The Bidding Feature in Hitch allows groups of Transporters to bid on an order instead of assigning the order directly to a specific transporter for a set price.
Settings
In order to use the bidding feature, a View Config Admin must enable “Show Bidding” in your company’s General Configuration settings.
Then, Transporters can be added to groups so you can assign a group to bid when an order is created. Contact your RunBuggy representative for assistance with creating these groups.
To add a Transporter to a bidding group, go to Companies Management under your name at the top right, then change the dropdown at the top to Transporter Accounts.
Select the Transport company you want to add to a group. On the Transporter’s account page under Additional Information on the right, check the box for the bidding group(s) you want to associate them with, then click Save.
Creating a Bidding Order
When you create an order, change the Order Type to Bidding, then select the Bidding Transport Group you want to bid on the order. If you do not select a group, all your transporters will be able to bid on the order. Once an order is created, bidding is available for 24 hours.
Placing a Bid on Web
Once a bidding order is created, the Transporters in the bidding group will receive email, text, and app notifications that an order is available for bidding.
Transporters must have Available Bidding Notifications turned on to receive these notifications.
These Transporters will also see orders available for bidding under the Orders > Bidding tab.
Bids can be placed from 3 places: List View, Grid view, and Order Details.
1. On the Bidding tab List View, click the blue button to the left of an order, then click Place Bid.
2. On the Bidding tab Grid View, click the 3 dots at the far right of an order, then click Place Bid.
3. Order Details: In List View, click the blue button to the left of an order to view the Order Details and place a bid.
In Grid View, click the 3 dots at the far right of an order to view the Order Details and place a bid.
Next, on the Order Details Page, click Place Bid at the bottom left, then enter a Bidding Amount, Pick-up Window, Drop-off Window, and optional Notes.
Transporters will not see bids placed by other transporters.
A bid can be resubmit/changed during the bidding window (24 hours from order creation) by following the same steps above.
Placing a Bid on Mobile
Bidding orders will be visible to transporters on mobile on the Search tab and will have a gavel/mallet icon.
The color of the bidding icon indicates status:
- Blue: No bid submitted yet (Available action: Place Bid)
- Green: Bid submitted (Available action: Resubmit/change Bid)
- Gray: Bidding complete - bidding is closed (no action available)
To place a bid on mobile:
1. Go to the search tab (magnifying icon in bottom row) on your RunBuggy mobile app.
2. Tap the order you’d like to bid on. Available orders are indicated with a blue gavel/mallet icon
.
3. Tap “Place Bid” at the bottom. Enter your Bidding Amount, Pick Up Window, Drop Off Window, and any desired notes. Then tap Place Bid again.
A bid can be resubmit/changed during the bidding window (24 hours from order creation) by following the same steps above. Orders available for resubmitting a bid are indicated with a green gavel/mallet icon. A gray gavel/mallet icon indicates that bidding is closed.
Assigning the Order
Once a bid is placed, it will show up in the Bidding History for the Admin or Shipper who created the order, who can then Assign the Transporter that they choose based on bidding.
The order can be assigned to a transporter from 3 places: List View, Grid view, and Order Details.
1. On List View, click the blue button to the left of an order, then click Assign Transprter.
2. On Grid View, click the 3 dots at the far right of an order, then click Assign Transporter.
3. Order Details: In List View, click the blue button to the left of an order to view the Order Details and place a bid.
In Grid View, click the 3 dots at the far right of an order to view the Order Details and place a bid.
On the Order Details screen, scroll down and click Assign Transporter.
A list of transporters that bid on the order will appear at the top right. Select the transporter you want to assign and then click Assign Transporter again. A green pop-up will appear after to let you know the task is completed.
If an order is not bid on or assigned within 24 hours, the Admin or Shipper will need to put the order on hold and then release the hold to restart the bidding window.