Why read this? Carriers ghosting on check‑calls, customers pinging for ETAs, PODs buried in email threads—Tracking Autopilot solves all of that. This playbook shows you exactly how the eight out‑of‑box rules (and their a/b variants) keep freight moving and customers happy.
Built from real production data and refined by broker feedback, each rule below explains when it fires, why it matters, and how you can tweak it.
Quick-Start Cheat Sheet
Phase | What Autopilot Checks | Default Timing |
Pre-Pickup | Morning ETA request + tracking reminder | 06:00 CST (Rules 1a/1b) |
Approaching Pickup | On-time confirmation | –2 h ETA/Appt (Rules 2a/2b) |
Arrival @ Pickup | Arrival confirmation | –5 min ETA/Appt (Rules 3a/3b) |
Loaded | Departure confirmation | +1–2 h after arrival (Rule 4) |
En Route | Delivery status check | –5 h & –2 h ETA/Appt (Rules 5 & 6) |
Arrival @ Delivery | Check-in confirmation | –5 min ETA/Appt (Rules 7a/7b) |
Unloaded / POD | Departure + POD request | +1–2 h after arrival (Rule 8 & POD templates) |
1 – Morning of Pickup (06 : 00 CST)
Variant | When it Fires | Default Action |
1a – Tracking ON | 06:00 CST pickup date and | Friendly “Good‑morning—send ETA” ping. |
1b – Tracking OFF | Same trigger but | Same ETA ping then (5 min later) a tracking‑enable reminder with penalty. |
▶ How it works: Both share an |
2 – Two Hours Before Pickup ETA / Appt
Variant | Trigger | Default Action |
2a – ETA present | –2 h on | “Still running on time…?” quick check. |
2b – No ETA | –2 h on | Same message, catches silent drivers. |
▶ How it works: Both share the same sequence number, so only one fires: if an ETA exists → 2a wins; if not → 2b covers the gap. |
3 – Origin Arrival Check‑In at ETA or Origin Appt (or Latest)
Variant | Trigger | Default Action |
3a – ETA reached | –5 min on | Ask if driver has arrived. |
3b – Latest/Appt reached (no ETA) | –5 min on | Same message. |
▶ Flow: 3a attempts first. If the load never received a valid ETA, 3b ensures coverage at appointment time. |
4 – Two Hours After Origin Arrival
Trigger
origin.arrivalDateTime+2 h (changeable to +1 h).Message “Are you loaded and rolling?”
Smart suppression Rule auto‑skips if the driver departs early (AI detects via location OR manual update).
5 – Five Hours Before Delivery ETA or Destination Appt (or Latest)
Variant | Trigger | Default Action |
5a – ETA present | –5 h on | “On‑time for delivery?” |
5b – No ETA | –5 h on | Same message. |
▶ Logic: Mutually exclusive, like Rule 2. Only one or the other will run based on if an ETA is present or not. |
6 – Two Hours Before Delivery ETA or Destination Appt (or Latest)
Identical logic to Rule 5 but tighter window.
Variant | Trigger | Default Action |
6a – ETA present / No appt | –2 h on | Final ETA confirmation. |
6b – No ETA / Using latest | –2 h on | Requests ETA urgently. |
▶ Logic: Mutually exclusive, like Rule 2. Only one or the other will run based on if an ETA is present or not. |
7 – Arrival at Destination at ETA or Destination Appt (or Latest)
Variant | Trigger | Default Action |
7a – ETA reached | –5 min on | “Did you make it onsite?” |
7b – Appt reached (no ETA) | –5 min on | Same check‑in prompt. |
▶ Logic: Mutually exclusive, like Rule 2. Only one or the other will run based on if an ETA is present or not. |
8 – Two Hours After Destination Arrival
Trigger
destination.arrivalDateTime+110 min (our data shows 110 min ≈ typical unload).Message “Unloaded?” (short & sweet to avoid clutter).
Tweak Change to +60 min if your receivers unload fast.
Similar to the "After Origin Arrival" rule, we've seen equal success by changing this to 1 hour after destination arrival.
Key Administration Notes
Carrier‑level exclusions – Add a condition
Carrier is not any ofand list the SCACs or carrier names you want to block. You can include as many carriers as needed; the rule will simply skip shipments moved by those providers.Customer‑specific automations – Scope a rule to one shipper or a short list by adding
Customer isorCustomer is any of. Perfect for white‑glove or problem accounts that need bespoke cadence.Enable / Disable anytime – Every template has an on/off switch in Admin → Autopilot Templates. Turning it off stops future fires immediately; re‑enabling makes it available again (see #4).
Activation window (spam‑safe) – When a rule is created or enabled it only applies to newly created shipments. Existing loads keep the rule set they were born with, preventing unexpected message bursts.
Clone over edit – Safer to duplicate, test, then retire the original.
Appendix – Rule Logic in Plain English
Below is the same rule set distilled into everyday language (great for sharing with non‑technical teammates):
At Pickup
2 h before ETA → Ask if still on time.
2 h before Appt (no ETA) → Same ask.
ETA reached → Confirm arrival.
Appt reached (no ETA) → Confirm arrival.
+2 h after arrival → Ask if loaded/departed.
Pre‑Pickup Morning
06:00 pick‑up day (tracking ON) → Friendly ETA request.
06:00 pick‑up day (tracking OFF) → Same + tracking reminder.
En Route to Delivery
5 h before ETA → On‑time check.
5 h before Appt (no ETA) → Same.
2 h before ETA → Final check.
2 h before Appt (no ETA) → Urgent ETA request.
At Delivery
ETA reached → Confirm onsite.
Appt reached (no ETA) → Confirm onsite.
+2 h after arrival → Confirm unloaded / request POD.
Need more? Ping support@trychain.com, or if you're in our Slack, message us for more advanced triggers.