Lesson 1 of 7 · 6 min
How 4fleet decides which rate to use
The order in which a quote picks its rate, how the vehicle class is found, what the default class does, and the five ways a job can be priced.
The most specific rate wins
When a quote is calculated, 4fleet looks for a rate in a fixed order:
- A rate set for that vehicle and that service, if per-vehicle service rates are switched on.
- The rate card of the vehicle class.
- The vehicle's own rates, used only when its class has no rate card.
Per-vehicle service rates are off in a new workspace. The switch is Use per-vehicle service rates in Settings > Services & pricing > Service setup. While it is off, any service rates you typed on a vehicle are stored but ignored.
How the class is found
A vehicle assigned to the enquiry decides the class. Without one, the class suggested on the enquiry is used. When no class is named at all, the default class prices the job, and that is normal.
When a specific class was asked for but has no rates, the default class prices it as an estimate. The quote then says it was priced with an estimated class rate and is marked Needs Details, so it cannot go out as if it were that class's price. When nothing can price the job, the quote tells you which class needs a rate.
Choose the default class on purpose
The default class carries the badge Default in the vehicle class list. Make it the class you sell most often, so a quote with no class named comes out at your usual price, and so an estimate is at least close.
Five ways to price a job
The rate card gives the numbers; the pricing strategy decides how they are used. A quote shows one of five: Point to point, Multi-stop day trip, Hourly / as directed, Day hire or Multi-day hire. Point to point is the base fee plus distance. Hourly and day hire use the hourly and daily rates. A multi-stop day is priced both by distance and by drive time, and the higher of the two is used. The family you give each service in the catalog tells 4fleet how that service is timed.
Advice for a new workspace
Price with class rate cards first. Give a vehicle its own rates only when that one vehicle really costs a client something different, and switch on per-vehicle service rates only when you keep a full price list per vehicle and service. One model is easier to check than three. Whenever you are unsure which rate a combination uses, open Settings > Services & pricing > Vehicle assignments and read the coverage table.
Step by step in the Help Center
- Check which rate prices each service and class
Read the pricing coverage table to see which rate prices each service and vehicle class, and find the ones that cannot be quoted.
- Set rates for a vehicle class
Enter a base rate, hourly rate, distance rate and minimum charge for each vehicle class so quotes can be priced.
- Give one vehicle its own rates
Open a vehicle's pricing panel, set its own distance and hourly rates, and check whether quotes use them or the class rate card.
- Create vehicle classes and choose a default
Add vehicle classes from presets or by hand, set capacity and a default class, and switch classes off instead of deleting them.