The assignment cycle, step by step
Every time the dispatcher runs, it processes each store independently, following five steps in order.
The five steps
| # | Step | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fetch data | Pulls current orders, available drivers, and store and zone configuration. This is also when any order still sitting with a Third-Party carrier from a previous cycle gets re-examined — see Re-checking orders already with a carrier. |
| 2 | Cache check | If nothing has changed since the last run, the store is skipped rather than re-processed, to save time and resources. |
| 3 | Assign orders | The core decision-making step, covered in The three assignment mechanisms. This is where Third-Party, your own fleet and — optionally — Priority Customers logic all come together. |
| 4 | Post-process | Results are categorised (new assignments, still-pending orders, orders sent to Third-Party, and so on), orders that can be grouped onto the same driver are identified, and anything still unassigned gets one final relaxed attempt — see Last-Option: the final safety net — before being marked Pending or Critical. |
| 5 | Save and notify | Final assignments are saved, drivers are notified by push notification, and any relevant alarms are processed. |
Step 2 is the reason a run can complete almost instantly for a quiet store. A skipped store is not an error, and nothing is lost — the next cycle picks it up the moment anything changes.
What "independently, per store" means in practice
Each store is solved on its own. A driver shortage at one store never pulls drivers from another, and a store whose data hasn't changed is skipped without affecting the rest. This is also why a report of a dispatcher problem should always name the store — see Reporting a dispatcher issue.
Where the deeper detail lives
Steps 1 and 3 carry almost all of the decision-making, and each has its own page:
- Step 1's re-examination of carrier-held orders → Re-checking orders already with a carrier
- The test for whether a replacement is genuinely available → When does an alternative exist?
- Step 3's assignment logic → The three assignment mechanisms
- Step 4's final attempt → Last-Option: the final safety net