DirectRoute calculates arrival and departure times based on the time zone where the truck originates. Due to this behavior, all Open & Close times for stops should be in the time zone of the originating DC location. This is because the Load algorithm does not consider time zones during route creation, only the distance and time it takes to travel that distance. Therefore, the standard stop arrival and departure time information displayed in the Route Book is based solely on a truck's originating location.
In this article:
Using local time zones in DirectRoute 24.1 and Higher
However, when working with a project where multiple time zones are being delivered and serviced, you may need to know the “local” arrival/departure time for a particular stop. Beginning with DirectRoute version 24.1, new functionality has been added to help you more easily view this local time information.
To enable this new functionality:
- The Mileage System must be set to Trimble Maps to enable connection to this functionality via web services when stops are geocoded. To do this, go to File > Preferences > Other > Mileage System and select Trimble Maps.
- In DirectRoute’s Preferences menu, found at File > Preferences > GeocodeOptions, set TimeZone Lookup to True. During the geocoding process, the application will automatically add a column header titled LOCATIONTIMEZONE to the stop and truck files. That new column will be populated with the local time zone of each stop and truck domicile during the normal geocoding process.
Display in Route Book
There are two additional columns found in the Route Book’s Stop Statistic Fields that can be dragged & dropped into the Route Book to display this local time. Those two fields are ARVTM_WITH_TZ (arrival time in local time zone) and DEPTTM_WITH_TZ (depature time in local time zone).
The LOCATIONTIMEZONE can also be found and dragged onto the Route Book by looking in the Stop Fields portion of the Route Book fields.
Notes: The fields ARVTM_WITH_TZ and DEPTTM_WITH_TZ have existed as Stop User fields in versions prior to 24.1, but using them required you to populate the column LOCATIONTIMEZONE manually. With DirectRoute 24.1 and higher, the process of adding Stop User Fields and populating the information required is no longer manual. You should not create Stop User Fields. You only need to utilize the Geocoding process as described above.
About Arizona
All stop and truck locations in the U.S. State of Arizona (AZ) will be set to a time zone referred to as AMST in the LOCATIONTIMEZONE column. Any stops or truck domiciles with this code will not observe Daylight Savings Time from March through November. DirectRoute pulls information related to when Daylight Saving Time begins and ends each year from .NET connections made to the local PC where installed.
In Version 23.4 and Lower
(The Time Zone (location) of the DirectRoute User has no impact on the Routing solution)
When crossing multiple Time Zones, the user field LOCATIONTIMEZONE should be set as a Stop & Truck User field and used in both the Truck and Stop File, to display the Time Zone of the Truck's originating location (Truck File), and the Time Zone for the stop's location (Stop File). When used, the adjusted Arrival Time for a stop location will appear in ARVTM_WITH_TZ, in the Stop Statistic Fields.
Example:
Routes are created from the dispatcher's location in Dallas, TX (CST). The Truck originates from a Depot location in Portland, OR (PST)
- All Stop locations on the Route are either PST or MST locations.
- All the times displayed in the Route Book are reflected in PST, where the Truck originates.
Results:
- The Truck leaves the Depot in Portland, OR (PST) at 0600 hrs. and travels to a stop in Idaho (MST), 4 hours away.
- The Route Book will show a Dispatch Time of 0600 (PST), and an Arrival Time of 1000 (PST) at the Idaho stop.
- However, when the Route is exported, the Export File will show a Departure Time of 0600 (PST), and an Arrival Time of 1100 (MST) at the Idaho stop, reflecting the one-hour difference in Time Zones between the Depot location and the stop's location.