Dispatchopedia

Granular materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, and recycite used as base components in concrete, asphalt, and road construction. Aggregate dispatch involves coordinating dump trucks, loaders, and stockpile management across quarries and job sites.

The production, transport, and placement of asphalt mixtures for road surfaces, parking lots, and other paved areas. Asphalt dispatch operations coordinate hot-mix delivery from the plant to the paving crew within strict temperature windows.

A facility where concrete ingredients are combined according to a specified mix design before being loaded into delivery trucks. Also called a concrete plant or batching plant. Modern batch plants integrate with dispatch software via API or ULINK protocol.

Concrete products manufactured in a factory setting — including CMU blocks, retaining walls, pipe, and structural precast panels — then transported to the job site. Dispatch for block and precast involves flatbed and boom truck scheduling.

The standard unit of measurement for concrete volume in the United States. One cubic yard equals 27 cubic feet. Most ready-mix trucks carry between 8 and 11 cubic yards per load.

A self-service web interface that allows customers to submit delivery requests, view order status, track trucks, and access delivery history. Customer portals in construction materials use a request-and-approval workflow rather than direct ordering.

→ See /features/customer-portal

The central interface — physical or digital — where a dispatcher views, assigns, and manages truck loads, delivery schedules, and job site assignments. Modern dispatch boards are software-based and integrate GPS tracking, order management, and ticketing.

An all-in-one dispatch management platform purpose-built for concrete, aggregate, and asphalt fleets. Dispatch360 combines GPS tracking, order management, eTicketing, route optimization, customer portals, and payment processing into a single unified system.

Regulatory requirements set by the U.S. Department of Transportation governing commercial vehicle operations, including driver hours of service (HOS), vehicle inspections, and weight limits. Concrete and aggregate fleets must maintain DOT compliance logs.

A concrete mixer truck with a rotating drum that keeps ready-mix concrete agitated during transit from the batch plant to the job site. Also called a transit mixer or cement truck.

Electronic ticketing and electronic proof of delivery — the digital replacement for paper delivery tickets. eTickets capture load data, timestamps, signatures, and delivery confirmation in a tamper-resistant digital format.

→ See /features/eticketing-epod

Near real-time location monitoring of fleet vehicles using GPS hardware and software. In dispatch operations, GPS tracking enables dispatchers to see truck positions, calculate ETAs, and optimize delivery routes.

→ See /features/fleet-tracking

The system used to create, schedule, modify, and track customer orders from initial request through delivery completion. In concrete dispatch, order management includes pour scheduling, load sequencing, and real-time status updates.

→ See /features/order-management

Perpetual Ticketing is a dispatch workflow in which loads are continuously generated and ticketed against a single open job or customer account — without requiring a new order to be created for each individual load. The term was coined by Dispatch360 to describe a real and widely-practiced operational pattern common in aggregate hauling, asphalt paving, and any multi-load operation running against a long-term project or standing account. Every load produced under a perpetual ticket is individually tracked, timestamped, and archived automatically.

A private LTE network communication system that enables instant voice communication between dispatchers and drivers without relying on cellular phone networks. Used in fleet operations where reliable, one-to-many communication is critical.

→ See /features/fleet-push-to-talk

Concrete batched at a central plant and delivered in a rotating drum truck to jobsites within a strict time and temperature window. Ready-mix is the most widely used form of concrete in commercial and residential construction, and one of the primary verticals Dispatch360 was built to serve.

The process of determining the most efficient delivery sequence and routing for a fleet of trucks, factoring in traffic, load windows, job site access, and driver hours. Also referred to as corridoring or dispatch-approved routing.

→ See /features/route-optimization

A measurement of the workability and consistency of fresh concrete, determined by the slump test. Higher slump values indicate a more fluid mix. Slump is a critical quality metric tracked on delivery tickets.

An independent trucking contractor hired to supplement a company's own fleet during high-demand periods. Third-party haulers operate their own equipment but receive dispatch instructions and load assignments from the hiring company's dispatch system.

→ See /features/third-party-hauler-app

ULINK — short for Universal Link — is a communication protocol used to connect concrete batch plant control systems with dispatch software. Originally developed by Command Alkon, ULINK became the de facto industry standard for batch-to-dispatch integration in ready-mix operations despite being built on communications technology dating back to 1967. It remains in active use across the industry today, even as modern alternatives begin to emerge.

Concrete produced by a volumetric mixer — a specialized truck that carries cement, aggregates, water, and admixtures separately and mixes them on demand at the pour site. Unlike ready-mix concrete, volumetric concrete is batched in precise quantities after the truck arrives, eliminating the hydration clock and allowing multiple mix designs from a single load.