Deadhead Calculator

The Deadhead Calculator is a feature within the Fleet Management Console that assists in trip planning by calculating the distance a truck must travel without a load. Use this tool to optimize routes and reduce unnecessary mileage.

Enable the Deadhead Calculator

To use the Deadhead Calculator for Trip Planning, it must first be enabled in the TMS Admin Configuration settings for Fleet Management:

1. Navigate to TMS Admin → Configuration.

2. In the Fleet Management section, check the Show Deadhead Calculator field to enable the feature.

Using the Deadhead Calculator

Once enabled, the Deadhead Calculator button can be accessed in the Trip Planning section of the Fleet Management Console only for Fleet Load Views with the header expanded.

Ensure you have the Fleet Load View set up as intended, as this is necessary for the Deadhead Calculator to function properly. These header filters cannot be changed when the Deadhead Calculator section is visible.

Tip: Use the header filters in the Fleet Load view to display less than 100 records for improved performance when calculating the deadhead distance.

Configure the Calculator

Select the Deadhead Calculator button to open the Deadhead Calculator LWC.

In the LWC, configure the following settings:

Calculate Distance

The Calculate Distance button becomes available when an Account or location information is found based on the configuration. Click the button to compute the deadhead distance.

The distance is measured from the Asset/Driver/Load’s location to the Load record's origin location in the list.

Note: A location must be identified in the Deadhead Calculator under the Based On field. Otherwise, “No Location Found” displays in red text and the Calculate Distance button is greyed out.

The calculations appear next to the Load in the list of Load records when the grid is expanded, and are sorted from shortest to longest in deadhead distance.

Click the Deadhead Calculator button again to hide the LWC. When the Deadhead Calculator is hidden, the Deadhead Miles/Kilometers column is removed from the list.

Based On Location Flowcharts

Expand the appropriate Calculate Deadhead From option for the Based On field to display the flowchart in determining the location that is used in the Deadhead Calculator LWC.

Warning: If the Shipping Address field is blank on the Account for a location in the LWC, and then the Calculate Distance button is clicked, an error will populate stating that the origin location is invalid or missing. The Shipping Address field on the Account must have at least the following values:

• Shipping Country

• Shipping City and Shipping State/Province OR Shipping Zip/Postal Code

Asset Final Planned Location

Use this option to find the latest planned end location of a Fleet Asset or Driver across ALL active Trip Plans.

Caution: If the Appointment Date on the last Trip Plan Leg is blank, the Due Out date is used instead. If both fields are blank, then “No Location Found” is displayed under the Based On field in the Deadhead Calculator LWC.

The following flowcharts assumes the the last Trip Plan Leg records have a value in the End Date/Time field. The actual value used for comparison is the Calculated Fallback Datetime field.

Asset Current Location

Use this option to use the current location of a Fleet Asset or Driver (with a Driver Assignment).

Asset Last Stop Location

Use this option to find the end location of a Power Unit or Driver in a Dispatched Trip Plan Segment.

Driver Domicile

Use this option to use the driver domicile location of a Fleet Asset (with a Driver Assignment) or Driver.

Search for Backhaul Opportunities

The Deadhead Calculator can also be used to find backhaul opportunities by searching lanes for specific routes. Enter the Origin and/or Destination Address along with a Radius and its Units to find potential loads for the return trip.

Set the Calculate Deadhead From field to Load and select a Load record in the Using Load field to search for these opportunities. Then, click the Calculate Distance button in the Deadhead Calculator LWC.

Caution: If the Load Destination has changed after selecting the Load record, you must close the calculator and refresh the Fleet Load View to have the updated location displayed under the Based On field and have the correct calculated distance in the grid/list of Load records.

The list of Load records is sorted from shortest to longest in deadhead distance.

Load Destination Logic

Use the following flowchart to determine the Load Destination location of a Load record in the Deadhead Calculator LWC:

If the Location field has a value, the location displays in the LWC with the format {Account Name}: City, State Abbreviation.

Geolocation Stops

If the Location field for the Last Stop is blank, the location is determined from the Geolocation field's latitude and longitude, and the coordinates are reverse-geolocated. The location displays in the LWC with the format City, State Abbreviation.

If the Stop does not have either a Location Account or Geolocation coordinates, then the City and State/Province or Postal Code fields are used for the location.

City/State/Postal Code Stops

If the City and State/Province field combination is used, then the location displays in the LWC with the format City, State Abbreviation, just like the Gelocation match.

If the Stop only uses the Postal Code field, then the location displays in the format Latitude, Longitude.

Missing Stop Information

If the Last Stop does not contain any location information, then an error message displays stating that the selected Load record needs values in the City and State/Province or Postal Code fields.