Managing DriversAdjusting Overtime and Additional Shifts

Adjusting Overtime and Additional Shifts

This guide explains how to control how much extra work Dynamic Scheduler is allowed to assign, using either Custom Weekly Shift Hours or Additional Shifts, and how to apply it to specific drivers.

Overview

By default, Dynamic Scheduler follows preset limits when assigning routes. You can raise those limits at the company level and selectively apply the increase to individual drivers, giving you more flexibility during high-volume weeks.

Depending on which version of Dynamic Scheduler your workspace runs, you'll see one of two settings under Scheduling Features in Company Settings:

  • Custom Weekly Shift Hours raises the limit in hours per week.
  • Additional Shifts raises the limit in number of shifts per week.

Only one of the two appears in your workspace. Both work the same way: turn the setting on, choose a value, then pick which drivers it applies to.

Default Weekly Shift Hour Limits

Before using this feature, it's helpful to understand the standard limits Dynamic Scheduler uses:

  • 42 hours for all drivers

  • 56 hours if any of the following apply:

    • The driver is Solo 2 only

    • The driver is assigned to a 4x4 contract

    • Your carrier only operates Solo 2 contracts

Dynamic Scheduler will always respect these defaults unless Custom Weekly Shift Hours is enabled.

Step 1: Enable Custom Weekly Shift Hours at the Company Level

Custom Weekly Shift Hours is configured in Company Settings and applies across your organization.

  1. Go to Company Settings

  2. Navigate to Scheduling Features

  3. Find Custom Weekly Shift Hours

  4. Toggle the setting On

  5. Click Edit to open the configuration drawer

  6. Enter your desired weekly shift hour limit

  7. Save your changes

Validation Rules

  • Minimum value: 56 hours

  • Maximum value: 70 hours

  • The field cannot be empty

Once saved, the custom value will be displayed next to the toggle.

Important: Enabling this setting does not automatically increase hours for all drivers. You must apply it to individual drivers in the next step.

Step 2: Apply Custom Weekly Shift Hours to Specific Drivers

After setting a company-wide overtime limit, you can choose which drivers are allowed to use it.

  1. Go to the Drivers page and click the driver's row to edit them

  2. Locate Use Custom Weekly Shift Hours

  3. Select Yes to allow this driver to exceed default limits (up to the custom value)

  4. Save the driver record

Drivers set to No will continue to follow the default weekly shift hour rules.

How Dynamic Scheduler Uses Custom Weekly Shift Hours

When importing routes, Dynamic Scheduler applies overtime rules in two phases:

  1. Primary pass — Routes are assigned to all drivers using default weekly limits first.

  2. Secondary pass — If routes remain unassigned, Dynamic Scheduler assigns additional routes only to drivers with Custom Weekly Shift Hours enabled, up to the configured limit.

This ensures overtime is used intentionally and only when necessary.

Additional Shifts

Where Custom Weekly Shift Hours works in hours, Additional Shifts works in whole shifts. Dynamic Scheduler gives each driver up to three shifts a week by default, or up to four when the driver runs Solo 2 (SO2) routes only, or when your carrier only operates SO2 contracts.

Step 1: Turn on Additional Shifts at the company level

  1. Go to Company Settings

  2. Navigate to Scheduling Features

  3. Find Additional Shifts

  4. Toggle the setting On

  5. Choose how many extra shifts to allow: 0, 1, or 2

  6. Save your changes

Setting a value of 1, for example, lets Dynamic Scheduler schedule up to four shifts per driver, or up to five for a driver who runs SO2 routes only.

Step 2: Apply Additional Shifts to specific drivers

  1. Go to the Drivers page and click the driver's row to edit them

  2. Set Additional Shifts to allow this driver to take extra shifts

  3. Save the driver record

Drivers left switched off continue to follow the default shift counts.

Turning Additional Shifts on doesn't mean every eligible driver picks up extra shifts. Dynamic Scheduler only uses them when there aren't enough drivers to cover the routes.

Additional Shifts doesn't change the shift counts of drivers working a shift pattern. Drivers on a 2 on 2 off or 4 on 4 off rotation keep their pattern.

When to Use This Feature

Raising the limit, with either setting, is best used when:

  • Peak volume weeks require additional driver utilization

  • You want tighter control over which drivers can take on extra hours

  • You want to avoid globally increasing overtime exposure

Need Help?

If you're unsure how to configure this feature for your operation or are seeing unexpected scheduling behavior, contact the Laminar Copilot Support Team for assistance.

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