High-churn tipper fleet operations need a system that matches the pace.
How tipper fleet operations actually work.
Tipper operations are defined by high daily job churn, a mix of owned and subcontracted capacity, and a constant pressure to close out the day's dockets into invoices before the next morning starts. HaulageOps was built for exactly this pattern.
Multiple jobs per truck per day
A tipper running earthworks or aggregate delivery might complete three to five loads before midday. Each load is a separate job with its own pick-up point, tip or delivery destination, tonnage and docket. Managing this pace on a whiteboard or a spreadsheet creates a bottleneck that grows every day.
- Job templates for recurring load types — create in seconds
- Each load gets its own job record, docket and status
- Driver app shows the next job the moment the current one closes
Mix of owned tippers and sub tippers
Most tipper operators run their own fleet to a base capacity and bring in subcontractor tippers for peak demand, large contracts or specialist loads. Coordinating subs without losing visibility — or spending the morning on the phone — is the core operational challenge the subcontractor portal solves.
- Sub tippers get a dedicated portal login at no cost to them
- Job acceptance, status updates and docket submission via the portal
- Separate sub pay rates alongside client charge rates per job
Per-tonne and hourly billing
Tipper fleet billing mixes per-tonne, per-load and hourly structures depending on the client contract and job type. HaulageOps rate cards handle all three simultaneously — the correct rate applies automatically when a job is created against a client, and the invoice generates from the completed job record without manual calculation.
- Rate cards per client, job type and material
- Per-tonne, per-load and hourly structures in the same account
- Effective dating for rate changes and contract renewals
A docket for every load
Dockets are the audit trail of tipper operations — they prove what was loaded, what was tipped, when and where. In the driver app, the driver captures a digital docket per load including photo evidence, customer signature and tonnage confirmation. The docket is attached to the job record and ready when you invoice.
- Driver captures digital docket on iOS or Android app
- Photo, signature and tonnage all stored against the load
- Docket attached automatically when the invoice is generated
Where tipper operations break down without the right system.
Allocation at the pace of the day
Tipper allocation changes constantly — a driver finishes early and needs a new job, a sub tipper becomes available at short notice, a client site changes the tip location. A dispatch system that can't update and reassign jobs in real time forces your dispatcher back to the phone and the whiteboard.
HaulageOps dispatch board shows all jobs and all drivers — owned and sub — in one view. Reassignment is a drag-and-drop action. The driver app updates immediately via push notification.
Sub tipper visibility when they go offsite
Sub tippers are hard to track once they leave your yard. Without a portal or app, you rely on phone calls or text messages to know if they've tipped, if they're heading back, and if the load tonnage matches the docket. That uncertainty stacks up across a day with multiple subs running.
The subcontractor portal gives each sub driver a mobile login. Their status updates appear on your dispatch board in real time. Dockets are submitted digitally — not texted as a photo or handed in as paper at end of day.
Dockets piling up into an invoicing backlog
Paper dockets collected at the end of each run, entered manually into a spreadsheet, then compared against client purchase orders before an invoice can go out — this is the process most tipper operators describe, and it causes invoicing delays of days or weeks.
When the digital docket is submitted at the load, it's already in the system. End-of-day invoicing pulls completed jobs for a client, attaches the dockets, and pushes the invoice to Xero. The docket is already attached when you invoice.
The workflow from job creation to invoice close-out.
Here is how the day runs in HaulageOps for a tipper fleet operation managing owned trucks and subcontractor tippers across multiple clients.
Create jobs from templates
Recurring load types — the same quarry to the same site, the same material — are saved as job templates. Creating a job for the day takes seconds, not minutes. Multiple loads of the same type are bulk-created against a template.
Assign to owned drivers and sub tippers
The dispatch board shows available owned drivers and which sub tippers are confirmed for the day. Jobs are assigned from the board. Sub tippers receive their jobs through the subcontractor portal and accept or decline from their mobile login.
Track loads in real time
Owned drivers update job status through the driver app. Sub tippers update through the subcontractor portal. GPS positions appear on the dispatch board. You know where every truck is without making a phone call.
Digital docket at every load
When a load completes, the driver captures the docket digitally — tonnage, timestamp, photo, and client signature if required. The docket is stored in the job record immediately. No paper to collect, no re-entry at end of day.
Invoice from completed jobs
At end of day — or weekly for contract clients — pull completed jobs by client, review the job list and dockets, and generate the invoice. The docket is already attached. The rate has already been applied. Push to Xero and it's done.
Xero tracks payment
Xero syncs invoice payment status back to HaulageOps via webhook. Paid, overdue and outstanding invoices are visible in the billing dashboard without needing to switch to Xero to check. The two-way sync keeps both systems current.
The specific features tipper operations rely on.
