How to assign trucks and drivers to orders

In brief

"Free truck + free driver" does not automatically mean "valid assignment". A sound assignment checks at least four kinds of compatibility: time-related, technical, professional and regulatory.

For a small fleet, the greatest risk is relying on the owner's memory: "Mario can drive that vehicle", "that truck can carry that load", "Luca still has driving time". This may work while there is little information to manage. As customers, vehicles and substitutions increase, the likelihood of an error rises quickly.

The four compatibilities to check

Time-related compatibility

Are the driver and vehicle genuinely available for the entire time window needed? A truck that "should return at 14:00" is not, by definition, available at 14:01.

Technical compatibility

Are payload, dimensions, bodywork and vehicle characteristics suitable for the goods and the service? The weight stated in the order must be compared with what the vehicle can carry legally and technically.

Professional compatibility

Does the driver hold the licence and qualifications required for the activity? For professional driving of vehicles within the scope of the relevant rules, the Driver Qualification Card (CQC) is a key requirement.

Regulatory compatibility

Is the assignment consistent with the applicable driving times, breaks, rest periods and tachograph obligations? Are specific authorisations or documents required for the service?

Driver: licence, CQC and professional activity

Italian Legislative Decree 286/2005 contains the national rules on drivers' initial qualification and periodic training, within the European framework now also codified by Directive (EU) 2022/2561.

In day-to-day company practice, it is useful to keep a record showing at least:

• licence category;
• licence expiry date;
• presence and expiry of the CQC where required;
• any specific authorisations;
• any known organisational restrictions;
• availability status.

Management software can remind you about an expiry date, but it does not "certify" that a driver is suitable for every service. The company must maintain its own checks and procedures consistent with the activity it carries out.

Vehicle: mass, bodywork and documents

The same principle applies to the truck. Its record should not contain only the registration number and make. It is useful to record mass and characteristics relevant to planning, bodywork, any operational expiry dates and the vehicle's status.

The order should contain enough data to establish whether the vehicle is suitable. If the customer says "12 pallets" but omits the weight, the dispatcher may not have enough information to assess the service properly.

Driving times and tachograph

Regulation 561/2006 governs driving times, breaks and rest periods within its scope. Regulation 165/2014 governs the tachograph. From 1 July 2026, some international and cabotage operations involving vehicles over 2.5 t have come within the scope of the EU social and tachograph rules.

This means that a driver may appear "free" in the calendar but cannot be assigned to a long journey because they need to observe a rest period or because their remaining driving capacity is insufficient.

For internal planning, it is good practice not to use maximum limits as the standard. Traffic, loading and unloading waits, and unforeseen events must be absorbable without forcing the company to replan in an emergency every day.

Goods and special transport

Dangerous goods subject to ADR, waste, perishable foodstuffs, animals, exceptional transport and other regulated sectors may require additional requirements for the driver, vehicle and documentation. A standard "truck + CQC" checklist is not enough.

This is why the company record should distinguish what is always required from what applies only to particular services. The safest approach is to link requirements to the order type, rather than rely on one "authorised yes/no" field.

Example and checklist

An order requires 16 tonnes of goods to be delivered internationally. Truck A is available, but its bodywork is not suitable. Truck B is suitable, but the driver usually assigned to it has a driving-time situation that makes the plan fragile. Truck C and a second driver are compatible.

The right choice is not "take the first available vehicle", but to compare the order, vehicle and driver as a single set.

Checklist:

• weight/quantity of the order available;
• technically compatible vehicle;
• driver with the necessary licence/CQC/authorisations;
• actual, not merely theoretical, availability;
• driving times/rest periods checked;
• special documents/authorisations identified;
• an alternative already known in case of breakdown or absence.