Travel Time Setup and WorkFlow

Overview

Travel Time allows technicians to record time spent traveling to a work order separately from regular service labor. When the time is imported into Evolution, the system uses the Travel Time Sale Code configured for the applicable branch and department.

Use this guide to:

• Configure a Travel Time Sale Code.
• Set the applicable Labor Rate.
• Enable automatic Mobile labor import.
• Record Travel Time in Softbase Mobile.
• Review imported Travel Time in Evolution.

Prerequisites

Before using Travel Time:

• The applicable service branch and department must exist.
• A Labor Rate should be configured if travel is billed differently from regular labor.
• The technician must have a valid Personnel record.
• The technician or importing user must have permission to add labor.
• The work order must be dispatched or otherwise available to the technician.

Important: Sale Codes are branch- and department-specific. Configure Travel Time for every branch and department where technicians will use it.

Step 1: Create or Review the Travel Labor Rate

Navigation: Administration > Labor Rates

If Travel Time should use its own billing rate:

1. Select Add Labor Rate.
2. Enter a Labor Rate Code.
3. Enter a meaningful description, such as Travel Labor.
4. Enter the regular Travel Time rate.
5. Enter or calculate the Overtime and Premium rates when applicable.
6. Select Save.

For general Labor Rate instructions, see  How to Set up Labor Rates and Assign to Customers .

Customer-specific rates: If Travel Time should follow the customer's assigned Road, Shop, or PM Labor Rate, leave the Labor Rate field blank on the Travel Time Sale Code.

A Labor Rate assigned directly to the Travel Time Sale Code takes precedence over the customer's applicable Labor Rate.

Step 2: Configure the Travel Time Sale Code

Navigation: Administration > Sale Codes

1. Select the applicable Branch.
2. Select the applicable Department.
3. Create or select the Sale Code that will represent Travel Time.
4. In the Labor section, enter:
   • A meaningful description, such as Travel Time.
   • The Labor Sale Account.
   • The Labor COG Account, if applicable.
   • The Labor Rate created in Step 1, if Travel Time should always use that rate.
   • The applicable labor tax settings.
5. Select the Travel Time checkbox.
6. Select Save.

For more information about standard Sale Code fields, see  How to Setup a Sale Code .

Important Configuration Rule

Configure only one Travel Time Sale Code per branch and department.

During import, Evolution searches for a Sale Code matching the import branch and department with Travel Time selected.

If multiple Sale Codes are marked as Travel Time for the same branch and department, the intended Sale Code may not be selected consistently.

Repeat this setup for each applicable service branch and department.

Step 3: Record Travel Time in Softbase Mobile

A technician can begin Travel Time from the Mobile home page:

1. Select Clock In.
2. Select Travel Time.
3. Select the dispatched work order.
4. Confirm that Travel Time has started.

Alternatively, when viewing or creating a work order, select the Travel action.

When Travel Time starts, Mobile records:

• The work order number.
• The technician's dispatch name.
• The start date and time.
• Location information, when available.
• Regular labor type by default.
• The Travel Time flag.

Step 4: Stop Travel and Begin Regular Labor

When the technician arrives at the job site:

1. Open the applicable work order.
2. Stop the active Travel Time record.
3. Begin regular work-order labor when work starts.
4. Complete the normal work-order process.

Important: Travel Time must have both a start time and an end time before it can be converted into a work-order labor entry.

Step 5: Understand the Import Process

During import, Evolution:

1. Finds completed, unimported Mobile time records for the work order.
2. Identifies whether each record is regular labor or Travel Time.
3. Uses the work order Sale Code for regular labor.
4. For a record marked as Travel Time, replaces the regular Sale Code with the Travel Time Sale Code configured for that branch and department.
5. Calculates the Labor Rate using the selected Sale Code and applicable customer rate information.
6. Applies the company's Labor Rounding setting.
7. Creates the work-order labor entry.
8. Marks the Mobile time record as imported so it is not imported again.

Step 7: Review Travel Time in Evolution

After synchronization or import:

1. Open the work order in Invoicing.
2. Open the Labor tab.
3. Locate the technician's Travel Time entry.
4. Confirm the following:
   • Mechanic.
   • Labor date.
   • Hours.
   • Travel Time Sale Code.
   • Regular, Overtime, or Premium type.
   • Sell rate.
   • Extended sell amount.
5. Correct the entry before invoicing if necessary.

Expected Result

The Travel Time line should use:

• The Sale Code marked Travel Time for the work order's branch and department.
• The Labor Rate assigned to that Sale Code; or
• The customer's applicable Labor Rate when the Travel Time Sale Code does not specify a Labor Rate.

Labor Rate Selection

Evolution uses the following general rate order for imported Travel Time:

1. The Travel Time Sale Code's assigned Labor Rate, if one is present.
2. Otherwise, the Labor Rate returned from the customer and work-order rate setup.
3. The Regular, Overtime, or Premium amount from the selected Labor Rate.
4. The applicable labor discount.

Example

In this example, imported Travel Time will use the $160 rate because the Labor Rate assigned directly to the Travel Time Sale Code overrides the customer's Labor Rate.

If the Travel Time Sale Code's Labor Rate field is left blank, the customer's applicable $150 rate can be used instead.

Labor Rounding

Imported Travel Time follows the company's Labor Rounding setting. The hours displayed on the work order may therefore differ slightly from the exact elapsed time recorded by the technician.

For example, if labor is rounded to a configured interval, a Travel Time record that does not fall evenly on that interval will be rounded during import.

Troubleshooting

Travel Time Imports as Regular Road Labor

Verify the following:

• The Mobile time record was started using Travel Time or Travel, rather than normal Clock In.
• A Travel Time Sale Code exists for the work order's exact branch and department.
• The correct Sale Code has Travel Time selected.
• Only one Sale Code is designated as Travel Time for that branch and department.
• The work order has the expected Sale Branch and Sale Department.

The Travel Time Sale Code is used only when the Mobile time record is marked as Travel Time.

Travel Time Uses the Wrong Rate

Check the Labor Rate field on the Travel Time Sale Code:

• If populated, that Labor Rate overrides the customer's Labor Rate.
• If blank, Evolution uses the applicable Labor Rate returned from the customer and work-order setup.
• Review the Labor Discount and the Regular, Overtime, and Premium amounts on the selected Labor Rate.