Keeping your trucks moving starts with answering two simple questions: What loads still need to be covered, and who needs a load next?

AscendTMS Asset Planning puts both answers in one place. Get a visual, calendar-based view of your upcoming loads alongside your drivers, power units and trailers so you can quickly spot available capacity, identify uncovered freight and start making smarter matches.

And because availability means more than simply "not on a load," Asset Planning gives you a color-coded view of what’s happening across your fleet. See who's currently on a load, on vacation, out sick, at an appointment or off duty - all at a glance.

Need to cover a load? Narrow down available drivers by date and deadhead distance, review their schedules, and assign the right driver directly from Asset Planning - you can even drag and drop a driver onto a load to make the match.

Less hunting. Less bouncing between screens. More trucks moving.

Let’s take a look at how Magic Asset Planning for Fleets works.

Begin by navigating to the Loads tab, then select Asset Planning.

You’ll be taken directly to the Asset Planning Calendar, which defaults to the current week and gives you an immediate visual of your fleet, including loads already assigned to your drivers.

Before we start matching drivers and equipment with available freight and identifying which drivers need a load next, let’s get familiar with the calendar and everything it can show you.

The Asset Planning Calendar gives you a visual timeline of your fleet, making it easy to see who's working, who's available, and when they'll need their next load.

By default, the calendar displays your Drivers and any loads currently assigned to them. Assigned loads appear directly alongside the applicable driver, giving you a quick visual timeline of where each driver is committed.

Need to plan around something other than drivers? Use the asset selector to switch your calendar view between:

You can also scroll through previous or upcoming weeks, making it easy to look beyond what's happening today and start planning what's next.

See a load on the calendar and need more information? Click the Load ID.

Ascend will display key load details, including stops, dates, appointment times when available, and the currently assigned driver(s) and phone number.

You'll also notice several underlined items within the load details. These are clickable shortcuts that can take you directly to the applicable Load, Driver, or Location within AscendTMS.

Right-click an assigned load directly from the calendar to access additional driver and dispatch actions, including:

That means Asset Planning isn't just showing you what's happening across your fleet - you can act on it, too.

Just because a driver isn't assigned to a load doesn't necessarily mean they're ready for one.

Vacation, sick days, appointments, and scheduled time off can all impact when a driver is actually available. Asset Planning lets you account for those events directly on the calendar, giving dispatchers a much clearer picture of who truly needs a load - and who shouldn't be assigned one.

To add a scheduled event for a driver, click the calendar icon next to their name.

The scheduling window will open, allowing you to enter the driver's scheduled time away and select the applicable type of leave.

Once saved, the event will appear directly on the Asset Planning Calendar and will be color-coded based on the type of leave selected.

This gives you an easy-to-understand visual of your fleet, including drivers who are:

Need a quick reminder of what each color means? Hover over the calendar legend to see the status represented by each color.

With loads and driver availability displayed together, you don't have to piece together who's available from multiple places. One look at the calendar gives you a much clearer picture of who's moving, who's unavailable, and who's ready for their next load.

Now that you know who needs a load and when, let's look at the other side of the equation - which loads still need to be covered.

The Available Loads section of Asset Planning brings your uncovered freight right alongside your fleet calendar, helping you quickly identify upcoming loads that still need a Driver, Power Unit, Trailer, or any combination of the three.

Better yet, you control exactly which loads appear.

Start by selecting the Load Statuses you want included in your Available Loads results.

Click the Load Status field to view your organization's available statuses, then select each status you want Asset Planning to include. Selected statuses will appear bold with a checkmark.

Next, choose which unassigned assets you want Asset Planning to look for. You can display loads that are currently missing a:

Select just one or any combination of the three to build the view that works best for your operation.

Make sure to select Search Loads.

Your Available Loads column/list will update according to your desired search parameters.

If you're looking for a specific load, you can also search by Load Number.

Need to find several loads at once? Enter multiple Load Numbers separated by a comma with no spaces.

Results will display within the Your Available Loads section.

Once you've selected the Load Statuses and missing Driver, Power Unit and/or Trailer criteria that best fit your operation, you can save those selections as your default settings.

This allows Asset Planning to automatically display the loads most relevant to your operation each time you return, without having to rebuild your filters.

Want your Available Loads to follow the week you're currently planning?

Use the current calendar week filter to limit your Available Loads results to loads that fall within the week currently displayed on your Asset Planning Calendar.

As you move through your planning calendar, this makes it easier to keep your available freight focused on the timeframe you're actively working with.

Now you've got both sides of the planning equation in front of you: the freight that needs coverage and the fleet that needs freight.

Next, let's put the two together.

Once your filters are set, matching available freight with your fleet starts with the Available Load tiles.

Each tile gives you a quick look at the load, including its Load ID, basic load details, and important dates, so you can begin evaluating your uncovered freight without leaving Asset Planning.

Need to make changes or take a closer look? Click the Load ID to open the load directly within AscendTMS.

Click anywhere on an Available Load tile to select that load.

Once selected, Asset Planning will identify and display available drivers based on the load and your current search criteria, helping you quickly narrow down who may be a good fit.

Need to expand or narrow your options? Selecting a load also gives you additional criteria for refining your driver search.

You can adjust the deadhead mileage to control how far away a driver can be from the load, helping you identify drivers who are positioned within a reasonable distance.

You can also adjust the date range used to find available drivers, giving you more flexibility when planning around pickup dates and driver availability.

These tools make it easier to move beyond simply asking "Who's available?" and start answering the more useful question: "Who's available for this load, at the right time, and within the right distance?"

Once you've found the driver you want, you're ready to make the assignment.

Once you've found the right driver for your load, Asset Planning gives you two easy ways to make the assignment.

From the Available Load tile, click the Truck icon to begin assigning a driver.

The assignment window will open. Click the Driver dropdown to see the drivers currently available for the load, then select the driver you want to assign.

Once selected, Ascend will display the driver's previous load details alongside the load you're about to assign, giving you another opportunity to review the driver's schedule and make sure the assignment makes sense.

When you're ready, click Assign Driver.

The load will update with the newly assigned driver.

Want an even quicker way to make the assignment?

From the Asset Planning Calendar, click and drag the driver's name directly onto the Available Load tile you want to assign them to.

Once dropped onto the load, Ascend will update the load with the driver's assignment.

Once the driver has been assigned, the newly covered load will appear directly alongside that driver on your Asset Planning Calendar.

And just like that, you've gone from identifying who needs a load and when, to finding the right available freight, reviewing the driver's availability and positioning, and making the assignment - all from Asset Planning.

With your loads, drivers, equipment, schedules, and availability all in one place, you can spend less time figuring out who needs what and more time keeping your fleet moving.

See who needs a load. Find the freight. Make the match. Keep rolling. 🚛💨