Home RentalOS: Porter System

RentalOS: Porter System

Coordinate vehicle deliveries and pickups with your porter team.

By Jeremy Crane

• 8 articles

Using the Check-In/Check-Out Grid

The Check-In/Check-Out Grid shows today's arrivals and departures at a glance — which vehicles are going out and which are coming back. How to Access 1. Go to the Rental List and scroll to the Check-In/Check-Out Grid section What It Shows The grid is organized into two sections: Check-Outs (Departures) Rentals scheduled to start today: - Renter name - Vehicle - Pickup time - Status (ready, in-progress, completed) - Porter assignment (if applicable) Check-Ins (Returns) Rentals scheduled to end today: - Renter name - Vehicle - Dropoff time - Status - Porter assignment How to Use It The grid is designed for your daily morning review: 1. Check which vehicles are going out — ensure they're ready (clean, fueled, inspected) 2. Check which vehicles are coming back — prepare for inspection and processing 3. Verify porter assignments — make sure each delivery/pickup has a porter assigned Frequently Asked Questions Does the grid update in real-time? Yes. As rentals are checked out or checked in, the grid updates immediately. Can I see tomorrow's schedule? The grid focuses on today. For future dates, use the Fleet Timeline view.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

Porter Calendar Subscription

Porters can subscribe to their job calendar in Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Outlook to see upcoming deliveries and pickups alongside their personal schedule. How to Subscribe 1. Open the Porter Dashboard (Reports → My Porter) 2. Find the Calendar Feed URL 3. Click Copy URL 4. In your calendar app, add a new calendar subscription using the copied URL Google Calendar 1. Open Google Calendar 2. Click the + next to "Other calendars" 3. Select "From URL" 4. Paste the feed URL 5. Click "Add calendar" Apple Calendar 1. Open Calendar app 2. File → New Calendar Subscription 3. Paste the feed URL 4. Click Subscribe What Shows on the Calendar Each job appears as a calendar event showing: - Delivery/pickup type - Address - Vehicle details - Scheduled time Frequently Asked Questions How often does the calendar update? The feed updates in real-time on the server. Calendar apps fetch updates on their own schedule (typically every 15 minutes to 24 hours depending on the app). Can I subscribe on multiple devices? Yes. If you use the same calendar account (Google, Apple) across devices, the subscription syncs automatically.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

Logging Porter Expenses

Porters can log fuel, toll, and parking expenses for reimbursement. Expenses are tracked separately from the base porter rate. How to Log an Expense 1. Open the Porter Dashboard (Reports → My Porter) or the Pocket Rental app 2. Go to the Expenses tab 3. Click Add Expense 4. Select the type (Fuel, Tolls, Parking, Other) 5. Enter the amount 6. Add a note or description 7. Submit Expense Types | Type | Example | | --- | --- | | Fuel | $45.00 — Filled up for long-distance delivery | | Tolls | $12.50 — Toll road charges | | Parking | $20.00 — Airport parking while waiting for renter | | Other | $5.00 — Car wash before delivery | Approval & Reimbursement Logged expenses are visible to the admin. When the admin processes porter payouts, they review expenses and include reimbursement in the payout amount. Frequently Asked Questions Do I need receipts? Logging the amount and description is sufficient in the system, but check with your admin about their receipt requirements. When will I be reimbursed? Expenses are included in your next porter payout. Payout timing depends on your organization's schedule (typically weekly or bi-weekly).

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

Claiming & Completing Porter Jobs

When a porter is assigned a delivery or pickup, they claim the job to confirm they'll handle it, then complete it when done. Claiming a Job 1. Open the Pocket Rental app on your phone 2. View the Jobs tab 3. Find the assigned job 4. Tap Claim Claiming tells the admin you've accepted the assignment and will handle the delivery/pickup. Completing a Job 1. Navigate to the delivery/pickup location 2. Complete the vehicle handoff with the renter 3. In the Pocket Rental app, open the job 4. Take photos of the vehicle condition 5. Add any notes (e.g., "Renter requested specific parking spot") 6. Tap Complete Job Detail Screen The job detail in the Pocket Rental app shows: - Delivery address with navigation link (opens Maps) - Pickup/dropoff time - Vehicle details — year, make, model, color, license plate - Renter contact info — name and phone for coordination - Earning amount — What you'll be paid for this job Frequently Asked Questions What if I can't make a claimed job? Contact your admin as soon as possible. They can reassign the job to another porter. Can I complete a job without photos? Photos are strongly recommended for documentation purposes, but the system may allow completion without them depending on your organization's configuration.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

The Porter Dashboard (Jobs, Earnings & Expenses)

