Glossary

Learn the most important terms in X4Fleet. The glossary is continuously updated.

A

Collection remarks (Abholbemerkungen) Remarks recorded specifically for the collection of a shipment, displayed to the driver at the time of pickup.

Pickup location / Collection point (Abholort / Abholstelle) The location (Location/POI) from which a shipment is collected (loading point A).

Pickup time window (Abholzeitfenster) The time window (from/to) during which the collection of a shipment is to take place.

ADR (Hazardous goods) "Accord relatif au transport international des marchandises Dangereuses par Route" – international agreement for the transport of dangerous goods by road. The ADR module enables the recording and management of hazardous goods information for shipments and vehicles.

Offer (Angebot) An order type that informs the system that a specific customer/location has a certain quantity of goods available for pickup within a defined period. It can then be matched with a demand to create a new transport order in the system.

Working area (Arbeitsbereich) A rule set of a group that X4fleet uses to move shipments automatically into the responsible group or subgroup. Based on rules (depots, areas, product groups), X4fleet checks when a shipment is saved which working area matches; the shipment is only moved if exactly one working area matches. Not to be confused with the working range of vehicles and tours. See Working areas.

Item (Artikel) The products (or services) transported from the pickup location to the delivery location. The system supports various types of items and products (e.g. bulk goods, services, shipping units, etc.). Synonym: Goods.

Order An agreement between the carrier and the customer (or buyer). It is an instruction to transport goods or materials from one transport point to another, or to perform a specific service at a location within a defined time frame. Identical to the freight order.

Order type (Auftragsart) Classification of a shipment according to the type of transport service (e.g. direct run, round trip, load, etc.).

Order ID (Auftrags-ID) Unique identification number of an order in the system.

Order view (Auftragssicht) The central overview of all shipments. From here, dispatchers can edit, plan, and manage orders.

Order template (Auftragsvorlage) Corresponds to an order saved as an order template where only certain data (e.g. the date) needs to be adjusted to execute the order repeatedly.

Client / Ordering party (Auftraggeber) The customer who places the order and holds the contract.

Equipment / Qualification (Ausstattung / Qualifikation) Skills, equipment features, or certifications assigned to a vehicle so the system can check during planning whether the vehicle is suitable for a specific order (e.g. refrigeration, tail lift, ADR certification). Synonym: Vehicle qualification.

Authentication (Authentisierung) The process of verifying a user's credentials via username and password. When the username and password match the records stored in the system database, the user is granted access.

B

Loading depot (Beladedepot) A depot that acts as a loading point (pickup location) for a shipment.

Loading point (Beladestelle) The physical location (Location/POI) where goods are loaded onto a vehicle. Synonym: Pickup location.

Loading order (Beladeauftrag) An order describing the loading of a vehicle with specific goods, typically in the context of load planning.

User The person who has access to the system. Each user is identified by a unique username and password. Users can take on one or more roles, which affects what they can do within the system.

User role (Benutzerrolle) Defines which functions and pages a user may access in the system. Roles are additive – a user can hold multiple roles simultaneously. Examples: Admin, Dispatcher, Driver, Clerk. See also: Role.

Creditworthiness (Bonität) Credit rating of a contact/customer that can be stored in the customer master data.

Gross weight (Bruttogewicht) The total weight of a shipment including packaging, as opposed to the net weight of the goods alone.

C

Checklists (Checklisten) Allows the dispatcher to define additional work steps for each tour, each stop, each transport point, or each item. Checklists can be displayed at various events (e.g. at tour start, during loading/unloading, for individual items). Examples: photo of unloaded goods as proof of delivery, or age verification at unloading.

Checklist element (Checklisten-Element) A single step or input within a checklist (e.g. checkbox, text input, number input). Elements can be grouped with single or multiple selection options.

D

Standing order (Dauerauftrag) An order that is executed multiple times, e.g. once a week or every first Wednesday of the month. Order templates are used for standing orders.

