Truck Sequence
The truck sequence identifies the order in which products are dropped for each route on the truck. Circulation uses the truck sequence to determine which routes each truck is responsible for dropping, and in what order the bundles of papers should be dropped. A newspaper can have more than one truck sequence. For example, a Daily sequence might be used for Monday-Friday, and a Weekend sequence for Saturday and Sunday. A route may be dropped by a different truck and in a different order in the two sequences.
Business Rules determine whether overrides to the truck sequence are allowed in Enter Bundle Info and during the publishing run. Business Rules also determine the default truck sequence to be used when printing invoices and the Account Billing Journal.
To set up a truck sequence:
In character Circulation, select Truck Sequence from the Truck menu to display the Truck Sequence Setup screen.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Field Type What to enter TRUCK SEQUENCE
open (8)
Enter a truck sequence, such as “Daily” or “Sunday”.
DESCRIPTION
open (30)
Enter a description of this truck sequence.
Select Specifics to define the truck sequence. See below.
Option When to select Deliverable Truck Sequence
To define default truck sequences for each publication for each weekday.
Truck Drop Sequence
To define the drop locations (for routes and single copy outlets) for each truck within a truck sequence. For each truck sequence, enter a record for where the bundles are dropped (Truck Drop Sequence) and a record for which bundles are dropped (Truck Distrib Point). For example, if Truck 1 has bundles for 25 routes and makes 20 stops to drop these bundles, you would set up 20 truck drop sequence records (Truck Drop Sequence). Next, you would set up 25 records for the routes that are being dropped (Truck Distrib Point).
Truck Distrib Point
To define the routes to be dropped at each truck drop.
Truck Bulk
To set up and maintain bulk bundle size parameters used for each truck and truck sequence.
Select Accept to enter the truck sequence, along with associated specifics information, into the database.
Set up another truck sequence, or press F4 and select Exit to exit to the Setup menu.
Specifics, Deliverable Truck Sequence
Select this option to define the default truck sequence for each publication. You may or may not be able to override this default in the publishing run (as determined by Business Rules).
To define the default truck sequence:
Select Specifics | Deliverable Truck Seq from the Truck Sequence Setup screen to display the Deliverable Truck Sequence Setup screen.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Field Type What to enter PRODUCT
setup
Enter a publication ID.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range in which this publication can use these default truck sequences.
TRUCK SEQUENCE
setup x 7
For each day of the week, enter the default truck sequence for this publication.
Select Accept to accept the truck sequence/publication link.
Define default truck sequences for other publications, or press F4 and select Exit to return to the Truck Sequence Setup screen.
Specifics, Truck Drop Sequence
Select this option to define drop locations for each truck sequence and truck. This defines where the bundles are being dropped; you must define a Truck Drop Distrib Point record with the same drop order to specify which route’s papers should be dropped there.
To define drop locations:
Select Specifics | Truck Drop Sequence from the Truck Sequence Setup screen to display the Truck Drop Sequence Setup screen.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Field Type What to enter TRUCK SEQUENCE
display
The truck sequence entered on the Truck Sequence Setup screen is displayed.
TRUCK
setup
Enter the truck for this drop location.
DROP ORDER
integer (8)
Specify the drop order number of this drop location within this truck sequence. The Truck Drop Distrib Point must also be defined with the same drop order. Assign drop order numbers in increments of 10 or 100 (10, 20, 30, etc.). This way, a new drops can be inserted between two numbers.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter date range in which this truck and drop order can be used.
MAP REFERENCE
open (4)
Enter map reference.
MAP NUMBER
open (4)
Enter map number.
DROP WHERE
predefined
Indicate the drop location type. Enter account if the drop location should be the carrier’s home address. Enter distribution point if the default drop location for the distribution point should be used (see Specifics, Distrib Point Publ). Enter specific if you are entering the drop location in Drop Location.
DROP LOCATION
open (60)
If specific is entered in Drop Where, enter the location for this drop within this truck and truck sequence.
DROP INSTRUCTIONS
open (60)
Optionally enter any drop instructions for this specific drop location.
Select Accept to accept the drop location.
Define other drop locations for this truck or another truck in the truck sequence, or press F4 and select Exit to return to the Truck Sequence Setup screen.
Specifics, Truck Drop Distrib Point
Select this option to assign a distribution point for each drop on each truck for this truck sequence (the drops themselves are defined in Truck Drop Sequence). Note that papers for more than one route can be dropped at the same location (enter each route individually, but using the same drop order number).
To assign distribution points:
Select Specifics | Truck Drop Distrib Pnt from the Truck Sequence Setup screen to display the Truck Drop Distrib Point Setup screen.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Field Type What to enter TRUCK SEQUENCE
display
The truck sequence entered on the Truck Sequence Setup screen is displayed.
TRUCK
setup
Enter the truck for this route.
