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The Directory — Your Company's Master Records

The Directory is the foundation of everything in JencamOS. Think of it as your company's address book, fleet list, and contact sheet all rolled into one. Before you can create a dispatch, log a fuel fill-up, or schedule maintenance, the Directory needs to know about your trucks, your people, your clients, and your locations.

There are six tables in the Directory, and they all talk to each other:

  • Assets — your trucks, trailers, and equipment
  • Locations — every place you pick up, deliver, or park
  • People — drivers, mechanics, office staff, and contacts
  • Vendors — outside companies you work with (shops, fuel stations, parts suppliers)
  • Clients — the companies you haul for
  • Contracts — recurring jobs you can turn into dispatches with one click

The magic is in the connections. When you add a driver to the People table, that driver becomes available in every dispatch dropdown. When you set up a location once, you never have to type that address again. When you create a contract for a regular haul, it remembers the truck, the driver, the rate, and the route — so creating next week's dispatch takes seconds instead of minutes.

Set up your Directory well and the rest of JencamOS practically runs itself. Let's walk through each table.

Master Assets

What it's for: This is your fleet inventory. Every truck, trailer, and piece of equipment the company owns or operates gets a record here. If it has wheels and you need to track it, it goes in Assets.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Unit # / Asset Name — The number or name you call this unit around the yard. This is how it shows up everywhere else in the system.
  • Asset Type — Is it a truck, trailer, or something else? This determines which fields apply.
  • VIN — The vehicle identification number. Useful for registration, insurance, and CVIP paperwork.
  • Year, Make/Model — Basic vehicle info. Helps when ordering parts or talking to mechanics.
  • License Plate — Self-explanatory, but handy to have on file when you're not standing next to the unit.
  • Dimensions (Length/Height/Width) — Measured in feet. Important for load planning and permit requirements.
  • Odometer — Current mileage. Update this regularly — it drives maintenance schedules.
  • Unit Status — Is the unit active, in the shop, parked, or out of service? This tells dispatch what's available.
  • CVIP Expiry, Insurance Expiry, Registration Expiry — Three critical dates. When any of these lapses, that unit can't legally be on the road. JencamOS has a dedicated CVIP Expiry calendar view so nothing sneaks up on you.
  • Owner — Who owns this unit (relevant if you have owner-operators).
  • Truck Photo — Upload a photo of the unit. Helpful for identification, especially with a large fleet.

Truck-specific fields: These only matter for power units — Engine, Transmission Type, Drive Axles, Axle Ratio, Wet Kit (yes or no), PTO, Beacons, and Lockers. Fill these in so dispatch knows what each truck is capable of. If a job needs a wet kit and only two of your trucks have one, you want to know that before you book the load.

Trailer-specific fields: Trailer Type, Trailer Axles, Trailer Floor/Deck Type, Trailer Air Ride, Sliding Axles, and Trailer Aux Power. Same idea — when a client needs a specific trailer setup, you can check what you've got without walking across the yard.

How it connects:

  • Current Location links to the Locations table, so you always know where a unit is parked.
  • Attached Dispatch links to the Dispatch table. This is the real power — open any asset record and you can immediately see what job that unit is currently on. No guessing, no radio calls.
  • Fuel Log, Maintenance Log, and Contracts all link back here too, giving you a complete history for every unit.

Views available:

  • Card View — A visual overview of your fleet, one card per unit.
  • Power Unit Asset Entry Form — Use this when adding a new truck or trailer. It walks you through the fields step by step.
  • CVIP Expiry — A calendar view showing when CVIPs are due. Check this weekly so you're never caught off guard.
  • Master View — The full grid with every asset and every column. Best for searching or bulk updates.

Tip: Keep Unit Status current. If a truck goes into the shop, mark it right away. Dispatch relies on this to know what's available.

