Reassign or override a vehicle assignment
Sometimes the wrong vehicle ends up on a booking — it is needed elsewhere, has gone in for service, or a better fit is free. This article explains how a fleet manager overrides an existing assignment and gets the driver onto a different vehicle.
Choose the right path for the booking's state
There is no single "swap vehicle" button; how you override depends on where the booking is in its lifecycle. Because Cancelled and Rejected bookings never occupy a vehicle's slot, ending a booking always frees its vehicle immediately for reassignment.
| Current state | How to override |
|---|---|
| Request still PendingManagerAssignment | Nothing is assigned yet — simply pick a different vehicle from the available-vehicles list when you assign the request. |
| Auto-assigned booking still PendingApproval | Reject it with a reason. The slot is freed and the driver can run auto-assign again, which may select a different vehicle per your strategy. |
| Booking already Confirmed or Active | Cancel it as a fleet manager, then rebook on the correct vehicle (see below). |
Override a confirmed booking
- Open the booking that is on the wrong vehicle.
- Use the fleet cancel action and enter a reason — a reason is required. This requires the
bookings:managepermission. - The booking moves to Cancelled and the driver is automatically notified with your reason. The vehicle's slot is now free.
- Create a replacement booking on the intended vehicle using the workflow your organization runs:
- Manager-assign: ask the driver to resubmit the request, then assign the correct vehicle.
- Auto-assign: have the driver run auto-assign again for the same window.
- Self-service: the driver books the specific vehicle directly.
Warning: Overriding a confirmed booking means cancelling it — there is no silent in-place vehicle change. Always give a clear reason so the driver understands why their vehicle changed, and confirm the replacement booking exists before considering the override complete.
Tip: When reassigning to balance the fleet, check each candidate's utilization percentage. Moving a trip onto a less-used vehicle spreads wear and mirrors what the LeastUtilized auto-assign strategy would do.
What the driver sees
The driver receives a cancellation notification with your reason. If you rebook through manager-assign, they then receive a fulfilment notification for the new vehicle; through auto-assign or self-service they receive a confirmation for the replacement booking.
Related
- How auto-assignment chooses a vehicle
- Require approval for auto-assigned bookings
- Approve or reject a booking request
- Notifications sent on booking events