DROP ORDER
integer (8)
Enter the drop order of this route in relation to all other drops this truck makes for this truck sequence. The drop order must correspond to the drop order entered in the Truck Drop Sequence specific.
PRODUCT
setup
Enter the publication to be delivered.
ROUTE
setup
Enter the route for this drop or leave blank if the drop is to another truck.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date in which this drop may be used.
SUBSCRIPTION
setup*
If the drop is to a “throwoff” subscriber, enter the subscription ID.
RELAY TRUCK
setup
If the drop is to another truck, enter that truck here. A truck is a relay truck if it receives papers from another truck. For example, if Truck A drops papers to Trucks B, C, and D, you would define three drops on Truck A where trucks B, C, and D are identified in Relay Truck and Route is left blank. See How Relay Trucks Work.
BULK
yes/no
Indicate with “y” or “n” whether the papers are delivered in bulk to this route. See Specifics, Truck Bulk for more information about bulk trucks.
PRINT KEY BUNDLES ONLY
yes/no
Indicate whether only bundle tops for key bundles should be printed. This field is valid only if you enter “route” in PRINT KEY BUNDLES ONLY during Publishing | Distribution | Enter Bundle Info (see the User Manual).
Select Accept to accept the distrib point as being dropped at this drop order.
Define drop orders for other distrib points, or press F4 and select Exit to return to the Truck Sequence Setup screen.
How Relay Trucks Work
A relay truck is one which receives papers from another truck. In the following example, Trucks B, C and D are relay trucks. For Truck A, you would enter the drops for routes 100-105. You would also add a drop record for Truck B, entering “Truck B” in Relay Truck, and do the same for Truck C. Truck B, in turn, would have a drop record with “Truck D” in Relay Truck.
When setting up the departure order for relay trucks, be sure that the departure order for the relay truck is preceded by its “parent” truck. In the example above, Truck A should depart before Truck B so that bundle labels and truck manifests print in the correct order.
Specifics, Truck Bulk
In Circulation you can set up trucks to be bulk trucks. This means that at least some of the papers for that truck will be loaded in bulk onto the truck: bundle tops will not print for routes (unless key bundles were requested), but only for standard and/or key bundles of the bulk.
Truck drivers use the Truck Manifest to determine how many bulk papers to drop at a bulk route or single copy outlet. A bundle top will be printed for a bulk route (after all other bundle tops have printed) if Print Key Bundles Only in Truck Drop Distrib Pnt is set to “y”. If this field is set to “n”, a message sheet will be printed instead (if the route has messages). Separate bundle tops will be printed for bulk draw if there are different editions or insert combinations (applicable only if you use InsertPlus).
To illustrate bulk bundles, say routes 4, 5, and 6 each have 50 papers and the standard bundle size is 20. Using the normal method (non bulk) the bundle distribution would be as follows:
Route 4 | 2 standard of 20, 1 key of 10 |
Route 5 | 2 standard of 20, 1 key of 10 |
Route 6 | 2 standard of 20, 1 key of 10 |
If these routes were bulk, however, the bundle distribution would be:
Bulk | 7 standard of 20, 1 key of 10 |
Notice that fewer bundle tops are printed for the bulk method. However, bulk trucks face a challenge when it comes to bundle sizes. Sizes can be defined (in Enter Bundle Info, see the User Manual) by:
AAM Zone
Delivery Method (Carrier, Motor, or Single Copy)
AAM Zone by Delivery Method
Truck
A bulk load might have different delivery methods or AAM Zones, and Circulation would have to pick one zone or method at random. This option solves the difficulty by assigning the bulk truck a specific delivery method and AAM Zone that should be used for bundle sizes.
You need only set up this specific for bulk trucks (Bulk = y on the Truck Drop Distrib Point Setup screen, see Specifics, Truck Drop Distrib Point). Set up only one Truck Bulk record per truck and define a specific AAM Zone and/or Delivery Method based on how you enter bundle information.
To set up truck bulk information:
Select Specifics | Truck Bulk from the Truck Sequence Setup screen to display the Truck Bulk Setup screen.
Select Add and complete the following fields.
Field Type What to enter TRUCK SEQUENCE
display
The truck sequence entered on the Truck Sequence Setup screen is displayed.
TRUCK
setup
Enter the truck ID of a bulk truck.
START DATE, END DATE
date
Enter the date range for which this bundle size designation can be used for this truck and truck sequence.
AAM ZONE
setup
Enter the AAM zone which should be used for bundle size parameters when AAM zones determine bundle sizes.
DELIVERY METHOD
predefined
Indicate the AAM delivery method to use to determine bundle sizes: carrier, motor, or single copy. Enter “*” to select all delivery methods.
Select Accept to accept the truck bulk information.
Set up bulk truck bundle designations for other trucks within this truck sequence, or press F4 and select Exit to return to the Truck Sequence Setup screen.
Last updated
