Vehicle Equivalency

Overview

When customers place delivery orders, they select a vehicle type—often based on price. However, carriers may choose to fulfill the delivery using a different, compatible (and often larger) vehicle to improve efficiency and fleet usage.

To support this, Dispatch Science offers a configurable Vehicle Equivalency Table that allows administrators to define which vehicle types can be treated as interchangeable during auto-dispatch.

What Is Vehicle Equivalency?

Vehicle equivalency allows Dispatch Science to assign delivery orders to vehicles that were not explicitly selected during order entry but are still capable of fulfilling the delivery requirements (weight, volume, units, etc.). For example, if an order specifies a Car, a Van may be used instead—if allowed by the equivalency table.

Accessing the Vehicle Equivalency Table

1. Go to Pricing > Vehicles > Vehicle Equivalencies.

2. You’ll see all available vehicle types listed with 1-to-1 equivalency by default.

For example, a company with Bikes, Cars, and Vans will see each vehicle type only marked as equivalent to itself.

Managing Vehicle Equivalencies

Delete a Vehicle Type

To remove a vehicle type from the equivalency list:

1. Click the trashcan icon next to the vehicle type.

2. Confirm your choice by clicking OK in the popup.

   • Once removed, orders requesting that vehicle type can be auto-dispatched to any vehicle (within weight, volume, and unit constraints).

Add a New Vehicle Equivalency

1. Click on New vehicle equivalency.

2. Select a vehicle type from the dropdown.

3. The selected vehicle will be pre-checked (as each vehicle is always equivalent to itself).

4. Check any additional vehicle types you want to include as equivalents.

5. Click Save.

Edit Existing Equivalencies

1. Click the vehicle type you want to modify.

2. Follow the same steps as adding a new equivalency to update the list.

Disable Auto-Dispatch Matching

To prevent auto-dispatch from using any vehicle equivalency logic:

1. Delete all vehicle types from the equivalency list.

Example Scenario

Let’s say your equivalency table defines Cars and Van as interchangeable:

• An order requesting a Car can be auto-dispatched to aVan.

• An order requesting a Box Truck will not be assigned to a Car, as the Car is not equivalent for that purpose.

This ensures that vehicle selection used for pricing can be decoupled from vehicle selection used for execution, giving you flexibility while preserving operational accuracy.

Summary

The Vehicle Equivalency Table gives Dispatch Science users powerful control over how delivery vehicles are matched to orders. By managing this table, companies can:

• Optimize dispatch logic.

• Improve fleet utilization.

• Maintain service quality while offering flexible vehicle options.