potential Delay notifications (in WSX)

Within WSX, the user may be prompted or view notifications regarding potential loading delays at the gang and/or truck arrival overlaps at the customer. 

Where activated and potential delay criteria are triggered, the ‘Potential Delays Notification’ will present as below. This message presents summary information about potential loading delays at the gang,and/or truck arrival overlaps at the customer, and allows access to more detailed data related to the gang delays. 

Note: Careful set-up of the parameters around which potential delay notifications are presented is essential to ensure notifications are only presented as and when required. Please review the Database Setting section at the bottom of this User Guide carefully and where necessary, contact Trimble Support for any set-up requests.

The above message may present with any of the following notification types.

Set Queue Size EXCEEDED

This notification is triggered if the journey being added will see the number of trucks planned to uplift from the gang (Journey Status = Planned to At Gang), exceed that set either against the Gang (set in the 'Queue Size to Check' field in the Gangs screen in the DBAdmin) or the default for the database (set in the database setting DefaultQueueSize) if nothing is specified against the gang. Calculated By: 

• Checking the journey being added does not cause the number of planned journeys for the crew to exceed that set either against the Gang or the default for the database if nothing specified against the gang.

Journey Loading Delay (Estimated Queue Time)

This notification is triggered if a potential delay will occur at the gang (loading) for the journey being added and includes the estimated queue time, the number of overlaps with other journeys loading times and the revised estimated time at which loading will be complete. Calculated By:

1. • • • The estimated delay is based on the arrival time of the truck at the gang (‘At Gang’ time) in relation to any other journeys that have yet to be loaded, their arrival time + estimated load time (based on the set Loading time for the gang) and any delays that may occur (creating a ‘Revised’ loading time), i.e. this process determines the earliest time the truck can start loading based on the previous journeys and any added time difference between the ‘Estimated’ and ‘Revised’  loaded time is the delay

E.g. below, the journey added for truck 4741 has a delay time of 1 hour and 7 minutes, based on the accumulated delays from the previous 2 journeys

Note: A minimum time delay can be set in the database above which the estimated delay must exceed before the notification will present, i.e. if set as 10 minutes and the estimated delay is 9 minutes the ‘Potential Delay Notification’ screen will not display for this value. Note, however, that the actual length of the delay will still show in the ‘Journey Conflicts’ screen if opened.

Other Journey Impacts (Delays)

This notification is triggered if the journey being added will potentially cause a delay at the gang (loading) for other journeys already planned in the system. Calculated by:

• The estimated impact on other planned journeys is based on the arrival time at the gang (‘At Gang’ time) of the journey being added in relation to any other planned journeys with an arrival time later than the journey being added and a loading period (At Gang to Loaded) that covers the arrival time of the journey.

E.g. below, the journey being added for 4562 has an earlier At Gang time than three journeys already planned for the gang. The impact of the addition of the journey for 4562 is that the following two journeys for trucks 4560 and 5612 will both be delayed as 4562 will still be getting loaded when 4560 arrives, subsequently delaying 5612. The journey for 5627 is unaffected as its arrived time falls after the revised load time for 5612.

Note: A minimum number of overlapping journeys can be set in the database above which the estimated potential delay must exceed before the notification will present, i.e. if set as 2, only after a newly added journey impacts two or more existing planned journeys will the notification screen present. Note, however, the delay will still show in the ‘Journey Conflicts’ screen if opened.

Customer Arrival Overlaps

This notification, if activated, is triggered where the journey being added has an estimated arrival time at customer that may potentially cause a delay due to a cluster of trucks. Calculated By:

• If the arrival time at the customer for the journey causes the set ‘Max Arrivals __ within +/- __ minutes’ (as established against the customer in the database, or if not set by customer, then the customer queuing defaults set against the database), to be exceeded, then the potential delay notification is presented.

E.g. in the examples below, if the journey for truck 6052 is added,

• • • • Example A – A notification would present as it would exceed the set max arrivals of 4 trucks within the +/- 30 minute period either side of the journeys arrival time at customer. 

      • Example B - No notification would present there are only 2 other journeys within the set +/- 20 minute period either side of the journeys arrival time at the customer, falling below the set max arrivals of 4.

Journey Conflicts Screen (View Gang Delays)

Available either by clicking the ‘View Gang Delays’ button within the ‘Potential Delay Notification’ message or by right clicking on a journey when on the Gang tab within the journey screen and selecting ‘View Delays’. This screen presents detail about estimated potential delays for individual journeys by gang location.

Note: At Customer and Empty times are based solely on the arrival and set unloading time for the Customer – no queuing or estimated delay times are incorporated into the estimates shown in this screen.

Database Settings

Crew Queuing & Delays

Switch On/Off the Crew Loading Delay Notification

Setting: CheckQdForGang

Utilised in the Crew Queue/Delay notification process.

Switches the notification on or off 

0 = Notification Off

1 = Notification On

Default Queue Size for Gangs where not Specified 

Setting: DefaultQueueSize

Utilised in the Crew Queue/Delay notification process.

Sets the crew size above which a delay notification 

Set in minutes, e.g. 15

Default Minimum Delay Minutes at Crew for Delay Notification

Setting: CrewDefaultQueueMinutes

Utilised in the Crew Queue/Delay notification process.

Sets the minutes above which an estimated delay to the journey being added must be above before triggering a delay notification 

Set in minutes, e.g. 15

Set Number of Future Journeys for Gang above which delay notification is triggered

Setting: GangQueueOverlapQueueSize

Utilised in the Gang Queue/Delay notification process.

Sets the number of future journeys above which a Queue/Delay notification is generated when the journey being added impacts on future journeys.

Set as a number, e.g. 3 

Customer Queuing & Delays

Set Minutes within which overlap warning will be triggered if ‘x’ trucks arrive

Setting: CustomerQueueOverlapMinutes

Utilised in the Customer Queue/Delay notification process if no specific values are assigned against the customer in the database.

Sets the minutes +/- to check for journeys with overlapping arrival times at a customer

Set in minutes, e.g. 30

Used in conjunction with the settings,

• CustomerQueueOverlapWarn – switches the overall check for overlaps at customer on or off

• CustomerQueueOverlapQueueSize – Used to specify the number of trucks within this timeframe above which the notification will display.

E.g. if notification set as ‘on’, this time set as 30 mins and the number of trucks set as 3, if a 4th truck is planned with an arrival time within +/- 30 mins as 3 others then the notification will present.

Set Queue Size for Customer above which Queue notification is triggered

Setting: CustomerQueueOverlapQueueSize

Utilised in the Customer Queue/Delay notification process.

Sets the number of trucks within the set ‘overlap minutes’ above which a Queue/Delay notification is generated. 

Set in trucks, e.g. 5

Used in conjunction with the settings

• CustomerQueueOverlapWarn – switches the overall check for overlaps at customer on or off

• CustomerQueueOverlapMinutes – Used to specify minutes + or – the arrival time to check for overlaps

E.g. if notification set as ‘on’, this time set as 30 mins and the number of trucks set as 3, if a 4th truck is planned with an arrival time within +/- 30 mins as 3 others then the notification will present.

Switch On/Off the Customer Arrivals Overlap Warning

Setting: CustomerQueueOverlapWarn

Utilised in the Customer Queue/Delay notification process.

Switches the notification on or off 

0 = Notification Off

1 = Notification On