Default and custom route calculation parameters, additional placeholders in email templates, and other new features

In this article, we describe the improvements introduced in fireTMS:

Default and custom route calculation parameters

In the latest version of fireTMS, we have introduced flexible management of cost rates for vehicles and drivers. This allows parameters to be automatically included in the route calculator, saving time and reducing the risk of omitting important values.

Global cost rates

Global cost rates will be automatically included in the route calculator when you select the option Loads >> Route calculation. This means that the user does not have to enter them manually each time.

To define global cost rates, go to Configuration >> System configuration >> Transport configuration tab >>  Default route calculation parameters field. In this section, you can set the following values:

• Fuel price/l
• Vehicle cost – Estimated cost / km
• Vehicle cost – Additional daily cost
• Driver cost – Estimated cost / km 
• Driver cost – Hourly rate 
• Driver cost – Additional daily cost 

Individual rates in vehicle and driver files

In the vehicle file, we have moved the Estimated cost/km field to the characteristics section and added Fixed vehicle cost/day. Three new fields have been added to the driver file: Estimated cost/km, Hourly rate, Extra daily cost.

All cost-related parameters have been collected in one place, which increases transparency and facilitates editing.

Priorities for rate collection in the route calculator

The system takes into account the cost values in the route calculator according to the following rules:

• Individual rates – if the route has an assigned vehicle or driver and the data in their files has been completed, the calculator will use these values.
• Global rates – if there are no individual rates, the values from the default route calculation parameters will be used.
• No settings – if neither individual nor global rates have been entered, the fields in the calculator will remain empty and the user can enter them manually.

Automatic retrieval of global and individual cost rates in the route calculator significantly speeds up the planning process (no manual data entry), minimises the risk of errors thanks to uniform parameter management in one place, and at the same time maintains full flexibility – global values can be easily changed centrally, and specific vehicle and driver costs can be defined individually in their files.

New placeholders in email templates 

In order to better meet user needs and growing expectations for personalised correspondence, we have added new placeholders to email templates that allow you to automatically insert detailed data, e.g. about the user and their branch. To use them, simply select the appropriate placeholder in the system configuration (Configuration >> System configuration >> Print configuration section >> Templates tab) place the appropriate tag in the template content, and the system will replace it with the correct information during sending.

New permission – sub-load price control

Another new feature is the dedicated permission Allow saving sub-load prices higher or lower than the main price, which allows you to approve changes to sub-load prices when their total value differs from the main load price, which streamlines the handling of exceptional pricing cases and minimises the risk of unintended discrepancies (for more information on price conversion and control during load editing, see our blog post: Automatic price conversion and control during subload editing).

The new permission is assigned to the shipping manager and administrator roles by default. To grant or revoke it, go to Configuration >> Roles. This feature allows you to better secure the price editing process and maintain full data consistency across your organisation.

API – downloading orders from fireTMS

With the new version of fireTMS, we have made orders available via API. From now on, users can programmatically download all necessary information about selected orders, which allows for full automation of reporting processes and integration with external systems. Full fireTMS API documentation is available at: https://app.firetms.com/api/swagger-ui.html. 

If you would like to learn more about the default and custom route calculation parameters and the new features and improvements, please contact us.

* Some of the features described are only available in selected packages.