Getting Started · updated 2026-08-08

How to use the setup checklist in Dumpster Controls

The dashboard card "Your company is {pct}% ready" tracks five real milestones and celebrates each one you finish.

## Find the card
Open the dashboard. At the top sits the checklist with the subtitle "Finish these steps and your operation runs itself. Each one fills the bar." and a progress bar.
## Read the five steps
"Create your account" (already checked), "Add your dumpster sizes and prices", "Add a truck", "Create your first order", and "Turn on online booking". Completed steps show a green check and a strikethrough.
## Jump with "Go"
Every pending step is a link marked "Go" that opens the exact screen: inventory for sizes, trucks, the new order form, or Online Booking.
## Use the shortcuts under the list
Until you have a first order, two extra links appear: "Already have rentals out? Import your spreadsheet" and "Want to see it working? Create a sample order".
## Check your booking site card
The card "Your booking site already exists" shows "View my site", "Copy link", and, while booking is off, "Turn it on".

What happens next

Progress is measured from your real data, so finishing a step anywhere in the app updates the card and fires confetti.
At 100% the card retires itself. You can also hide it early with the X ("Hide checklist").

Troubleshooting

I created the sample order but "Create your first order" is still unchecked.

By design. Sample (DEMO) orders never count as activation; only a real order checks that step.

The checklist is not on my dashboard at all.

It hides once all five steps are done, after you dismiss it, or if its data cannot load. It comes back for the same company only if you clear the dismissal on that browser.

Related guides

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.