Containers are records that correspond to the containers you have either out on the field at a customer location or stored at a yard. Services and work orders depend on containers to let your drivers know what and how many containers they need to service as they go through their route’s stops.
Creating a container starts from configuring container types and colors in Hauler Hero Settings, then creating an actual container record via Inventory > + New Container.
Define Your Container Colors
First, you’ll want to record the colors your containers use.
Navigate to Settings > Inventory > Container Colors.
Click + Add Container Color to add a new color.
Click the squares to open a color picker to choose your color.
Name your colors.
And toggle whether or not that color is actively present in your container inventory.
If you ever need to adjust the color, simply click on that color’s square to bring the color picker back up.
Define Your Container Types
Navigate to Settings > Inventory > Container Types.
While in the Container Types screen, click + Add Container Type to create a new container, or a specific container type’s 3-dot menu to Edit or Delete that container type.
Container types must record the following:
The name you and your team refer to this type of container as (i.e. 48 Gallon Toter).
The category of container (open top, compactor, front load, rear load, toter)
The methods of hauling the container (front load, hoist, hook, etc.)
What business lines this container type is used for
(Optional) What color is this type of container
You can also choose Enable Serialization, if you track specific units of the given container type.
If you do this, remember to record the serial ID for any containers you create of this container type!
Click Add Container Type (or Update Container Type, if you’re editing an existing one) to add/save your changes.
How do I add a container to my inventory?
From the main navigation, go to Inventory.
Then, click + New Container near the top-right corner.
In the screen that follows, fill in your container’s information. From top to bottom, left to right:
Container Type -- Specify the container type
Serial Number -- If you track specific units of that container type, provide the container’s serial ID
Measure -- Specify the container’s measure (size, capacity)
If a measure option you want isn’t visible, it likely is because it hasn’t been set up
Default Yard -- Specify the container’s home yard when not out at a customer location
Location Type -- Specify the container’s current location
Active toggle -- Specify whether or not the container is being actively used or not
Latitude/Longitude -- The container’s latitude and longitude will be automatically populated if the container’s location has such on record
Continuing below:
Container Name -- If you have a specific name you refer to this container as, you can record that here
Manufacturer -- The container’s manufacturer
Material -- What material the container typically holds
Condition -- What the current condition of the container is
Container Color -- What color the container is
Start Date -- What date you got the container
Paint Date -- What date the container was last painted
Warranty Date -- What data the container’s warranty expires
Tracking -- If you track using RFID, QR, or barcode, you can record that here, too
Has Lock Bar/Wheels-- Whether or not the container has a lock bar or is wheeled
Notes -- Any additional notes you or your team need to know about the container
Finally, click + Add Container to Inventory to create your brand new container.
How do I edit a container?
Click the 3-dot menu for the container you want to edit, then Edit Container.
How to Add a New Container in Inventory from the Customer’s Service Page
This walks through how to create a new container on an existing customer’s location and service.
From the specific customer’s profile, make sure you’re on the Services tab.
Ensure the correct location is showing and click into the appropriate service (example: Residential | $25/monthly).
Now you have two ways to proceed, depending on which tab you’re on:
From the Details & pricing tab, in the Containers section, click + Create
Or, from the Map & routing tab, click the Containers toggle (instead of Routing) and click + Create.
This will open the Create container window. Fill out the appropriate fields: Container name, Container type, Measure, Default yard, and Quantity.
Feel free to drag and drop the location to specify the exact pin spot.
Click Save.
Verify that the new container now appears in the Containers list for the selected service location.
NOTE: Serialized containers cannot be created this way. You’ll see a warning prompting you to go to the Add Container page. See “How to Add a New Container from the Inventory Tab” above.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What if we have customer-owned containers to deal with?
No problem. To track a customer-owned container, we recommend creating a non-serialized container and naming it descriptively (e.g., 'Customer-Owned 96gal'). It's still movable and trackable, just without an enforced serial number.
Why am I not seeing the rights options to select?
Not seeing the correct options for Container color or Container type?
You need to configure these beforehand in ⚙️ Settings under Inventory and then Container Colors or Container Types.
Not seeing the correct options showing up for Measure, Material, or Method?
You need to configure these beforehand in ⚙️ Settings under Business lines and then Attributes.
Not seeing the correct options showing up for Yards?
You need to configure these beforehand in ⚙️Settings under General Settings and Yards.
Feedback? Questions?
We'd love to hear your feedback to help us improve your experience. Please submit feedback through the chat bubble or email to support@haulerhero.com.