Dispatch board — owned and sub in one view
The dispatch board shows all active jobs, all owned drivers and all subcontractor tippers in a single real-time view. Job status updates as drivers update in the field. Reassignment is immediate. No secondary system needed to track sub tipper progress.
- Real-time job and driver status via Socket.io
- Phone-based GPS tracking — no hardware required
- Drag-and-drop reassignment for live jobs
Driver app — iOS and Android, works offline
The driver app is the driver's interface for the full job lifecycle — receiving jobs, updating status, capturing dockets with photo and signature, and submitting break and rest records. It works offline and synchronises when connectivity returns, which matters on sites with poor signal.
- Offline-capable — synchronises when connectivity returns
- Push notifications for new job assignments (Firebase FCM)
- Digital docket capture: photo, signature, tonnage, timestamp
Subcontractor portal — dedicated sub login
The subcontractor portal gives each of your sub tippers a dedicated login to view their job queue, accept or decline jobs, view Mapbox job maps, update status and submit dockets. Sub tippers do not pay for portal access — only the operating company holds the HaulageOps subscription.
- Sub tippers access portal at no cost to them
- Accept/decline jobs from mobile portal login
- Mapbox maps for pick-up and delivery locations
Billing and Xero integration
The billing system generates invoices from completed job records. The Xero integration uses OAuth2 with a 6-hourly sync plus real-time payment webhooks. Invoices created in HaulageOps appear in Xero. Payments recorded in Xero update the invoice status in HaulageOps.
- Invoice lifecycle: draft, sent, paid, overdue, voided
- Xero OAuth2 integration with real-time payment webhooks
- Invoice summary and docket package sent directly to client
Tipper fleet dispatch board in HaulageOps.
Dispatch board showing a tipper fleet operation mid-morning: 8 owned tipper jobs across 3 drivers, colour-coded by status (in progress, loading, tipping, complete). Sub tipper panel on the right showing 4 subcontractor tippers — 2 active with live GPS position, 1 accepted/not yet on site, 1 pending acceptance. Job list column on left with client name, material type, tonnage and estimated completion. Quick-assign button to create a new job from template. Filter options: by driver, by client, by job status, by date.
Common questions from tipper fleet operators.
Can I schedule multiple jobs per driver per day in HaulageOps?
Yes. Each driver can be assigned multiple sequential jobs in a single day. The dispatch board shows their full day's allocation. When the driver completes a job in the driver app, the next job in their queue is displayed automatically. Jobs can be added, re-ordered or re-assigned at any point during the day from the dispatch board.
How do sub tipper rates work — do I set different rates for subs vs my own drivers?
Yes. HaulageOps maintains two separate rate structures on each job: the client charge rate (what you invoice the client) and the subcontractor pay rate (what you pay the sub). These are managed independently through the rate management system. You can set fixed sub pay rates per job type, per tonne or per hour — separate from whatever you charge the client. This means your margin is tracked per job without manual calculation.
How fast can I close out a day's jobs and get invoices out?
In practice, end-of-day invoicing for a day's completed tipper jobs takes minutes rather than hours. Pull all completed jobs for a client, review the job list and the attached digital dockets, generate the invoice, and push to Xero. Because the dockets were submitted digitally as each load completed, there is no re-entry, no paper to collect, and no reconciliation step. How fast you close depends on client count and invoice complexity, but the system removes the manual work, not just the paperwork.
My sub tippers don't have smartphones — can they still use the portal?
The subcontractor portal is a web-based login that works on any modern mobile browser, including older Android and iPhone devices. Sub tippers do not need to download an app. If a sub tipper has no mobile device at all, you can still create and manage their jobs from the dispatch board — the portal is their self-service channel, but it is not the only way to record their work.
Do I need to use Xero, or does HaulageOps work with other accounting software?
Xero is the standard integration. MYOB integration is available as an add-on, subject to scope — ask about this in your demo if MYOB is your system. The billing and invoicing module in HaulageOps works independently of Xero — you can generate, manage and track invoices inside HaulageOps without any accounting sync. The Xero sync adds two-way invoice and payment visibility between the two systems.
Can clients see their job status and invoices without me sending them updates?
Yes. The client portal gives each client a dedicated login to view their live job status, job history, delivered dockets and invoices — including outstanding balances. Clients who want to check whether a delivery is on its way or download a docket for their own records can do so without calling your office. Access is role-controlled and client-specific.
We run tipper hire alongside muckaway contracts. Can HaulageOps handle both in the same account?
Yes. Both tipper hire (typically hourly billing) and muckaway contracts (typically per-tonne or per-load billing) run inside the same HaulageOps account with different rate structures applied per client and job type. The muckaway and spoil page covers the specific tip site coordination side of that operation.
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