AUTOPOSTTRUCKS SPREADSHEET INSTRUCTIONS
Overview | Important | General | Column Analysis | Important Note
Columns: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S



OVERVIEW:
  1. To help you understand our Automatic Posting Programs and use them correctly, here's how they work:

  2. We have assumed that you are familiar with the basic workings of the Microsoft Excel program. We have chosen it because it is the commonest spreadsheet program in use.

  3. We are unsure if you can use Lotus instead, but we believe it will not allow you to transfer macros. (Macro: mini-program built into a spreadsheet.)

  4. No calculations are required within our spreadsheets, but some columns are set up to accept certain types of information only. For example, some will only accept letters or numbers and some will only accept entries within a certain range, like 0 to 500.

  5. The column headers must not be changed as the program looks for them to use them. If you change them, the spreadsheet is rejected.

  6. The program takes the information in each column and posts it to a truck directory in our main database. When you call up one of our truck boards, a program finds that information and displays it.

  7. Because we post so many trucks each day, the program reads and posts spreadsheets in batches with small time breaks in between, so that the server's memory does not run out and cause a crash. This means that your trucks may not appear on-line immediately.

  8. The information in most columns is preselected by you, using buttons which appear when you click into a specific field.

  9. Certain columns are not preselected, but must be filled in by hand. Their headers are ivory/sand-colored so you recognise them. If you click on them (see below) an instructional note appears.

    TruckReferenceNumber
    OriginCity
    DestinationCity
    LoadPreferred
    Rate
    Notes

    The above sounds complicated, but once you are familiar with the system, it is easy to use and, used correctly, works perfectly.
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IMPORTANT:
  1. REMOVE THE SPREADSHEET EXAMPLES BEFORE EMAILING IT.

    Do this by highlighting them and pressing your Delete key, or by highlighting the numbers 2, 3 and 4 in the numbered column at the left side of the spreadsheet and clicking "File" and "Delete" on the toolbar at the top left-hand corner.

  2. CLICK THE IVORY/SAND-COLORED HEADINGS FOR INSTRUCTIONS.

    As explained above, these columns are filled in by hand. Click on the ivory/sand-colored< headers to bring up instructional notes.

  3. IF YOU MAKE MISTAKES, ERROR MESSAGES WILL WARN YOU.

    Other columns are also filled in by hand, but according to specific patterns. The details are given below and if you make a mistake, an error message will appear with a correct example. If you can't make make an entry work, cut and paste one from the examples and adjust it to what you want. You can identify these columns by a tan/brown colour. They are:

    TruckReadyDate
    MaxWeight
    Mileage
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GENERAL:
  1. To use our system you must have Microsoft Excel on your computer. Depending on the version, download:

    1. AutoPostTruck2000.exe (Excel 2000 spreadsheet)

    2. AutoPostTrucks97.exe (Excel 97 spreadsheet)

    3. AutoPostTrucks95.exe (Excel 95 spreadsheet)

  2. If you are not sure which version of Excel you have, on the Excel toolbar, click "Help" and "About Microsoft Excel" for the version #.

  3. You MUST email your trucks using the email address you registered when you signing up with the Backhaul Network.

  4. You MUST email or call us to say you are going to email trucks so we can add your email address to our Permissions file. This orders the program to accept emailed spreadsheets with your email address.

  5. You MUST email your trucks to: trucks@backhaul.net

  6. AutoPostTruck Spreadsheets contain 19 columns, A to S.

  7. All columns in any version of the spreadsheets can be filled in by using your cursor to Copy & Paste, by clicking on certain columns to select various options, or by dragging identical information down the column with your mouse.

    If you have any problems, contact Michael Paterson at (604) 274-9919 or send email to staff@backhaul.net
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COLUMN BY COLUMN ANALYSIS:

Where pre-selection buttons are mentioned below, they do not apply to AutoPostTrucks95.xls, which is a plain spreadsheet.


IMPORTANT NOTE.

All trucks except Regular Route loads are erased after three days. All Regular Route trucks are erased after 30 days. If your Regular Route trucks are filled earlier, please delete them or ask us to.