Debtor (Debitor) The billable customer of a shipment who covers the transport costs. May differ from the sender or recipient.

Depot A location of the type "Depot/Hub/Terminal" used for storing and loading/unloading goods. Can be used as the start or end point of a tour.

Services (Dienstleistungen) A type of item in the system that is generally billed by duration rather than by weight.

Dispatcher (Disponent) A user with the "Dispatcher" role, responsible for tour planning, dispatching, and shipment management.

Dispatching (Disposition) The operational planning and assignment of shipments to tours and vehicles. Also refers to the area in the system through which tours and shipments are managed.

E

Recipient (Empfänger) The customer to whom goods or services are delivered.

Device (Endgerät) The mobile device (smartphone or tablet) assigned to the driver for the Driver App. Through this device, the driver receives tour data and transmits feedback.

Unloading point (Entladestelle) The physical location where goods are unloaded from the vehicle. Synonym: Delivery location.

F

Driver (Fahrer) A user in the X4Fleet system assigned the role "Driver" or "Driver global". "Drivers" only see the tours of their own group, while "Driver global" users see the tours of all (sub-)groups.

Vehicle type (Fahrzeugart) Categorisation of a vehicle by its type (e.g. truck, van, trailer). Can be restricted as allowed or prohibited vehicle types at locations and for items.

Vehicle group (Fahrzeuggruppe) An organisational group to which multiple vehicles can be assigned. Used to structure the fleet.

Vehicle qualification (Fahrzeugqualifikation) See Equipment / Qualification (Ausstattung / Qualifikation).

Vehicle location (Fahrzeugstandort) A type of "vehicle location" used for parking vehicles when not in use. Can be used as the start or end point of a tour.

Vehicle template (Fahrzeugtyp) A predefined vehicle configuration with standardised properties (capacities, dimensions) that can be used as a template when creating new vehicles.

Fixed appointment (Fixtermin) A time type for shipments where an exact time (rather than a time window) is agreed for collection or delivery.

Freight order (Frachtauftrag) Identical to the order. An agreement between the carrier and the customer for the transport of goods or services.

Load (Fuhre) A grouping of multiple shipments transported together with one vehicle. The load is a logistical bundling construct within tour planning.

Load number (Fuhrennummer) The unique identifier of a load. Used to assign shipments to a specific loading unit.

Load overview (Fuhrenübersicht) An optional module offering a tabular overview of all loads, enabling their management and planning.

G

Zone (Gebiet) A geographic region identified by a postal code or postal code area.

Geofence A virtual geographic area (radius) around a location (POI). When a vehicle enters or leaves this area, the system can automatically trigger actions (e.g. email notification, SMS, HTTP request, or X4Fleet internal message).

Group An organisational unit in the system that bundles users, vehicles, and settings. Groups can be structured hierarchically (with subgroups) and typically correspond to an operation, a branch, or a client.

GC rate (GU-Tarif) General contractor rate. An optional module for managing rates for external transport service providers (subcontractors) within the framework of a general contractor agreement.

I

IoT measurement service (IoT-Messservice) An optional module for integrating IoT sensors to capture measurement data (e.g. fill level, temperature). Measurement data is linked to shipments and locations and can be accessed via the Driver App. The responsible user role is called "Measurement Dispatcher".

K

Order picking (Kommissionierung) An optional module for the order picking workflow. Enables the targeted assembly of goods for individual orders before loading.

Contact (Kontakt) A person or organisation in the system that can appear as a customer, driver, subcontractor, or in other roles. Contacts contain address, communication, and contract information and form the basis for locations and user accounts.

Customer (Kunde) A person or company that ships or receives goods or services.

Customer priority (Kundenpriorität) A user-defined priority level assigned to a customer (contact) that can be taken into account during dispatching and tour planning.

L

Loading equipment (Ladehilfsmittel) Physical aids for loading and unloading, e.g. pallets, wire mesh boxes, or roll containers. Loading equipment can be assigned to shipments and managed in master data.

