Dispatch · updated 2026-08-20

How to suggest a driver route with AI on the Dispatch board

AI Routes reorders a driver’s remaining stops for the shortest day, checked against the real roll-off truck cycle (empty truck, carrying a full can, carrying an empty can, swaps, stored dumpsters and landfill runs). You always review the suggestion first; nothing changes until you click Apply.

Before you start

• The board must be on today’s date (suggestions only work for today).
• The driver needs at least 2 stops that can still be reordered (stops in progress or completed never move).

1. ## Open the driver’s route
   Click anywhere on the driver’s block in their lane (name, avatar or progress bar). The map panel opens focused on that driver’s route.
2. ## Click "AI Routes"
   Use the purple "AI Routes" button, in the lane or at the top of the route panel. The AI thinks through the truck cycle and the panel enters preview mode.
3. ## Read the truck premise first
   The preview states what the AI assumed about the truck: "Truck starts empty", "Truck starts with a full dumpster", and where that came from (the truck’s live status, today’s finished stops, or a best guess). If it says "our best guess", confirm it matches reality before applying.
4. ## Read the proposed order
   The map shows the suggestion as purple curved arrows with renumbered purple pins; the list reorders with position changes like "5 → 1". Trips back to the yard ("Back to yard: drop the can") appear as their own rows. A dashed purple line ending in a dashed "?" circle means a landfill stop has no landfill chosen yet, so its position is estimated; use "Set landfill" to pin it down.
5. ## Check the savings
   The green banner shows the estimated gain, for example "About 8.5 mi and 16 min shorter than today’s order (approx.)". Distances are straight-line estimates.
6. ## Apply or dismiss
   Click "Apply order" to reorder the driver’s lane in one atomic step, or "Dismiss" to keep everything as it was. Applying never touches stops that are in progress or completed.
7. ## Undo if you change your mind
   After applying, a toast shows how many stops changed position and offers "Undo" for 10 seconds. Undo restores the exact previous order, unless the lane changed in the meantime (then nothing is overwritten).

What happens next

• The header shows a small counter pill ("N AI routes") with how many suggestions your company generated this month. Generating the same suggestion twice for an unchanged board counts once.

Troubleshooting

It says "This lane changed since the suggestion was made"

A driver completed a stop, a task was added or reassigned, or someone dragged a card while you were reviewing. Nothing was applied. Click "Suggest again" for a fresh suggestion.

It says the truck’s starting state is unknown

The AI refuses to guess blindly. Complete one stop, or have the driver check in a truck, and try again.

It says the route is already in great shape

No reorder would meaningfully shorten the day. That is a valid answer, not an error.

The AI Routes button is missing

The lane shortcut only appears on today’s board, on desktop, when the driver has at least 2 stops that can still move. The "AI Routes" button inside the route panel is always there; on a day other than today it shows disabled with the note "Suggestions work on today’s board only".

Related guides

• How to view a driver's route on the map in Dumpster Controls
• How to read the route colors and truck states in Dumpster Controls
• How to reorder a driver's stops in Dumpster Controls
• How to set or change a landfill destination in Dumpster Controls

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Frequently asked questions

Is Dumpster Controls really free?

Yes. The entire app is free for any company at any fleet size: dispatch, online booking, the driver app, invoicing, the Tresha AI assistant and every other feature, with no monthly fee, no trial period and no credit card to sign up. The only cost on the free plan is optional card processing when a customer pays by card through the platform: 2.99% plus $3.99 per transaction on the free plan. The entire app is free; an optional $169 per month plan lowers that to 2.99% plus $0.30 and adds a Sponsored spotlight in the public company directory. Prices as published on dumpstercontrols.io/pricing on 2026-09-23.

Do you charge per driver, per truck or per order?

No. There is no per-driver, per-truck, per-user or per-order fee, and no order limit. A company with one truck and a company with twenty pay the same for the software: nothing.

Is there a contract?

No. There is no contract, no minimum term and no setup fee. You create the account yourself, and on the free plan there is nothing to cancel because nothing is billed. The optional $169 lower card rate plan is billed month to month.

Which countries and languages are supported?

Dumpster Controls serves hauling companies in the United States and Canada. The app interface and the Tresha AI assistant are available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The public pages, such as the blog, the help center and the landfill finder, are in English.

How do I switch from another dumpster software?

Create a free account at dumpstercontrols.io/login, with no sales call and no credit card. Then import your customers from a CSV file using the template provided in the app; past orders can also be imported from a CSV. Container sizes and pricing are set up in Settings. The landfill database, with 1,750 active US and Canadian landfills as counted on 2026-10-01, is already loaded, so disposal sites do not need to be typed in. Step-by-step guides are at dumpstercontrols.io/help.