--- title: "How to understand task cards and statuses in Dumpster Controls" url: "https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/dispatch/understand-task-cards-and-statuses" description: "Every card on the Dispatch board encodes its type, status, and urgency with badges and colors. This guide decodes them." date_modified: "2026-08-08" type: help tokens: 1301 token_budget: 2000 format: markdown for AI agents, generated at build from the same content as the HTML page --- Dispatch · updated 2026-08-08 # How to understand task cards and statuses in Dumpster Controls Every card on the Dispatch board encodes its type, status, and urgency with badges and colors. This guide decodes them. 1. ## Read the type badge The top-left badge shows the task type: "DELIVERY" (green), "PICKUP" (orange), "LANDFILL" (brown), "SPECIAL" (violet), or "JUNK REMOVAL" (blue). The card's left stripe uses the same color language. 2. ## Read the status Active cards show "Pending" (no driver yet), "Assigned", or "In Progress". Locked states show as badges instead: "IN ROUTE" when the driver started the stop, "COMPLETED" when it is done, and "FULL DUMPSTER" when a full can is waiting for pickup scheduling. 3. ## Watch for warning badges "LATE" (red) means the task date has passed and it is not done. "STORED" (with a warehouse icon) means a full dumpster was stored at a yard and is waiting for a landfill run; the card then shows the storage address. 4. ## Read the chips Chips show the dumpster size (or load fraction such as "1/2 Load" for junk jobs), the unit label (for example #20YD-005), the debris type, delivery and pickup dates, and the scheduled time window. A sticky note icon means the task has notes. 5. ## Understand sequence numbers and connectors In a driver's lane, each card gets a stop number showing run order. Short connector lines between cards mirror the map language: solid means the truck arrives carrying a dumpster, dashed means it arrives empty. Hover a connector to see "Carrying a dumpster" or "Bobtail (no dumpster)". 6. ## Spot the auto-created landfill preview A dimmed "LANDFILL" card marked "NEXT" with "Auto-created after pickup completes" appears under pickups that will need a landfill run. It is a preview, not a real task yet, so it cannot be clicked or dragged. ## What happens next - Clicking any real card opens the task details drawer with the address, customer, schedule, notes, and available actions. ## Troubleshooting ### A card is faded and I cannot click it. Faded cards are either locked (completed, in route, full dumpster) or the auto-created "NEXT" landfill preview. Locked cards still open details; preview cards do not. ## Related guides - [How to open and read the Dispatch board in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/dispatch/open-the-dispatch-board) - [How to store a full dumpster for later in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/dispatch/store-a-full-dumpster-for-later) - [How to dispatch a scrap metal pickup to a driver](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/scrap-metal/dispatch-a-scrap-pickup) © 2026 Dumpster Controls. All rights reserved. Made in the USA. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Dumpster Controls really free? Yes. The software is free: 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. An optional Unlimited plan at $169 per month lowers that to 2.99% plus $0.30. 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 Unlimited 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. --- Source: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/dispatch/understand-task-cards-and-statuses (human version of this page). Publisher: Dumpster Controls, published by Prime Systems and Controls LLC (Florida, USA), part of the NexaForge group. Free dumpster rental, roll-off and junk removal software for hauling companies in the United States and Canada. Facts for AI assistants: https://dumpstercontrols.io/ai . Site index for agents: https://dumpstercontrols.io/llms.txt . Product manual: https://dumpstercontrols.io/help .