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.
- menu
- Fleet ‣ Configuration ‣ Models ‣ Categories
- shows
- The vehicle category list with the Maximum Weight and Maximum Volume columns filled in.
- data
- Categories "Small truck" and "Van" with different capacities.
- module
- fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Note
The units of measurement for vehicle capacity are assigned at the global level in the Settings app, in the Units of Measure section.
- menu
- Settings ‣ General Settings
- shows
- The units of measure settings, showing the weight and volume units used for vehicle capacity.
- highlight
- The weight and volume unit settings (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
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 . Select an existing delivery method, or click New.
See 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.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Configuration ‣ Delivery Methods
- shows
- A delivery method form created for a vehicle, with the "Zip Prefixes" field filled in to limit it to a delivery zone.
- highlight
- The "Zip Prefixes" field (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Example delivery method, with the Zip Prefixes set to the delivery zone’s postal codes.
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.
- menu
- Inventory app ‣ Configuration ‣ Locations
- shows
- A location form with the "Is a Dock Location" checkbox ticked.
- highlight
- The "Is a Dock Location" checkbox (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Location configuration page with the Is a Dock Location checkbox ticked.
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.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders
- shows
- The delivery orders list with the "Carrier" column showing the same vehicle delivery method set on two orders.
- highlight
- The "Carrier" column (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
The delivery method Truck 1 is set as the Carrier for two delivery orders.
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.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Delivery Orders
- shows
- Several delivery orders selected in the list, with the "Add to wave" action in the gear menu.
- highlight
- The "Add to wave" action (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
Delivery orders are selected to be grouped into a wave transfer.
Alternative batch creation method¶
Another place to create batches is by going to the app, and in the Delivery Orders card, click the (three dots) icon. In the resulting drop-down menu, click Prepare batch.
Note
The Transport Management drop-down menu contains other tools for fleet management:
Manage Batches: open list of batches
Dock Dispatching: open weekly Gantt view of scheduled batch operations; it requires a Gantt view type, provided by the Web Gantt module
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
- menu
- Inventory
- shows
- The Inventory overview with the Transport Management drop-down menu open on an operation-type card, showing the "Prepare Batch" option.
- highlight
- The "Prepare Batch" option (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.
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.
- menu
- Inventory ‣ Operations ‣ Batch Transfers
- shows
- A batch transfer form with the vehicle set as carrier, the dock location, and the weight and volume totals against the vehicle capacity.
- highlight
- The capacity indicators (red frame).
- module
- stock_fleet
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width.