Dispatch management system¶
The dispatch management system feature in Odoo is used to plan and build shipments. Key features include:
Load building: Group products for specific carriers, assign those batches to loading docks, and manage vehicle assignments based on fleet capacity. This ensures the right products are packed into the appropriate trucks for delivery.
Fleet management: Track and manage the capacity of in-house delivery vehicles.
Configuration¶
To use the dispatch management system, the following setup must be completed:
Install the Fleet application.
Configure vehicle capacity (volume and weight).
Enter vehicle car model(s).
Enable necessary features in the Inventory app.
Set up vehicles as delivery methods.
Create dock locations.
Vehicle capacity¶
To configure the vehicle capacity, go to
.Next, click New to add a new category, or click into an existing category to modify it.
In the Name field, enter the type of vehicle (e.g., Pick-up truck
, Van
, or Cargo
truck
). Then, enter the vehicle capacity in the Max Weight (in kilograms) and
Max Volume (in cubic meters) fields.
Note
The units of measurement for vehicle capacity are assigned at the global level in the Settings app, in the Units of Measure section.
See also
Car model¶
Configuring a vehicle’s car model is required when adding vehicles in Odoo. Ensure the correct Category is selected for a car model. Doing so automatically applies weight and volume capacities to all vehicles of that type.
To configure, navigate to
.From the Models list, select an existing model, or click New in the top-left corner to create a new model. Then, set the relevant Category field to the relevant vehicle category.
See also
Inventory settings¶
Next, go to
, and enable the required features for dispatch management.In the Operations section, tick the Batch, Wave & Cluster Transfers checkbox to prepare batches of orders for delivery.
In the Shipping section, tick the Delivery Methods and Dispatch Management System checkboxes. Doing so allows specific vehicles to be set as carriers.
In the Warehouse section, tick the Storage Locations checkbox to assign specific locations in the warehouse as loading zones for delivery trucks.
Then, once all the configurations are complete, be sure to click Save.
Delivery method¶
Next, assign each delivery vehicle as a Carrier by configuring a delivery method.
To configure delivery methods, go to New.
. Select an existing delivery method, or clickSee also
On the Delivery Method form, enter a name for the delivery method. It is recommended to
use identifying information, such as the vehicle description and license plate number (e.g. Truck
123-ABCD
).
Since the delivery methods are managed internally, set the Provider to either Fixed Price or Based on Rules. For more information about how shipping prices are calculated, refer to the Delivery method article.
Next, set a Delivery Product, which is the product that shows up as the customer’s delivery charge on the sales order or invoice.
Optionally, in the Availability tab, set the Countries, States, or Zip Prefixes to limit the range of local delivery.
Dock locations¶
Each loading dock must have a dedicated location. To create or configure dock locations, go to
.Click the desired location, which opens the Location form. In the Additional Information section, tick the Is a Dock Location checkbox.
Build loads¶
Once setup is complete, assign orders to a carrier and group them into batches. Then, configure the batch form, as needed.
To group products, go to the
, which reveals a list of outgoing deliveries.See also
Since this article is about a specific use case, explore details about each picking method in their dedicated articles.
Carrier assignment¶
Reveal the Carrier column, if it is not visible by default, by clicking the (settings) icon in the top-right corner, and ticking the Carrier checkbox.
Tip
Other useful columns to enable can be Zip code, Shipping Weight, and Shipping Volume.
Select the delivery orders for the batch by ticking the checkboxes on the left. Next, click into the line’s Carrier fields. In the resulting drop-down menu, choose the desired vehicle’s delivery method. A Confirmation pop-up window appears, indicating the number of orders being added to the batch. Click Confirm, and the carrier is updated for all the selected records.
Create batch¶
With the carrier set, begin adding orders to a batch or wave transfer by ticking the checkbox.
Note
If a delivery order is already assigned to a batch transfer, assigning a batch transfer here does not update it.
Then, click the Actions button, and click either Add to batch or Add to wave. In the pop-up window, ensure Add to is set to a new [batch/wave] transfer, then click Confirm.
Alternative batch creation method¶
Another place to create batches is by going to the Delivery Orders card, click the (three dots) icon. In the resulting drop-down menu, click Prepare batch.
app, and in theNote
The Transport Management drop-down menu contains other tools for fleet management:
Manage Batches: open list of batches
Dock Dispatching: open weekly calendar view of scheduled batch operations
Batches by Route: Kanban view of batches grouped by fulfillment route
Calendar: open hourly calendar view of scheduled operations
Statistics: open pivot table of the batch transfers
Batch form¶
On the batch transfer form, fill the following fields out accordingly:
Responsible: employee assigned to the picking. Leave blank if any worker can fulfill this picking.
Operation Type: from the drop-down menu, select the operation type under which the picking is categorized.
Scheduled Date: specifies the date by which the Responsible person should complete the transfer to the output location.
Dock Location: select the loading location.
Vehicle: select the vehicle, which will auto-fill Vehicle Category.
Vehicle Category: show if the order exceeds the vehicle’s capacity limits
Example
The Volume bar is grayed out because the capacity has been reached.
Prepare delivery route¶
To help the driver prepare, click the Map button at the top of the batch or wave form to view delivery destinations on a map. Selecting an individual delivery order pinpoints its location.
Note
The Map button is only visible for transfers with the In progress status.
Additionally, use the View in Google Maps button to generate a route from the warehouse to the delivery points.