What it is
A Driver in Tread is a User with the Driver Role plus a link to a Vendor (your own company or an outside hauler). The Driver record carries the phone number, name, license info, equipment assignment, and pay rate. The lifecycle covers four stages: invite, first login, day-to-day dispatch, and deactivation.
Why it matters
Drivers are the most-edited record in Tread and the most common source of support tickets. Phone-number locks, vendor moves, and EIN changes each have a specific path — using the wrong path duplicates records and breaks payroll.
How Tread models it
- Invitation — Admin creates the Driver, then sends an invite by email or SMS. SMS is default for crews without work email. The driver taps the link, sets a password, lands in the Driver app.
- First login — Driver sees assigned equipment, today’s order, and a start-day button. No order yet shows “no jobs assigned.”
- In review — At shift end the driver submits hours and tickets. The driver-day sits in In Review until a Ticket Approver signs off.
- Phone-number lock — Once created, the phone is locked to that Driver record. Prevents two people authenticating as the same driver.
- Deactivation — Use Deactivate, not Delete. Preserves history (tickets, settlements, hours) and frees the phone for reuse.
| Action | Path | Effect |
|---|
| Driver leaves the company | Deactivate | Phone freed, history kept |
| Driver moves vendor X → Y | Reassign Vendor on the Driver record | Same record, new vendor link |
| Driver’s phone is “in use” error | Deactivate the old record, then reuse | Or edit the existing record |
| Vendor changes EIN or legal name | Create a new Vendor record | 1099s tie to the EIN — do not edit in place |
Common pitfalls
“Phone number already in use” is a feature, not a bug. A regional hauler tried to add a returning driver and hit the lock. The fix: find the old Driver record, deactivate it (which frees the phone), then create the new one. Or edit the existing record and skip the create entirely.
Don’t delete-and-recreate to move a driver between vendors. Reassign the Vendor on the Driver record. Deleting loses ticket and settlement history that’s tied to the original record.
EIN or legal-name changes on a vendor require a new Vendor record. 1099s are issued against the EIN at the time of payment. Editing the EIN on an existing Vendor will misreport prior payments.
