--- title: "How to message about an order in Dumpster Controls" url: "https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/message-about-an-order" description: "Every order has its own thread that gathers the office, the assigned driver, the customer SMS and the order milestones in one place." date_modified: "2026-09-30" type: help tokens: 1124 token_budget: 2000 format: markdown for AI agents, generated at build from the same content as the HTML page --- Messages · updated 2026-09-30 # How to message about an order in Dumpster Controls Every order has its own thread that gathers the office, the assigned driver, the customer SMS and the order milestones in one place. 1. ## Open the thread where you work In "Dispatch", click a task card: the "Order messages" block sits between the notes and the task actions. In "Order History", expand the order: the same block sits right above the timeline. In "Messages", the thread is in the "Orders" section. 2. ## Write to the driver Type in "Message about this order..." and press Enter. The assigned driver gets a push notification with the order number in the title, and the message opens the thread on their phone. 3. ## Use the one-tap questions Three buttons send a ready message: "Where are you on this one?", "Customer called, please call them." and "Skip this one for now, do the next stop first." 4. ## Leave an internal note Click the sticky note icon before sending. The message is saved as "Internal note", shown in yellow. Internal notes are never sent to the customer. 5. ## Open the order from the thread In "Messages", click "View order" in the thread header to jump to the order in "Order History". ## What happens next - The thread is created the first time someone writes and is filled with the history of the order: created, driver assigned, driver en route, delivered, picked up, completed. New milestones keep arriving as the order moves. - Nobody can delete a message inside an order thread. It is the record of what was said about that order. ## Troubleshooting ### The driver says they cannot see the thread. A driver only sees the thread of an order where they are assigned, and keeps access for 7 days after completing the task. Check the assignment in "Dispatch". ## Related guides - [How to handle a driver exception on the Dispatch board in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/handle-a-driver-exception) - [How to text the customer from the order thread in Dumpster Controls](https://dumpstercontrols.io/help/messages/text-the-customer-from-the-order-thread) © 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/messages/message-about-an-order (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 .