Feeder Zones - 365 Management

Feeder Zones - 365 Management

What is This Section?

The Feeder Zones screen allows you to feed vehicles into certain zones from another, helping you to regulate and manage the number of drivers permitted in a certain zone at any given time. It is particularly useful for operating rank zones with limited capacity, enabling you to invite drivers to the rank zone as soon as space becomes available.

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To access this screen:

  1. Click on Feeder Zones from the Dispatch > Zones dropdown menu.

How Does It Work?

You need to set up a main zone and one or more feeder zones associated with that main zone. The main zone is the area where drivers are invited when space becomes available, while the feed zone is where drivers essentially wait for an invitation to the main zone. The system can have multiple feeder zones per main zone, but these need to be configured as separate entries in the table.

Live Mode & Draft Mode

There are two different modes you can switch to and from.

In Live mode, you can view the live configuration of your feeder zones. Any changes you make while in this mode are automatically published to your live system.

In Draft mode, you can view and edit your feeder zones configuration as a draft, and then apply this draft to live.

Once in Draft mode, you can create a new draft of your current configuration.

Note: When you create a new draft, the current draft will be overridden and any changes made will apply to all zone areas. (e.g. Zone Maker, Zone List...)

Once you are happy with your current draft, you can select the Apply Draft to Live button, replacing your live feeder zone configuration with the latest draft configuration.

Creating a Feeder Zone

To add a new feeder zone:

  1. Click on the Add button on the right-hand side.
  2. Configure the feeder zone settings:
      
    • Main Zone: Select which zone will be the main zone. Drivers in the feed zone are offered a place in this zone if a spot becomes available.
    • Feed Zone: Select which zone will feed vehicles into the main zone. This should be set to the zone that drivers are put into while they wait for a spot in the main zone.
    • Feed Mode: Controls the behaviour of the feed zone. A driver is sent a message when they can move to the main zone if using Invite. If using Replot, the driver is automatically replotted into the main zone, even if they have not arrived in the zone yet. If Disabled is selected, no driver in the feed zone is offered the chance to join the main zone.
    • Feed Type: This setting only applies if more than one zone is being filled from one feed zone. Select Fill to fill up the main zone first before moving to the next. Select Round Robin to spread feeder vehicles between multiple zones.
    • Feed Limit: Set to the maximum number of vehicles allowed in the main zone.
    • Invite Retry Interval: Set how often an invite should be sent after the first invite.
    • Priority: Set the priority level of the feeder zone (0-9 where 9 is the highest priority). The feed zones are ordered with this priority parameter.
    • Notification Message: Write a custom message to be sent to invite drivers to the main zone. Drivers in the feed zone receive a notification message on their Driver Companion device when they are offered to join the main zone.
  3. Then click Create.

In the above example, a maximum of 4 drivers are allowed in the TWN zone, and when the number falls below 4, drivers from the UNI zone will be offered a place in the TWN zone.

When configuring feeder zones, you should also consider the settings on the main zone, including geolocation settings. The 'Permit Auto Plot In' setting should be enabled for the main zone if setting 'Feed Zone' to Replot, allowing automatic plotting of drivers into the main zone. You should also set 'Permit Auto Plot Out' to disabled to prevent the automatic removal of drivers after replotting them into the main zone. For further information on these Geolocation settings, refer to Zone List - Geolocation Settings.

Editing a Feed Zone

To edit an existing feed zone:

  1. Double-click on the feed zone to edit in the list.
  2. In the Edit Feeder Zone modal, adjust the settings.
  3. Click Save and then Apply Draft to Live to apply your new changes.

Deleting a Feed Zone

To delete a feed zone:

  1. Double-click on the feed zone to edit in the list.
  2. In the Edit Feeder Zone modal, select the Delete button.
  3. Follow through with the deletion by selecting I'm Sure in the pop-up.
    Notes
    Note: You cannot undo this action after deleting your zone.