Master Locations

What it's for: Every place your company goes — your own yards, client sites, loading docks, delivery points, weigh scales, anywhere you need to reference on a dispatch or maintenance record.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Location Name — A clear, recognizable name. "Duncan Yard" or "Island Asphalt — Cobble Hill" works better than "Site #4."
  • Location Type — A dropdown to categorize the location (yard, client site, loading point, etc.).
  • Address — The full street address.
  • Access — This is gold. Put directions, gate codes, "use the south entrance," "call 10 minutes before arrival" — anything a driver needs to know to get in without hassle.
  • Yard Instructions — Specific procedures for that site. Speed limits, where to park, who to check in with.
  • Site Photo/Map — Upload a photo or a map screenshot. A picture of the entrance saves five minutes of confused phone calls.

How it connects:

  • Primary Contact links to the People table — who do you call when you have a question about this location?
  • Primary Company links to the Vendors table — which company owns or operates this site?
  • Dispatch links show every dispatch that uses this location as a pickup or delivery point.
  • Maintenance Log and Contracts link here too, so you can see all activity tied to a specific place.

Tip: Locations are reusable. You set them up once and then just pick them from a dropdown whenever you create a dispatch. Spend a few extra minutes getting the Access and Yard Instructions right — your drivers will thank you, and you'll get fewer "where do I go?" calls.

Master People

What it's for: Everyone the company works with — your drivers, mechanics, office staff, and any contacts at clients or vendors. If a person shows up in your day-to-day operations, they should have a record here.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Name — First and last.
  • Role — This is a multi-select, meaning one person can have multiple roles (a driver who also does mechanic work, for example).
  • Phone and Email — Contact info. Shows up everywhere their name appears.
  • License Class — What class of vehicle can they drive? Critical for dispatch — you don't want to assign a Class 5 driver to a Class 1 truck.
  • Air Brakes — Yes or no. Another compliance must-have.
  • License Expiry — When does their driver's license expire? If this lapses, they can't drive. Period.
  • License Number — On file for paperwork and inspections.
  • Date of Hire — Useful for seniority and HR records.
  • Medical Expiry — Commercial drivers need valid medical certificates. Track it here.
  • Emergency Contact Name/Phone — In case of an emergency on the road.
  • Notes — Free-text field for anything else. "Prefers night shifts," "allergic to diesel fumes," whatever's relevant.

How it connects:

  • Vendor Contact links to the Vendors table — if this person works for a parts supplier or repair shop, you can see that connection.
  • Locations, Clients, Dispatch, Fuel Log, and Contracts all link to People. A driver's record becomes a complete work history over time.
  • Maintenance Log links here twice — once for who reported a problem and once for the mechanic assigned to fix it.

The compliance angle: This table is where you stay legal. License expiries, medical certificate expiries, and air brakes endorsements are all tracked here. Make it a habit to check these dates monthly. A driver with an expired medical certificate on the road is a serious liability — for them and for the company. JencamOS keeps all of this in one place so nothing falls through the cracks.

Tip: When you hire a new driver, fill in their license info and expiry dates right away. Future you will be grateful when audit time rolls around.

Master Vendors

What it's for: External companies you do business with — repair shops, fuel stations, parts suppliers, tire dealers, anyone who isn't a client but who you interact with regularly.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Company Name — The business name.
  • Primary Contact — Links to a person in the People table. Who do you call at this company?
  • Locations — Where is this vendor? Links to the Locations table.

How it connects:

  • Fuel Log — When you log a fuel fill-up, the station is a vendor. This link lets you see all fueling activity at a given vendor.

This is the simplest table in the Directory. Its main job is to connect people to companies. When your mechanic contact at "Island Diesel Services" shows up in the People table, the Vendors table is what says "this person works for Island Diesel Services." It keeps your contacts organized instead of having a pile of names with no company attached.

Tip: Even if you only have a few vendors right now, set them up. When you start logging fuel and maintenance, having vendors in the system saves time.

