--- title: "Driver dispatch" description: "Assign orders to drivers by hand or automatically, group nearby orders into one trip, cap driver capacity, and let drivers accept requests in the app." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/features/driver-dispatch/ --- [Delivery and drivers](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/?category=delivery#feature-catalog) # Send every order to the right driver. Assign orders to drivers yourself, or let an automatic-assignment method choose within the radius and driver limits you configure. Group nearby orders into one trip, cap how many orders a driver carries at once, and give drivers a clear place to accept or reject what reaches them. [Start for free](https://accounts.ordering.co/)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) Included in every plan Restaurant, Marketplace, and Enterprise Works in - Dashboard [See pricing](https://www.ordering.co/pricing/) Driver dispatch ## What you can do - ### Manual assignment Open a delivery order and assign it to a driver in one click. The driver list separates available, busy, and not-available drivers, so you always see who can take the job. - ### Automatic assignment Choose how new orders reach eligible drivers: one at a time, sent to every eligible driver at once, to the nearest available driver, in limited batches as the search radius expands, in round robin, or with a custom method your project configures. - ### Assignment radius and reach Set the maximum customer-to-business distance that enters the automatic evaluation, how many drivers can receive a request at once, and the search radius that starts small and expands up to a maximum. A forced-assignment option can send a request outside the configured coverage area. - ### Order batching Combine eligible orders into one driver trip within limits you set: a maximum number of orders, the maximum time between them, and the maximum distance between pickup stores and between delivery points, with an optional Google Maps distance and time check. - ### Driver capacity limits Mark a driver as busy automatically once they reach a maximum number of orders, with optional, more detailed limits at selected order-status stages. This limit is separate from the order count configured for batching. - ### Auto-assignment penalties Set a count for missed automatic assignments and a penalty duration in minutes. A driver who misses an assignment can be penalized, and the missed order can move to the end of the assignment queue. - ### Logistics assignment requests Drivers review assignment requests, including grouped ones, in a separate logistics tab in Orders. Only non-expired requests are shown, and the driver opens the order detail before accepting or rejecting. - ### Advanced delivery estimates After accepting a delivery, a driver can enter an estimated delivery time. When a driver accepts a group, each order in it gets its own delivery-time estimate. Dashboard ## Group nearby orders into one trip Use Group orders to define the conditions for combining eligible orders once a delivery reaches the status you choose to start the evaluation. - The status that starts the logistics evaluation, such as Accepted by business or Preparation completed - A maximum number of orders per group; fewer orders can still be grouped - A maximum time between orders - A maximum distance between pickup stores - A maximum distance between delivery points - An optional Google Maps distance and time check, when the project uses Google Maps services Dashboard ## Limit how many orders one driver carries Mark Drivers As Busy sets the capacity controls that keep a driver from being offered more work than they can handle. - A maximum number of orders per driver - Optional, more detailed limits at selected order-status stages - Separate from the order count configured for batching; raising one does not change the other - Applies within the Delivery group the driver belongs to Dashboard and Driver app ## Handle missed automatic assignments Auto-assignment penalties set what happens when a driver does not respond to an automatic assignment in time. - A count associated with missed assignments - A penalty duration, in minutes - A missed automatic assignment can move the order to the end of the assignment queue Driver app ## Drivers review and act on assignment requests Some Driver App configurations add a logistics-request entry to Orders, where a driver reviews an assignment before deciding. - A separate logistics tab in Orders, distinct from the standard order list - Only non-expired requests appear in the list - An individual request, or a grouped request that represents an order group - Open the request to view the order detail before deciding - Accept or reject the assignment from the request detail - An accepted group can lead to a separate delivery-time estimate for each order in it How it works ## From setup to the next order. 1. 01**Group and cap orders** In Delivery > Delivery Groups > Advanced logistics, set the Group orders limits for batching and the Mark Drivers As Busy capacity for each driver. 2. 02**Choose an assignment method** In Auto-assign settings, pick a method, the search radius, and the driver count, and set the penalty for missed automatic assignments. 3. 03**Drivers decide in the app** The driver reviews the request, including grouped ones, in the Orders logistics tab, and accepts or rejects it, entering a delivery-time estimate on acceptance. ## Good to know - A Delivery-group setting configures automatic assignment; a driver still has to accept the request in the app before an order counts as assigned. Confirm the result with an approved test order. - Assignment methods, radius, capacity, and penalties apply within a Delivery group, so confirm its businesses and drivers before relying on them. - Driver capacity limits are separate from the order count configured for batching; changing one does not change the other. ## Related - [Driver Manager](https://www.ordering.co/features/driver-manager/) - [Driver app settings](https://www.ordering.co/features/driver-app-settings/) - [Driver onboarding and schedules](https://www.ordering.co/features/driver-onboarding-and-schedules/) - [Driver Groups](https://www.ordering.co/features/driver-groups/) - [Drivers Reports](https://www.ordering.co/features/drivers-reports/) [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/#feature-catalog) ## See how it fits your operation. Start a free trial, or walk through your setup with the Ordering.co team. Product guide: [Manage a delivery group](https://docs.ordering.co/docs/products/dashboard/delivery/manage-delivery-group/) [Start for free](https://accounts.ordering.co/)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)