Creating a New Reservation

Creating a New Reservation

Creating a reservation is the single most common thing you will do in TrailerBase. This guide walks through the full flow from empty form to confirmed booking in about a minute.

Step 1: Open the New Reservation form

You can start a reservation from three places:

1. Rentals > New - The full reservation form in a drawer.
2. Calendar - Click any empty slot on any trailer row; the form opens pre-filled with that trailer and date.
3. Global New button in the top bar - Pick New Rental.

All three open the same form.

Step 2: Pick the renter

In the Renter field, start typing a name, phone number, or email. TrailerBase searches your existing renters live.

• Found them? Click to select. Their contact info and payment methods auto-load.
• New renter? Click Add new renter at the bottom of the dropdown. A mini-form lets you capture name, phone, email, and optionally driver license number - all in-line without leaving the reservation form.

Step 3: Pick the trailer

In the Trailer field, pick from your fleet. The dropdown shows:

• Trailer name
• Type badge (Dump, Enclosed, etc.)
• Availability indicator - Green if available on your chosen dates, amber if partially conflicting, red if unavailable

TrailerBase will not let you save a reservation that overlaps an existing booking or blocked date.

Step 4: Choose dates

Click the Pickup and Return fields to open the calendar picker. The calendar:

• Shows existing reservations for the selected trailer as grayed-out ranges
• Highlights blocked dates (maintenance, owner use) in a different color
• Lets you drag a range or click two dates

The duration auto-calculates and shows the daily count. You can optionally pick pickup and return times (defaults are based on your Settings > Hours of Operation).

Step 5: Review the price

A live price summary on the right side of the form updates as you change dates or add-ons:

• Daily rate x days
• Weekly or monthly discount (applied automatically)
• Cleaning fee
• Delivery fee (if delivery is enabled)
• Taxes
• Security deposit (shown separately, not included in the due total)

You can override any line by clicking it - useful for one-off discounts or custom fees. Overrides are logged in the reservation history.

Step 6: Add notes

The Internal note field is for your team - renters never see it. Common uses: "Wants to pick up at 8am, confirmed by text" or "Second-time renter, returned unit clean last time."

The Renter note field does go on the confirmation email and contract. Use it for specific instructions like "Picking up from the north lot."

Step 7: Save

Click Save reservation. The booking lands in Pending status by default. You will see:

• A toast confirmation
• The reservation appears on the Calendar in the trailer row
• A detail drawer opens so you can take next actions

Step 8: Move it to Accepted

From the detail drawer, click Mark as Accepted (or Accept and charge deposit if you use auto-deposit). This:

• Changes the status to Accepted
• Triggers the confirmation email to the renter if you have that automation on
• Sends the contract for signature if you have that automation on
• Pre-authorizes the deposit if your policy is set that way

What the renter sees

The renter receives an email with:

• Pickup and return dates
• Your pickup address
• Trailer name and hero photo
• The total and payment status
• A link to e-sign the contract
• Your contact info for questions

Common tweaks

• Reschedule - Change dates from the detail drawer; renter is re-notified automatically.
• Cancel - Click Cancel in the drawer, pick a reason, confirm. If deposits were pre-authorized, TrailerBase releases them.
• Duplicate - Use the kebab menu to duplicate a reservation (great for repeat weekly renters).