The Porter Dashboard is the porter's personal view of their jobs, earnings, and expenses. Porters access this through the web dashboard or the Pocket Rental mobile app. How to Access 1. Go to Reports → My Porter (this view is personalized to the logged-in user) Dashboard Sections Jobs Shows all assigned jobs with: - Delivery/pickup details (address, date, time) - Vehicle information - Job status (pending, claimed, completed) - Earnings per job Earnings Summary of total earnings including: - Total jobs completed - Total earnings (jobs × porter rate) - Payouts received - Balance (earned but not yet paid out) Expenses Porters can log expenses for reimbursement: - Fuel — Gas purchased for deliveries - Tolls — Highway toll charges - Parking — Parking fees at delivery locations Expenses are submitted with receipt amounts and reviewed by the admin before being included in payouts. Frequently Asked Questions Can a porter see other porters' earnings? No. Each porter only sees their own jobs, earnings, and expenses. How do expenses get reimbursed? Logged expenses are visible to the admin in Porter Settings and Reports. Admins include expense reimbursement when processing porter payouts.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

Assigning a Porter to a Rental

When a rental needs vehicle delivery or pickup, assign a porter from the rental detail page. How to Assign 1. Open the rental detail view 2. Go to the Porter tab 3. Click Assign Porter 4. Select a porter from the dropdown (shows all porters from your roster) 5. Confirm the assignment What Happens - The porter receives a push notification in the Pocket Rental app - The job appears in the porter's job list with delivery details (address, time, vehicle) - The default porter rate is applied to this job (can be overridden) - The job shows on the Check-In/Check-Out Grid Porter Rate Override Each assignment uses the default porter rate from Settings. If you need to pay more (e.g., long-distance delivery), you can override the rate on this specific assignment. Frequently Asked Questions Can I assign the same porter to both delivery and pickup? Yes. Assign them for the delivery at rental start and for the pickup at rental end. These are tracked as separate jobs. What if no porters are available? You'll need to handle the delivery yourself or wait for a porter to become available. The system shows all porters regardless of their current job load.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

Porter Management View (Admin)

The Porter Management View gives admins visibility into all porter activity — open jobs, completed deliveries, and porter performance. How to Access 1. Go to Reports → Porter Management What You'll See - Open jobs — Delivery and pickup assignments that haven't been completed - Assigned porters — Which porter is assigned to each job - Job status — Pending, claimed, in-progress, completed - Completion timestamps — When each job was claimed and finished Managing Jobs - Reassign — If a porter can't make a delivery, reassign to another porter - Cancel — Cancel a porter job if the delivery is no longer needed - Review — Check completed job details including photos and notes Frequently Asked Questions Can I see where my porters are in real-time? The system shows job status (claimed, in-progress) but does not provide GPS tracking. You can communicate with porters through the chat feature.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026

How the Porter Management System Works

The Porter Management System handles vehicle delivery and pickup logistics. Porters are your delivery drivers — they transport vehicles between your lot and the renter's location. How the System Works The porter workflow follows this cycle: 1. Admin assigns a porter to a rental's delivery or pickup on the Rental Detail page 2. Porter receives notification in the Pocket Rental app on their phone 3. Porter claims the job — confirms they'll handle the delivery 4. Porter drives to pickup location — navigates to your lot or the renter's address 5. Porter completes the job — marks delivery as done with photos and notes 6. Admin reviews and pays — reviews completed jobs and sends payouts Key Components | Component | Who Uses It | Where | | --- | --- | --- | | Porter Settings | Admin | Settings → Rentals → Porters | | Porter Assignment | Admin | Rental Detail → Porter tab | | Porter Dashboard | Porter | Reports → My Porter | | Porter Mobile App | Porter | Pocket Rental app | | Check-In/Out Grid | Admin | Rental List → Check-In/Out Grid | Why It Matters For rental operators offering delivery (especially on Pocket Drives), the porter system automates what would otherwise be manual coordination — who's driving which car where, when they need to be there, and how much they're earning. What Makes It Powerful - Mobile-first — Porters manage everything from their phone - Real-time tracking — Know when jobs are claimed, in-progress, and completed - Expense tracking — Porters log fuel, tolls, and parking for reimbursement - Automated payouts — Calculate earnings and send payments through Mercury - Calendar sync — Porters subscribe to their job calendar in Google/Apple Calendar Frequently Asked Questions Do porters need to be employees? No. Porters can be independent contractors. The system tracks their jobs and earnings for 1099 purposes. How many porters can I have? There's no limit. Add as many porters as your operation needs.

Last updated on Jul 08, 2026