Master Clients

What it's for: The companies you haul for. Every client gets a record with their contact info, locations, and — importantly — their default billing rates.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Client Name — The company name.
  • Primary Location and Other Locations — Links to the Locations table. Where do they want stuff picked up and delivered?
  • Primary Contact(s) — Links to the People table. Who do you coordinate with?
  • Main Office Address, Phone, Email — Their main office contact info.
  • Billing Terms — A dropdown for how they pay (Net 30, COD, etc.).
  • Default Rate — The standard rate you charge this client.
  • Default Rate Type — How the rate is calculated (per hour, per load, per tonne, etc.).

How it connects:

  • People — Contact people at this client.
  • Locations — Their pickup and delivery sites.
  • Dispatch — Every dispatch for this client links back here. Open a client record and you can see all their jobs at a glance.
  • Contracts — Standing agreements with this client.

Why default rates matter: When you set a Default Rate and Default Rate Type on a client record, those values automatically carry over when you create a new dispatch for that client. You don't have to look up "what do we charge these guys?" every time — it's already filled in. You can still override it on individual dispatches, but the default saves time and prevents billing mistakes.

Tip: Get your billing terms and default rates set up for each client early. It eliminates a whole category of "how much do we charge them again?" conversations.

Master Contracts

What it's for: Recurring or standing jobs that you run regularly. A contract is like a template — set it up once with all the details, then use it to create dispatches without re-entering everything.

Key fields you'll use most:

  • Title — A short name for the contract. "Daily Aggregate Haul — Cobble Hill" tells you what it is at a glance.
  • Description — Rich text field for the full details, special instructions, or anything that doesn't fit neatly into other fields.
  • Client — Links to the Clients table. Who is this contract with?
  • Rate and Rate Type — What you charge for this work and how it's calculated.
  • Loading Location — Links to Locations. Where do you pick up?
  • Delivery Location(s) — Links to Locations. Where do you deliver? Can be multiple locations.
  • Default Driver — Links to People. Who usually runs this route?
  • Default Power Unit and Default Trailer — Links to Assets. What equipment is normally assigned?
  • Frequency — How often does this job happen? Daily, weekly, as-needed?
  • Start Date and End Date — When the contract is active.
  • Contract Status — Active, paused, completed, etc.

How it connects:

  • Dispatch — This is the key link. When you create a dispatch from a contract, the system pre-fills the driver, truck, trailer, pickup location, delivery location, client, and rate. All of it. You just confirm the date and go.
  • Client, Locations, People, and Assets — A contract ties all of these together into one reusable package.

Think of contracts as templates for recurring work. Say you haul gravel from the same pit to the same site every Tuesday and Thursday with the same driver and truck. Instead of building that dispatch from scratch each time, you set up a contract with all those details. Next time you need to dispatch that run, you create a dispatch from the contract, and 90% of the fields are already filled in. Change the date, confirm the details, and you're done.

Tip: Even if a job only repeats a few times, it might be worth setting up as a contract. The time you save on dispatch entry adds up fast, and it ensures consistency — same rate, same equipment, same instructions every time.

Putting It All Together

The Directory tables form a web of connections:

  • A Client has Locations and People (contacts) and Contracts
  • A Contract specifies Assets (truck + trailer), a Person (driver), Locations (pickup + delivery), and a Client
  • A Dispatch pulls from all of the above — and links back so you can trace everything
  • An Asset knows its current Location and current Dispatch
  • A Person connects to their Vendor employer, their Dispatches, and their compliance records

The first time you set all this up takes some effort. But once your fleet, drivers, locations, clients, and contracts are in the system, daily operations get dramatically faster. Creating a dispatch goes from a 10-minute data entry exercise to a 30-second confirmation. And everything stays linked, so finding information later is just a click away.

Start with the basics: Get your assets and people in first, then locations, then clients. Contracts can come last — they build on everything else. Don't try to fill in every field on day one. The essentials (unit numbers, names, phone numbers, addresses) are enough to get rolling. You can fill in the details as you go.