Loading meter (LM) (Lademeter) Unit of measurement for the utilisation of a vehicle's loading area. One loading meter corresponds to one metre of usable loading area at standard width.

Loading platform / LPV (Ladeplattform / LPV) An optional capacity dimension for vehicles. Defines how many loading platform units an item or shipment requires.

Loading space (Laderaum) The usable interior space of a vehicle for loading. Capacity is defined by width, height, and length (and optionally also entry width/height and wheel arch width).

M

Message (Meldung) An internal message or status notification in the system. Messages can be generated by the driver to the dispatcher, or automatically by the system (e.g. planning notifications, geofence events, system alerts).

Monitoring The real-time overview of active tours and vehicle positions on a map. Enables the dispatcher to track ongoing tours and monitor the fleet.

N

Demand (Nachfrage) An order type that informs the system that a specific customer/location has requested the delivery of a certain quantity of goods within a time period. It can be matched with an offer.

P

Package (Packstück) A standardised packaging unit (e.g. carton, pallet, wire mesh box) with defined dimensions and weight. Packages are assigned to shipment items and managed in master data.

Planning area (Planungsgebiet) An area of responsibility within a group that dispatchers use to narrow down the shipments of their area. Based on rules (depots, areas, product groups), X4fleet calculates a shipment's planning area when the shipment is saved; it is only set if exactly one planning area matches. Tours get their planning area through the vehicle start depot. See Planning areas.

Planning notification (Planungsmitteilung) An automatic notification or warning issued when planning a tour or shipment (e.g. capacity exceeded, time conflicts, or missing qualifications).

POI (Point of Interest) / Location (Stelle) A geographic location in the system (e.g. customer address, depot, vehicle location) stored with address, contact, and operating hours data. POIs form the spatial basis for tours and shipments. The term "Location" is used synonymously in the system.

Item / Position (Position) Either an individual service or an individual item of a shipment or order.

Price catalogue (Preiskatalog) A list of goods with prices and product descriptions. Price catalogues are used by the system to calculate the price of products.

Priority (Priorität) A user-defined attribute for customers or shipments that influences the order of sequence in tour planning. Priorities are managed in master data and assigned to contacts.

Q

Qualification (Qualifikation) See Equipment / Qualification (Ausstattung / Qualifikation). Qualifications are managed in master data, assigned to vehicles, and can be stored as requirements for shipments.

R

Framework tour (Rahmentour / RT) A higher-level tour that encompasses multiple individual tours or tour segments. Used for structured planning of multi-leg transport chains.

Invoice / Credit note (Rechnung / Gutschrift) In the "Accounting" module, invoices and credit notes can be created for completed tours and shipments. The system calculates amounts based on rates and price catalogues.

Report A configurable output (PDF or data export) of tour, shipment, or item data. Typical reports include tour sheet, delivery note, and working hours log. Reports can be created manually or sent automatically upon completion of a transport point.

Role (Rolle) Determines which functions and pages a user may access. Roles are additive – a user can hold multiple roles simultaneously. Basic roles: Admin, Dispatcher, Driver. Additional roles: Clerk, Read access, Order picking, WebOrder roles, and others.

Round tour (Rundtour) A tour that starts and ends at the same location (typically a depot or vehicle location).

S

Clerk (Sachbearbeiter) A user role that allows the creation and editing of master data but does not include operational workflow actions (e.g. order picking, invoicing, shipment approval).

Shipments (Sendungen) Sub-orders within an order. An order can have one or more shipments. Once all shipments belonging to an order are completed, the order itself is completed.

Shipment status (TA status) The current processing status of a transport order. Possible statuses: In progress → Open → Released → Planned → Near pickup → Arrived at pickup → Pickup completed → Near delivery → Delivery completed → Invoiced. Additional: Rejected, Cancelled, Stopped, Expired.

Specialities (Spezialitäten) Additional, user-defined attributes or requirements of a shipment or tour that go beyond the standard fields (e.g. special handling instructions).

