Creating Reservations from the Calendar

Creating Reservations from the Calendar

The calendar view is the fastest way to spin up a new reservation when you already know which trailer and which day. Instead of walking through a blank New Reservation form, you point at the slot you want, and TrailerBase pre-fills most of the fields for you.

One click to start

Open the Calendar from the left nav. Each row is a trailer in your fleet, and the columns are dates (or hours, in day view). Click any empty cell and a New Reservation drawer slides in from the right with:

• Trailer already selected (the row you clicked)
• Pickup date set to the cell's date
• Return date set to one day later by default
• A blank renter field ready for you to pick or add a new one

The drawer stays anchored while you fill in the rest, so you can keep an eye on the calendar for conflicts and adjacent bookings.

Drag to extend duration

Rather than clicking and then editing the dates, you can click-and-drag across multiple cells before releasing. The drag highlights the range in blue, and the drawer opens with the exact pickup-to-return window you drew. This is the shortcut most power users settle into — grab a weekend, grab a whole week, grab a three-hour afternoon slot.

If you need to tweak after the drag, you can still:

• Resize the highlighted range with the handles on either end.
• Type exact times into the drawer's date fields.
• Toggle between hourly and daily pricing if your fleet supports both.

Conflict detection

The moment the drawer opens, TrailerBase checks the trailer's calendar for overlaps. If the slot you drew collides with an existing reservation, a maintenance hold, or a blocked date, you will see a yellow warning strip at the top of the drawer with the conflicting item named. You can:

• Adjust your dates to avoid the conflict.
• Switch the trailer to a different unit of the same type.
• Override with a note (useful for double-booked pickups where one is a same-day turnaround).

Choosing the renter

Start typing a name or email in the Renter field. TrailerBase searches your existing records and shows matches. If the renter is new, click + Add new renter inline — a mini form expands so you can capture first name, last name, email, and phone without leaving the drawer. You can fill in the rest later from their profile.

Finalizing

Before saving, confirm the price summary that calculates from your rate cards (daily, weekly, add-ons). Add any notes, attach delivery if needed, and click Create Reservation. The calendar updates instantly with the new block in your brand color, and a confirmation email goes out to the renter.

Tips

• Double-click an existing reservation block to open it for quick edits without leaving the calendar.
• Right-click an empty slot for a contextual menu with Create, Block Dates, or Schedule Maintenance.
• Shift-click multiple cells to block a range for maintenance in one gesture.

Calendar-first creation is the method most dispatchers prefer. Once you are in the habit, new reservations take under 30 seconds end to end.