This relay load planning spreadsheet helps dispatchers and fleet managers organize connected freight legs, transfer timing, equipment assignments, and estimated financial results. It is a free Excel template for 2026 planning, with one row for each relay leg and a shared Relay ID linking legs in the same movement.
Enter route, schedule, resource, mileage, revenue, and cost information on the Relay Plan sheet. Excel calculates duration, average speed, fuel, estimated costs, margin, connection gaps, and review checks. Populated records such as RLY-2601, DR-101, TR-201, and TL-301 are samples. The remaining prepared operating rows retain formulas that display blank results until related inputs are entered.
In practice
What this workbook helps you do
- ✓Keeps sequential relay legs together under a shared Relay ID.
- ✓Compares transfer timing and route continuity between consecutive legs.
- ✓Estimates planned fuel, driver cost, maintenance cost, total cost, and margin by leg.
- ✓Summarizes load activity, open legs, miles, fuel, revenue, margin, and planning issues.
Instructions
How to use the file
1. Replace the sample resource records
Begin on Resources. Driver records occupy A5:G104, tractors use I5:M104, and trailers use O5:S104. Replace or remove the populated examples before using the file for current operations. Enter driver availability, maximum shift hours, and active status. For equipment, record IDs, home terminals, status, and relevant details such as tractor odometer readings or trailer maximum payload. Each resource area has 100 prepared data rows.
2. Enter each relay movement one leg at a time
Enter operating information in Relay Plan columns A:R, rows 6:1000. Assign connected rows the same Relay ID, then enter a sequential Leg # from 1 through 10. Other user inputs include status, priority, customer, freight description, load weight, origin, destination, driver ID, tractor ID, trailer ID, planned MPG, leg revenue, and tolls or other costs.
3. Add planned times and manual route miles
Complete Planned Depart and Planned Arrival for every operating leg. After Leg 1, each origin should match the previous leg's destination. Enter Planned Miles manually because the file does not create routes or calculate mileage. All dates and times should use one agreed operational time basis; the workbook does not make time-zone adjustments.
4. Review formulas without overwriting them
Columns S:AG are calculated outputs covering duration, average speed, fuel, costs, margin, connection gap, review checks, and the leg key. Review Handoff Check, Assignment Check, Capacity Check, and Plan Check before relying on the Dashboard. Its legend marks user input in yellow, calculated cells in blue, review items in amber, and problems in red.
Inside the file
Included features
Structure Multi-Leg Relay Loads in Excel
Each Relay Plan row represents one leg rather than one complete load. Related legs share a Relay ID and use ordered leg numbers. The table accepts Planned, Tendered, In Transit, Completed, and Canceled statuses, along with High, Normal, and Low priorities.
The entry area also records freight description, load weight, origin, destination, planned departure and arrival, assigned resources, miles, MPG, revenue, and additional costs. Date validation covers January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2035. Planned miles accept values from 1 to 3,000, while load weight accepts 0 to 80,000 lb.
Check Relay Handoffs and Resource Assignments
Connection Gap calculates the hours between a leg's departure and the preceding leg's arrival. Handoff Check can identify first legs, canceled rows excluded from review, missing information, tight handoffs, overlaps, and acceptable connections. The initial minimum buffer is 0.5 hours and is editable in Settings.
Driver, tractor, and trailer selections come from the Resources lists. Assignment Check identifies rows needing assignment review. Capacity Check compares the entered load weight with the selected trailer's maximum payload and can flag an over-capacity result or an invalid trailer. Resource records remain manual planning inputs rather than live fleet data.
Calculate Planned Fuel, Cost, and Margin
Duration is calculated from planned arrival minus planned departure. Average speed divides entered miles by duration. Planned fuel divides miles by Planned MPG; when MPG is blank, the initial default of 7 MPG from Settings is used.
Fuel Cost uses the editable diesel price, initially $3.85 per gallon. Driver Cost uses duration and the initial $30 hourly rate. Maintenance Cost multiplies planned miles by the value in Settings cell B9. Estimated Total Cost combines fuel, driver, maintenance, and entered tolls or other costs. Estimated Margin subtracts total cost from revenue, and margin percentage is calculated when revenue is present and nonzero.
Read the Relay Planning Dashboard
The Dashboard uses the current date and reports total relay loads, open legs, planned miles, planned fuel in gallons, planned revenue, estimated cost, estimated margin, margin percentage, handoff alerts, and plan issue rows. Its status table lists leg counts and miles for every available status, and the workbook's single chart displays leg counts by status.
Separate review totals cover tight handoffs, overlapping handoffs, resource problems, capacity problems, and invalid or missing plans. Principal totals for loads, open legs, miles, fuel, revenue, cost, and margin exclude canceled rows according to the summary formulas.
Common questions
About this workbook
The populated rows demonstrate the layout and calculation flow; they are not current operating records. Replace or remove sample relay and resource entries before reviewing your own plan. Prepared rows through row 1000 on Relay Plan contain formulas, even when their calculated cells appear blank.
The Planned Fuel formula uses the default MPG stored in Settings. Its initial value is 7 MPG and its validation range is 3 to 12. Entering a leg-specific MPG overrides that default for the row.
Yes. The connection calculation compares a later leg's planned departure with the previous leg's planned arrival under the same Relay ID. A negative connection gap can produce an overlap review result, while a positive gap below the configured minimum can be treated as a tight handoff.
Driver IDs come from Resources cells A5:A104, tractor IDs from I5:I104, and trailer IDs from O5:O104. Status and type choices are maintained through lists on Settings, including driver active choices, equipment statuses, and trailer types.
No. Route miles are manual, time zones are not adjusted, and resource information is not live. Dispatchers must verify actual driver and equipment availability, route feasibility, and operating requirements. The workbook does not replace accounting, legal, tax, DOT/FMCSA, safety, or compliance advice.
Editorial team
Prepared and checked with care
Casey Morgan
Fleet operations editorCasey turns dispatch, driver, vehicle, and delivery workflows into clear workbook guides.
About the editorial identities
Jordan Lee
Workbook quality editorJordan documents the automated formula, recalculation, download, and usability checks applied before publication.
About the editorial identities