HammerLane Trucking Software for OTR O/O's and Small Fleets

Welcome to Owner Operator!

To print out the text instructions from this demonstration, click here.

This is the Trip Screen - it is the fundamental screen for the Hammer3 program. From this screen, the driver can view details about the trip he has open, and can also easily view past trips using the arrow keys at the top of the screen.

The screen shows who is driving and when, what stops are scheduled, and financial information about the trip, as well as other calculations that can be entered in optionally.

There are a lot of different tools and reports, but Hammer3 put them in an easy access menu.

By clicking on the menu button, you open up the Menu Screen.

This is where you can set up different groups like vendors, brokers, etc., enter details about your company and drivers, and also print out reports for trips and finances.

Before you start out on a trip, you need to provide some information about your Truck:

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
On the Menu, click "Trucks"
Enter information about your truck
It saves as you go - click "EXIT" when you are done with the truck.

Now you can enter in information about your truck. A truck on its own isn't going anywhere, so you also need to enter in a Driver:

If you tried entering a driver on the truck screen, you may notice that it brought up a list of drivers - that is a 'short-cut' for what we are going to do by hand.
From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
On the Menu, click "Drivers"
To see a list of drivers, click on "Drivers List" and a list will pop up
Enter information about the driver. Information is saved as you go from box to box.
Click "EXIT" when finished

You should probably set up your Company, which formats invoices and other paperwork that Hammer3 makes for you.

From the Open Trip screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Company"
Here you can adjust different settings. If you do not want the help boxes on every screen, you can turn them off here. If you want your stops to count as new Customers for easy repeat entry, set this to YES. However, if every trip is different and you don't visit the same stops often, set this to NO.
You can also use this screen to upgrade from standard Owner/Op Hammer3 to the Leased Fleet version, which supports multiple trucks. The standard Hammer3 doesn't support more than one truck.
When you have finished entering your company data, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

If you are Leased to Company, you will probably want to set that up as well.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Leased to Co."
Once you have set up the Company details, pay rates, etc. click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

By now, you have set up a Truck, Driver, and your Company. It's time to get back to your current trip.

If you are not at the Trip screen, click "EXIT" until you are there (the EXIT button turns into MENU on the Trip Screen)
You can see the list of current stops. Hammer3 starts each trip where the last one left off, since you will usually want to track empty and loaded miles. Changing this is not recommended. If you are running Hammer3 for the first time, though, you can go ahead and add a 'S' type of stop to your first trip.
To Add a Stop, click "Add Stop"
After selecting the kind of stop and the location, you will see the stop listed below. If you want to change the order of the stops, you can click "Change Order" from the Trip Screen, make your changes, and then return to the Trip Screen
At this point, Prophesy can be used to calculate all of the details for the trip that would be considered valuable for invoicing.
From the Trip Screen, click "Miles"
Prophesy calculates miles for the trip depending on what type of routing you selected: Quickest, Shortest or Least Tolls."
If you would like to see the breakdown of these miles, you can click on "State Miles".
It is possible to edit these miles while the trip is open, however, once a trip is closed the miles you enter here are normally locked. This can be toggled on and off.
Click "Exit" to return to the Trip Screen.
If you would like to see the route that Prophesy has selected for your route type, click "Route"
This route report also shows your total state miles for that route. Click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.
You may also view the load miles, total miles, state and empty miles using the "Pre-trip Report, which will be discussed below.

You will probably need to enter additional details during your trip. Hammer3 is aware of different trucking methods of payment and types of service, and now would be a good time to check and make sure your settings are appropriate for your trip:

How are you paid? This is important if you are a LTL shipper, because it changes the way Hammer3 invoices - since you won't write one invoice for the entire trip, but bill per pickup/drop, setting LTL as the "Type Payment" on the Trip Screen will tell Hammer3 to adjust its forms for that trip.
Are you a household mover? If you are, you should set this in the Truck Screen. From the Trip Screen, click "Menu" and then click "Trucks" on the Menu. When this is set to "YES," it is possible to account for additional fees that are associated with the move.

It is possible to record Driver Advances as well on the Trip Screen - these will be reflected when you do billing for the Trip - part of Hammer3's "Single-Entry System"

Most of the work is about trips and the different costs that come out of your pocket, as well as money that finds its way in.

Let's say we are on our way to starting the trip. From this point on, we're assuming you have purchased the Prophesy Mileage Database. If you haven't, certain automatic mile functions will not be available to you - you will have to enter state miles yourself.

