DayRunner vs a spreadsheet or whiteboard for planning tomorrow

A spreadsheet or whiteboard is free, flexible and already on the wall. It works well for one or two vehicles. Once you have several drivers on different licences, work time to track and late changes every evening, it leaves all the checking to you. DayRunner reads tomorrow's bookings, puts a driver and vehicle on every run, checks licence, seats and work time, and drafts the messages. You approve.

What a spreadsheet or whiteboard does well

Be fair to the sheet. It costs nothing, everyone knows how to use it, and you can shape it however you like. A whiteboard in the depot is the first thing drivers see in the morning. Nobody needs a login.

It's also yours. Every odd rule about your business lives in it: the driver who doesn't do the Milford run, the van with the dodgy step, the hotel that needs a call before 7am. For a small operation with one person doing every trip, that's often all you need.

Side by side

Using both together

You don't have to throw the sheet out. Many operators keep it for the things only they track, like staff birthdays, fuel cards or a weekly hire list. DayRunner does the evening plan, and the sheet does the rest.

If your drivers, vehicles or bookings already live in a spreadsheet, that's a head start. Export it as a CSV or Excel file and DayRunner imports it, shows each row before anything is saved, and remembers the column mapping for next time. See integrations.

The whiteboard can stay too. Print the run sheet and pin it up, or let drivers read it on their phones.

When DayRunner isn't the right fit

• You run one or two vehicles and the same person does every trip. A sheet and a routine will do.
• Planning tomorrow takes you under half an hour most nights.
• You don't use online bookings and don't want to export a CSV.
• You want a booking system. DayRunner doesn't take bookings; it plans the day after the sale.

It's worth a look if planning tomorrow takes you more than an hour most evenings, a driver has gone over their hours this season, or only one person knows how the plan gets made. We estimate a small operator spends 2 hours 20 minutes to 3 hours 20 minutes a day on this by hand. That's an estimate from operator interviews and job ads, not a measurement.

How DayRunner does the evening plan

DayRunner reads tomorrow from your booking system and plans the day: a driver and vehicle on every run, checked for licence class, P endorsement, seats, availability and NZ work time rules. It shows only the problems that need you. It drafts each guest's pickup message, supplier reconfirmations and driver briefs. Sending email, SMS and WhatsApp for you is rolling out with pilots. Nothing goes until you approve it.

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