 01 for each route. Create other run numbers as needed.
Assign a run number to all customers assigned to a route.
Run number 01 is the default run number used by the system when no other run number is specified. If the run number is left blank, 01 is assumed.
Create a consistent scheme for assigning run numbers. For example,
- Run 01 - Monday only
- Run 02 - Tuesday only
- Run 03 - Wednesday only
- Run 04 - Thursday only
- Run 05 - Friday only
- Run 12 - Monday and Tuesday
- Run 13 - Monday and Wednesday
- Run 34 - Wednesday and Thursday
- Run 35 - Wednesday and Friday
- Run 55 - Daily
Reserve a set of run numbers, either alpha or numeric, for specific large accounts that require their own run numbers due to special cut off times, appointments, or other special provisions.

Example of Route Files Using Run Numbers

When creating or adding Route File records to take advantage of the Run Number field. We recommend you set up all mnemonic schemes on paper prior to entering them online.

In the following example, a company has two warehouses, each with two routes as follows:

Warehouse RAL (Raleigh) has an eastern North Carolina run leaving daily Monday through Friday. Most customers can be delivered to daily, but some in the eastern most part of the state are delivered to only on Fridays.
Warehouse RAL has a western North Carolina run leaving Tuesday and Thursday, and each customer is assigned to only one of the two days, but never both.
Warehouse WDC (Washington, DC) has a local city route leaving daily servicing all customers. All customers can be serviced on any of the five days.
Warehouse WDC has a route covering Virginia leaving Monday and Wednesday. Customers can be assigned to one or both days on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

The records required to implement the above scenario are:

Four routes are created in the Classification Codes File:

RE - Raleigh/Eastern North Carolina
RW - Raleigh/Western North Carolina
WL - Washington DC/local
WV - Washington DC/Virginia

The following records are created in the Truck Routes File.

These examples are provided as a guide only. You can create your own customized mnemonic scheme for routes and run numbers.

Assigning Truck Routes To Customers

Green Screen Billto File (FIL 1)

Navigator Billto File

Truck routes are assigned to customers via the Billto File.

The following Billto screens display a customer assigned to truck route R2, stop 05, and run 02.