Introduction
Alternative identifiers (Alt IDs) help you prevent allocation failures when the vehicle ID used by you or your customers doesn't perfectly match the license plate provided by your telematics integration.
By adding these "nicknames" in Vehicle Management, you ensure the platform can always match a transport to the correct vehicle, even if the naming conventions differ.
ℹ️ Availability: Alt IDs are available for all asset owners within the Vehicle Management tool.
When to use Alt IDs
You should set up Alternative Identifiers if:
Format Mismatches: The license plate from your telematics provider is formatted differently than the physical plate.
Custom Naming: You or your customers prefer to allocate using internal Fleet IDs or Trailer IDs rather than license plates.
Unknown Vehicle Errors: Allocations are failing because the ID being used isn't recognized by Visibility.
How Alt IDs Work
Think of an Alt ID as an alias. While the license plate from your telematic integration is always the primary record, Alt IDs allow the system to recognize other names for that same vehicle.
When an Alt ID is used for an allocation:
Recognition: Visibility identifies the vehicle assigned to that Alt ID.
Mapping: The transport is automatically allocated to the underlying "parent" vehicle.
Visibility: The allocator sees the status (active/inactive) and the last updates for that vehicle without needing to know the technical telematics ID.
Rules and Limitations
Rule | Requirement |
Quantity | Up to 3 Alt IDs per vehicle. |
Uniqueness | Each Alt ID must be unique and can only be assigned to one vehicle. |
Length | Minimum of 3 letters or digits |
Normalization | Formats are normalized automatically (similar to standard license plates). |
🔒 Privacy Note: Do not use personal names or sensitive info as Alt IDs. These values are shared with customers in the transport details.
Managing Alt IDs
Only the asset owner can add, edit, or remove Alt IDs.
Navigate to Vehicle Management.
Select a vehicle to open the Detail View.
Add or update your Alt IDs (up to 3).
Save your changes.
What happens if I remove an Alt ID?
Removing an Alt ID does not stop tracking. Tracking continues for the underlying vehicle. However, the removed Alt ID will no longer appear in future transport details, and only the integrated license plate will be shown.
Search and Integration
Search: Alt IDs are fully searchable in License Plate Lookup and other global search fields.
Exports: Alt IDs are included in Excel downloads for your reporting.
Time Slot Management (TSM): All allocations are accepted and synced to Visibility. If an Alt ID is used in TSM, Visibility will automatically map it to the correct underlying vehicle.
FAQ
I need to update hundreds of vehicles. Is there a bulk upload?
Currently, Alt IDs must be updated one by one. Bulk import and API support are planned for a future release.
Allocations are failing for a subcontractor’s vehicle. How do I fix this?
You should ask the subcontractor (the asset owner) to verify their identifiers in Vehicle Management and add the specific Alt IDs you are using for your allocations.
Why doesn’t the platform just fix the integrated license plate format?
Visibility mirrors the data provided exactly as it comes from the telematics integration. To change the "source" format, you would need to contact the telematics provider directly.