Master data (Stammdaten) The foundational data of the system: customers/contacts, locations (POIs), items/goods, vehicles, users, groups, zones, vehicle templates, qualifications, packages, loading equipment, etc. Master data forms the basis for all operational processes.

Location / POI (Stelle) See POI (Point of Interest). In the system, "Location" is used synonymously with POI and refers to a geographic location with stored address and contact data.

Location documents (Stellendokumente) Provide the driver with further information about a specific location, in particular instructions on how to reach the customer and how to proceed upon arrival.

Stop A physical location where the vehicle will park or halt. Stops contain an address (or coordinates) and one or more loading or unloading points.

Subcontractor (Subunternehmer) An external transport company that provides transport services on behalf of the main contractor. Subcontractors are managed as a contact type and group type in the system and can receive their own groups with separate settings.

T

Rate (Tarif) The fee charged by the transport company for its services.

Rate zone (Tarifzone) The definition of a region for which different rates and time restrictions can be set.

Tour A journey planned for a specific vehicle, a specific driver, and a specific time frame. A tour can contain one or more shipments and transport points. Tours have a defined start and end point.

Tour status (Tourstatus) The current planning and execution status of a tour. Possible statuses: New → In planning → Planned → Scheduled → Released → Sent (to driver) → Received (confirmed by driver) → In execution → Completed / Fully completed / Incompletely completed. During revision: Being adjusted → Revised → Re-released.

Transport day (Transport Tag) The day on which the transport order, tour, or shipment is to be executed.

Transport type (Transportart) The type of transport (pickup, delivery, outbound and return, etc.) assigned to a shipment.

Transport order (TA) (Transportauftrag) Corresponds to the shipment and indicates which driver delivers the shipment at a specific location.

Transport point (TP) (Transportpunkt) A specific task (e.g. loading or unloading) to be carried out at a specific location. A stop can contain one or more transport points.

V

Availability (Verfügbarkeit) The temporal availability of a driver or vehicle. Can be recorded in the calendar and affects the ability to plan tours.

Shipping units (Versandeinheiten) Standardised packaging units (cartons, packages, items) recorded as goods type "Shipping units, items". In contrast to bulk goods and liquids, which are billed on a quantity basis.

Template (Vorlage) See Order template (Auftragsvorlage). Also: a predefined report template for automatic report generation.

W

Goods (Ware) A good or product stored in master data that is being transported. Goods have a type (bulk/liquid, loading equipment, service, shipping unit), defined dimensions, a price, and optional product variants. Synonym: Item.

Goods type (Warenart) The type of a good: bulk goods/liquids, loading equipment, service, or shipping units/items. The goods type determines how quantities and volumes are calculated.

Goods group (Warengruppe) A thematic grouping of goods for analysis and filtering purposes.

WebOrder An optional module that enables customers to place orders via a web portal. Orders are automatically imported into the system as shipments. Associated roles: WebOrder User, WebOrder Admin.

Z

Time window (Zeitfenster) The defined period (from/to) within which a collection or delivery is to take place. Time windows can be defined as a flexible interval, fixed appointment (Fixtermin), or absolute time window.

Two-factor authentication (2FA) (Zwei-Faktor-Authentifizierung) A two-step verification process that takes into account two different types of user credentials. In addition to the username and password, the system can request a special code as a second factor. This is either sent by email or generated in an authenticator app.

Additional services (Zusätzliche Dienstleistungen) Services provided by carriers in addition to the delivery of goods. These include, for example, weight checks, cash on delivery, or freight insurance.

Delivery remarks (Zustellbemerkungen) Remarks recorded specifically for the delivery of a shipment, displayed to the driver at the time of delivery.

Delivery location (Zustelleort) A location within an order that serves as the delivery point for the goods belonging to the order.

Delivery point (Zustellort) The location (Location/POI) where a shipment is delivered (unloading point B). Synonym: Unloading point.

Delivery time window (Zustellzeitfenster) The time window (from/to) during which the delivery of a shipment is to take place.