The Reservation Lifecycle

The Reservation Lifecycle

Every reservation in TrailerBase moves through a predictable set of statuses. Understanding them helps you read your calendar, tune your automations, and explain the workflow to staff.

The happy path

The normal, successful flow is:

Pending > Accepted > Active > Completed

Each step is triggered by either you, the renter, or the system clock.

Pending

A reservation is Pending the moment it is created. It has dates and a trailer, but you have not committed yet.

• Triggered by: A staff member creating a reservation, or a renter booking from your public site.
• Renter email: A soft "Request received" email if your public-site flow created it; no email if staff created it.
• Calendar appearance: Striped fill to indicate tentative hold.

Accepted

You (or an automation) mark the reservation Accepted. The booking is now committed.

• Triggered by: Clicking Accept in the reservation drawer, or an auto-accept rule (for trusted repeat renters).
• Renter email: Confirmation email with pickup info and contract link.
• System actions: Deposit pre-authorization, contract send for e-signature, calendar block converts to solid fill.

Active

When the pickup day arrives and you complete the Check-In flow, the status flips to Active.

• Triggered by: You completing the check-in form with odometer, fuel, and photos.
• Renter email: "You are checked in" receipt with expected return date.
• System actions: Daily billing counter starts, GPS tracking turns on (if integrated), trailer shows as "Out" on the dashboard.

Completed

When the renter returns and you finish the Check-Out flow, the status becomes Completed.

• Triggered by: You completing the check-out form with return photos and final mileage.
• Renter email: Thank-you with the final receipt and invoice PDF.
• System actions: Deposit released (or deductions applied), invoice marked Paid if pre-collected, trailer frees up on calendar.

Side paths

Not every reservation ends happily. TrailerBase supports three off-ramps.

Cancelled

Either party can cancel a reservation at any time before pickup.

• Triggered by: Staff or renter clicking Cancel with a reason (Weather, Change of plans, Other).
• Renter email: Cancellation confirmation with any refund details.
• System actions: Deposit pre-authorization released, trailer freed up on calendar, cancellation reason logged to reporting.

No Show

If the renter does not arrive on pickup day, you can mark the reservation No Show.

• Triggered by: Staff clicking Mark No Show after the pickup window expires.
• Renter email: No-show notice (optional, configurable).
• System actions: Trailer frees up on calendar, the renter profile is flagged.

Rejected

Before a Pending reservation becomes Accepted, you can Reject it.

• Triggered by: Staff declining a Pending request with a reason.
• Renter email: Polite decline with an optional alternative suggestion.
• System actions: No deposit was taken, nothing to refund. Trailer frees up immediately.

Common reject reasons: renter does not meet your age/license policy, trailer has a prior-in maintenance hold, or the request was for a trailer type you are phasing out.

The full status map

Pending -> Accepted | Rejected | Cancelled Accepted -> Active | Cancelled | No Show Active -> Completed Completed -> (terminal) Cancelled, Rejected, No Show -> (terminal)

Automations per transition

Under Settings > Automations, you control which emails and system actions fire on each transition. A typical automation set:

• Pending -> Accepted - Send confirmation email, send contract, pre-auth deposit
• Accepted -> Active - Send "You are checked in" email
• Active -> Completed - Send thank-you with invoice, release deposit
• Any -> Cancelled - Send cancellation email, release any pre-auth