In order to calculate State Miles or see the Route, you can click these buttons on the Trip Screen. These will bring up Prophesy Reports and the data will be entered in the State Miles screen for the trip.

As you are traveling along your route, you have to purchase Fuel. Fuel costs can be entered from the Trip Screen:

From the Trip Screen, click "Fuel"
To start a new Fuel Invoice, click "Truck" or "Refer" for the fuel purchase.
Enter in your information, including the fuel cost to three decimal places (0.000)
If you are filling your tank, go ahead and enter your odometer miles. This will enable Hammer3 to give you an accurate MPG count. If you aren't filling up, you can leave the odometer entry blank and the fuel will compound until you enter an odometer reading on another invoice.
Once you have entered the invoice, you can go ahead and click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

While you are driving along, you will probably need to pay Tolls to get across the country. You can enter these from the Trip Screen.

From the Trip Screen, click "Tolls"
On the Toll Screen, click "New" to enter a new toll and state
When finished, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen

Once you get to a pickup you will probably need to deal with Pallets. Pallet control is accessible from the Trip Screen.

If you click on the "Pallet Control" button, it tells you to click the number button next to the stop you are recording information for.
After entering in transaction information (pallets in/out payment) you can view Invoices if you are a LTL shipper. You can view them even if you are not, though there is little point.
Click "EXIT" when you are finished to return to the Trip Screen.

If you are a household mover, then the pallet screen changes to allow you to enter in Accessorial Charges for the drop.

From the Trip Screen, click on the numbered button next to your drop-off stop.
From here, you can add, edit or delete accessorial fees.
You can add a new accessorial type by clicking on the "Accessorial Types" button
Click "New Entry" and fill out the fields.
Click "EXIT" to return to the Accessorial Screen
Click "EXIT when finished to return to the Trip Screen

You may assume different kinds of Expenses during the course of the trip. You can enter these different kinds of expenses from the Trip Screen. Hammer3 has many expense categories already defined and ready to use so that when you choose to handle your books, the information is easy to review.

From the Trip Screen, click "Expense"
Enter the detail from your expense, and Hammer3 puts it all together. Once an item is complete it will appear in the main list
You can add expense types by clicking "Add New Type"
Click "EXIT" when you are done to return to the Trip Screen

When you are ready to Close a trip, the trip is completed, even though you can still enter expenses and other items if you need to later on. You also have the option of locking your state miles once a trip is closed.

To close the trip, click "End Trip" from the Trip Screen.
It will ask you if you really want to setup this truck for the next trip.
It will show you the state miles screen. Make any adjustments necessary.
It will ask you to enter the final mileage from the trip.
It will ask you if you want to print a Trip Report.
It will ask you if you want to print in Income/Expense Report.
The trip is now closed. This action is NOT UNDOABLE.
To add notes to a trip, simply click "Trip Notes" from the Trip Screen and enter whatever you wish. This may be handy if you received a trip from a broker that was poor.

Once a trip is complete, it is time to do some Invoicing. Once a trip is closed, the trip screen changes slightly, so take note.

From the Closed Trip Screen, click "Invoice Customer"
Enter the billing details, make adjustments that are not covered by the trip screen.
Click "View or Print Invoice" to output an invoice for the customer
Click "Close" to return to the Closed Trip Screen

Now it's time to work things out with your leased company and/or broker. Hammer3 allows to you manage the Settlement of accounts on any given trip.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Settlement"
If you have entered any reimbursement information on the Toll or Expense screens for a trip, they will show up here.
Once you have finished, click "Print Current" to print out the settlement for the current trip.
Click "EXIT" to return to the Closed Trip Screen.

When you are not dealing with trips, there is still more work to be done behind the scenes to turn a profit as a trucker.

Hammer3 has a number of tools that put you back in the driver's seat when it comes to what trips should cost, what your daily cost is, and an array of bookkeeping reports to show you where you stand.

Before you have even established your trip or route, you can figure out Estimates for the trip at hand:

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Estimates"
This screen provides summary fields for the possible trip, including the broker selection, stops, etc.
Begin by clicking "New Estimate"
Click on "Broker" and press enter to select from the Broker List. Click "Cancel" if you want to enter a new Broker. Hammer3 will then take you back to the estimate screen.
To add a new stop to the trip, click "New Stop", select the type of stop, and then either select or enter a Stop the same way.
When you are finished, you can print the estimate for your records.

