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Alternative Identifiers (Alt IDs)

Use Alternative Identifiers (Alt IDs) to fix vehicle matching errors. Add asset “nicknames” in Vehicle Management to prevent allocation failures when naming conventions don’t match.

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Written by Camilla Grundahl Kjeldsen

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.
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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.
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ℹ️ Availability: Alt IDs are available for all asset owners within the Vehicle Management tool.

When to use Alt IDs

You should set up Alt IDs 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.
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When an Alt ID is used for an allocation:

  1. Recognition: Visibility identifies the vehicle assigned to that Alt ID.

  2. Mapping: The transport is automatically allocated to the underlying "parent" vehicle.

  3. 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.

  1. Navigate to Vehicle Management.

  2. Select a vehicle to open the Detail View.

  3. Add or update your Alt IDs (see Rules and Limitations).

  4. Save your changes.

Import Alt IDs in bulk

If you manage a large fleet, you can add Alt IDs to many vehicles at once using a spreadsheet instead of editing each vehicle individually.
Bulk import adds Alt IDs from your file. It does not remove existing Alt IDs automatically. To remove an Alt ID, use Managing Alt IDs on that vehicle.
The same rules apply as when you add Alt IDs one vehicle at a time. Only the asset owner can import.
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Before you start

  • Go to Vehicle Management → Dedicated vehicles.

  • Supported file types: XLSX and CSV.

Step 1: Download the template

  1. On Dedicated vehicles, click Import alternative IDs.

  2. The dialog explains: Download the Excel template with your current vehicles and alternative IDs. Add new alternative IDs (maximum 3 per vehicle), then upload the file.

  3. Click Download template.

  4. Open the Excel file. It is pre-filled with your current vehicles and their existing Alt IDs.

  5. Add new Alt IDs in the template.
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Step 2: Upload your file

  1. In the dialog, go to Step 2: Upload the file in supported format.

  2. Drag and drop the file, or click Browse files.

  3. Supported types: XLSX and CSV files are supported. Maximum 3 Alt IDs per vehicle.

  4. While the file is checked you will see: Reading your vehicles and validating the uploaded file...

If the file has no new Alt IDs, you will see: No new alternative IDs were found in the uploaded file.
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Step 3: Review and import

  1. Check the file name and row count (for example 120 rows).

  2. If there are new Alt IDs to add, a green line shows the count, for example: 8 alternative IDs ready to import.

  3. If some rows have problems, you will see N rows have issues and a table with License plate and Issue. See Fix errors.

  4. Click Download the file with all the issues (XLSX) (or CSV, matching your upload). Fix those rows in the file, then upload it again. The dialog says: Fix the issues and re-upload the file to import these alternative IDs.

  5. When the ready count looks right, click Import 8 alternative IDs (the number matches how many Alt IDs are ready).

    You will see a confirmation when it works, for example: Alternative IDs updated for 8 vehicles. If some vehicles fail: N vehicles could not be updated.
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Fix errors

Rows with problems are listed in the Issue column. Download the issues file, fix the rows, and re-upload. Typical messages:

  • "FLEET-01" is already used by vehicle ABC123 / "FLEET-01" is already used by another vehicle: see uniqueness. Remove it from the other vehicle first (Move an Alt ID), or take it out of this file.

  • "FLEET-01" is used on more than one vehicle in this file: the same Alt ID appears on more than one row. Keep it on one vehicle only.

  • More than 3 alternative IDs: see quantity. Remove extra Alt IDs from the file.

  • Alternative ID must be at least 3 characters / Alternative ID too long: see length.

  • No vehicle found with this license plate: that plate is not in your fleet. Correct the plate, or remove the row.

  • Alternative IDs cannot be imported for mobile-app-only vehicles: that vehicle cannot receive Alt IDs via import.

  • This vehicle was skipped because another row for the same license plate has an issue: fix the other row for that plate first.

  • This import changes too many vehicles at once. Please split it into smaller files.

Once the file is fixed and re-uploaded, Import N alternative IDs applies the rows that are ready.
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Move an Alt ID to another vehicle

An Alt ID can only belong to one vehicle (see uniqueness). To move it:

  1. Open Managing Alt IDs on the vehicle that currently has the Alt ID and remove it.

  2. Start Import alternative IDs again and upload a file that adds the Alt ID to the new vehicle. Or add it on the new vehicle using Managing Alt IDs.

How it looks in Transport Detail View (when an Alt ID is used)

When an allocation used an Alt ID, transport details show both the Alt ID and the connected vehicle (the license plate). See How Alt IDs Work.

What happens if I remove an Alt ID?

Removing an Alt ID does not stop tracking. Tracking continues for the underlying vehicle (see How Alt IDs Work). The removed Alt ID will no longer appear in future transport details — 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 (see How Alt IDs Work).

FAQ

I need to update hundreds of vehicles. Is there a bulk upload?

Yes. See Import Alt IDs in bulk.

Allocations are failing for a subcontractor’s vehicle. How do I fix this?

Ask the subcontractor (the asset owner) to add the Alt IDs you use for allocations. See When to use Alt IDs.

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. Use an Alt ID instead — see When to use Alt IDs.

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