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COLUMN A. TruckReadyDate. (Truck Ready Date)
(Required)
This column includes a date and a time. Select COLUMN A, Line 2, click in the field and you will see the date and time in the window above. The format is:

28/09/2000 10:45:00 PM

This may vary, depending on how your computer time clock is set up.

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COLUMN B. Action. (Program Posting instructions)
("Add" is Required)
You can type "Add", "Update" or "Delete" by hand in Excel 95 or pick one as an option in Excel 2000 and Excel 97. This tells the program to deal with each truck according to the word you choose.

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COLUMN C. TruckReferenceNumber. (Truck identification)
(Not Required)
You should use truck reference numbers so your dispatchers can find a truck quickly when they get an inquiry. Unless you do so, you will be unable to use the "Delete" and "Update" functions in Column B.

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COLUMN D. OriginCountry. (Country your truck is coming from)
(Required)
There are three Drop-Down options, Canada, USA and Mexico. Pick one.

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COLUMN E. OriginState. (State/Province your truck is coming from)
(Required)
Use the Drop-Down list to insert the correct State or Province.

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COLUMN F. OriginCity. (City your truck is coming from)
(Required)
Type this in by hand as there are too many cities in North America to list them all on a Drop-Down list. Abbreviations are appreciated if a city name is unduly long, like Washington Court House, which is still recognizable as Washington Ct Hse.

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COLUMN G. DestinationCountry. (Country your truck is going to)
(Required)
There are three Drop-Down options, Canada, USA and Mexico. Pick one.

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COLUMN H. DestinationState. (State/Province your truck is going to)
(Required)
Use the Drop-Down list to insert the correct State or Province.

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COLUMN I. DestinationCity. (City your truck is going to)
(Required)
Type this in by hand as there are too many cities in North America to list them all on a Drop-Down list.

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COLUMN J. LoadType. (Category of Load preferred)
(Required)
Select preferred load type. The program displays them as below:

Unspecified Use this category if your load is not listed below.
Specialty Specialized loads; animals, cars, milk, chemicals.
Regular Route   Daily/weekly/monthly run between two points.
Live Load The actual load as opposed to its container.
Local City-wide and suburban deliveries only.
Hazmat Hazardous Materials loads.
Expedited High-speed, urgent loads.
Drayage Special short-hauls, ship to warehouse, depot to arena.
Container Very large, closed, metal box to carry freight.

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COLUMN K. PartialLoad. (Whether you want TL or LTL)
(Required)
Select "Full" (TL) or "Partial" (LTL).

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COLUMN L. LoadContent. (What your preferred load is composed of)
(Not Required)
A short, one or two word description is ideal for space reasons when it appears on the Truckboards.

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COLUMN M. Vehicle. (Type of vehicle)
(Required)
Select the vehicle you have available.

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COLUMN N. MaxWeight. (Gross weight you can carry)
(Not Required if no weight is to be inserted)
Type in a number. You can choose pounds or kilograms. You can optionally use commas.

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COLUMN O. WeightMeasure. (Measurement unit for your load weight) (Not Required if NaxWeight not entered)
You have two choices, Lbs (Pounds) or Kg (Kilograms). Note that Kilograms are used in Mexico, while both are used in Canada.

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COLUMN P. Mileage. (Mileage estimate)
(Not Required)
If you know the mileage involved, you can enter it.

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COLUMN Q. Currency. (National currency you will accept as pay)
(Not Required if no pay rate is to be specified)
It is important that you use the currency codes below because all three countries use the "$" symbol for their national currencies, but they are not "at par" (the same value). You have three options, USA$ (American dollar), CAD$ (Canadian dollar) and MEX$ (Mexican peso)

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COLUMN R. Rate. (How much you want to be paid)
(Not Required)
Enter a payment figure here if you are offering a good rate. If you prefer to see what quotes you get, leave this blank. Don't put a $ sign in as the Currency column will add the selection you chose.

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COLUMN S. Notes. (Any additional information or instructions)
(Not Required)
Add any additional relevant information.

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