Once you have dedicated yourself to the trip and have entered all the trip details on the trip screen, you can print yourself a Pre-trip Report.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Pretrip Report"
Assuming you have Prophesy Mileage installed, the report will run your miles and output a report that shows state miles, tolls, personal and maintenance reminders, a brief recap of miles traveled and fuel purchased so far in each state, and a list of stops for the particular trip.
You can print this report, or click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

What are Personal / Maintenance Reminders? You can enter important dates and information about your truck that will allow Hammer3 to provide you will two kinds of reminders.

First of all, any valid reminders will appear when you first start the Hammer3 software in red boxes.

Second, these reminders will appear on any Pre-trip Reports that cover the appropriate dates - so you don't forget any birthdays or important maintenance dates while on the road.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Maintenance"
Enter maintenance details, including vendor and cost. This information is only placed in the reports, so it is important that you still ENTER THIS SAME INFORMATION AS AN EXPENSE for it to count on your bookkeeping.
To select a past maintenance entry, click "List" and select an entry from the list.
To print out a monthly report, click "Monthly Report"
To get a full list of the reminders that are due, click "P/M Due Report"
When finished, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen
From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Personal"
Aside from being a personal contact listing for business cards and such, you are able to assign a birthday and other important date to any one of these individuals. You can also customize the different contact number fields however you wish.
To print a list of contacts, click "Print List"
To print out a single contact's information, click "Print Contact"
When finished, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen

During your travels, you should keep track of how many hours you have worked in order to stay within federal law. You can do this using the Recap Log from the Trip Screen.

From the Trip Screen, click "Recap Log"
Each driver is displayed with their important dates and past hourly driving log.
To see how many hours you have available, click on "Today" and enter how many hours you will drive today. Your hours available will depend on the numbers you enter and the past work log.
When you have finished, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

When it comes to doing figures, Hammer3 has several reports at your disposal. Sometimes you want to view the Trip Report for a given trip.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Trip Report"
You can then select to view the Company Report or the Income/Expense Report for the given trip.
Click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

Maybe you want more information, like an Income Report.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Income"
Select your report from this year, last year or year before last.
Next view on screen or else print it out.
Close the report window (upper right 'X') to return to the Trip Screen.

Or, if you want the big picture, you can get a Profit/Loss Summary

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu".
From the Menu, click "PL Summary".
Select a year.
Select month, quarter, or YTD.
Once you have viewed the report, you can restart to show a different report or click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen

You can also view your Bookkeeping income and expenses for the year.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Bookkeeping"
Select the year.
Select the month, quarter or YTD.
You can restart to view another term, or click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen.

If you want to check the overall status of your State Miles and Fuel, you can view the report easily

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "State Miles"
Select State Mile & Fuel or State Mile as a percentage of total miles Report
Depending on the reports, you will need to enter the year or else select the quarter, month and/or year for the Report
Once you have viewed or printed the report, click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen

While you are traveling, you may want to Compare Miles when the actual miles and computer miles differ (if you have to take an extended detour, for example)

From the Trip Screen, click "Mileage Comparison"
Enter the details for the trip and select which mileage will be used for invoicing
Click "EXIT" to return to the Trip Screen

Sometimes getting the big picture is easier than we realize. Although there are a number of unpredictable costs involved in running a rig, there are a lot of fixed expenses that you can use to determine your 'floor operating cost' per day.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Trucks"
From Trucks, click "Truck Fixed Expense"
Enter in your monthly totals and annual premiums where they belong - this way, your fixed non-trip expenses turn into a daily cost figure that you need to match or exceed to stay in business.
You can also play the "What if" game and enter other figures by clicking "What If," which brings up a screen identical to the first screen.

All of this data entry actually put some very valuable information at your fingertip on the original Trip Screen. If you look at the Trip Screen, you will see after filling out all of your information, that there are fields in the lower right that summarize all of these facts and figures in a clear way

Trip Toll Expenses tallies the tolls you have entered for the trip.
Trip Expenses come from your expense entries.
Trip Fuel Expenses and MPG Average come from your fuel and odometer entries
All of the "per mile" fields come from your entries, except for the Average Fixed Expense per mile
Hammer3 then uses all of this data to get to the 'bottom line,' your Profit per month.

If you work with brokers, you can build a list of brokers who provide you with loads.

From the Trip Screen, click "Menu"
From the Menu, click "Brokers"
Enter in whatever information you wish regarding the Broker.
In addition, sometimes you have runs or brokers who have really 'taken you for a ride.' Hammer3 makes it possible for you to keep track of these incidents so that if over the course of doing business someone tries to monkey around, you can set caution flags. Click "View Trip" to view the last trip you got through the broker being viewed.