Automated scheduling for refrigeration units let you start pre-cooling at a set time, eliminating the need to manually set temperatures. It helps ensure that the TRU is at the required set point when the driver is ready to depart. You can set temperature controls on a calendar, improving pull-down efficiency and preventing improper TRU use during loading or other unsuitable practices.
In this article:
Features and Benefits of Scheduled Pre-Cool
This automated pre-cooling feature lets fleet managers:
Schedule an automation of a series of two way commands that will turn on compartments and set the compartment setpoint(s)
Create one or more schedules for their assets
Define the set point for one or more compartments
Define the days and times when the schedule should run
Define exception dates on which the schedule should not run.
De-activate a schedule temporarily
Benefits of scheduled pre-cool:
Eliminates the need for human intervention to initiate pre-cooling before daily routes begin
Improves operational efficiency by letting you pre-plan which assets should be started and cooled down at which time.
Encourages best-practice TRU usage
The Scheduled Pre-Cool functionality is currently in Beta testing and is not available to all users. We welcome customer feedback to improve it.
Requirements for Using Scheduled Pre-Cool
Scheduled pre-cool is only supported for TRUs with APX controllers.
For the scheduled pre-cool to run at the scheduled time, the asset must meet the following conditions:
TRU is on
Asset is not moving
TRU is plugged into the grid (for eCool units only)
If the asset doesn't meet these conditions at the time of the schedule, Lynx Fleet will not automatically retry and the unit will not begin pre-cool.
Commands issued by Schedule Pre-cool will show in Command History.
Accessing Pre-Cool Schedules
You can view and create pre-cool schedules in the Command History section. To access Command History, click on the double-arrow icon in the left navigation. If you have permission to access the schedules, you will see a Schedules tab at the top.
Schedules List
In the Schedules tab, you will find a list of pre-cool schedules available to you.
The schedules list includes:
Schedule Name - Name created for the schedule by a user
Status - Indicates if a schedule is currently active or inactive
Assets - Count of assets included in this schedule; click on this count to view a list of the assets
Details - Click the View button to see a pop-up to see details of the schedule
Start Date - When the schedule is planned to start
Schedule Day(s) - Lists the days of the week that the schedule will be in effect
Exception Dates - Dates to be excluded from the scheduled automation
Scheduled Time - Time that the schedule will execute on the planned days
Last Run On - Last date and time that the scheduled automation executed
Company - Company the schedule pertains to
Success - Count of assets that successfully had this schedule run on them
Failure - Count of assets where this schedule failed to run
Created By - User who created the schedule
Created On - Date and time schedule was created
Modified By - User who last edited the schedule
Modified On - Date and time that the schedule was last edited
An Excel or CSV export can be generated from this list.
Create a Schedule
To create a new schedule, click the Add Schedule button above the schedules list.
The Add Schedule pop-up will display and you can go through the steps to create a schedule.
1 - Select assets
Enter a name for your schedule
Select the company to associate the schedule with
Optionally, select a fleet
The selected company and fleet will be used to get a list of assets.
Select one or more assets that the schedule should apply to.
2 - Set temperatures
Select one or more compartments and what the setpoint temperature should be. This value will be used to set the compartment setpoints for the selected assets.
The temperature must be between -20°C and 35°C.
3 - Schedule pulldown
This step lets you set the schedule for automation.
Recurrence - Select how frequently the schedule should run.
Daily
Weekly
Specific Days
If this option is selected, highlight the days of the week for the schedule
Start Date - Date on which the schedule becomes effective
Pulldown Time - Time at which the 2-way command is automatically sent to start the pre-cool
Time Zone - Time zone for the selected time.
4- Set exception dates (optional)
If there are dates when the schedule should not run, add them in this step. For example, if there are holidays when you don't use your refrigerated trailers.
Edit a Schedule
There are 2 ways to edit a schedule:
Click on the View button in the Details column in the schedules list and click the Edit option in the details pop-up.
Click the actions menu (triple dots icon) on a row in the schedules list and select the Edit option.
A pop-up will display and allow you to edit the details of the schedule. This has the same steps as the Add Schedule process.
Pause or Enable a Schedule
To switch a schedule from enabled to paused (or vice versa), click the actions menu (triple dots icon) on a row in the schedules list and use the Paused/Enabled toggle.
Delete a Schedule
To delete a schedule, select the actions menu (triple dots icon) on the row of that schedule in the list. Select the Delete option from the menu.
A pop-up will display to confirm your request to delete.
Related Articles
Two-Way Commands & Command History - Control certain asset functions from the Lynx Fleet platform
Understanding Electrification - Overview of managing Electric assets in Lynx Fleet
Have More Questions?
Contact Carrier at lynx-support@carrier.com for more information about Lynx Fleet.