9.13.19 – PBS Bidding Tips: Line Properties

Firday, September 13, 2019

The line tab contains properties which allow you to preference how pairings will be placed on your line. These properties allow you to specify:

• Preferred line value (TCR, maximize credit, etc.)
• How pairings are grouped (work block size, cadence, etc.)
• Efficiency (double-ups, multiple pairings, waivers, etc.)

It is important to remember your Line properties may affect the number of pairings processed, yet you will not see a change in the size of your pairing pool.

For example, in your first layer you bid Prefer Pairing type – IPD which produced 3046 pairings, you also bid the line property Prefer cadence on day of week – Tuesday.  Since there are only 435 IPD trips at your base that originate on Tuesday, the line property would disqualify 2611 pairings from being awarded in this layer.  Your pairing pool would still show 3046 pairings, yet only 435 pairings would be processed in the first layer.  

Persistent Line Properties

When a persistent property is used in a layer, it will remain active throughout the remainder of your bid (unless Clear Bids is used).

The following properties are persistent properties:

• Maximize Credit
• Allow Double-Up on Date
• Allow Multiple Pairings
• Allow Multiple Pairings on Date
• Allow Co-Terminal Mix in a Work Block
• Waive 24 hours Rest in Domicile
• Waive 30 hours in 7 Days
• Waive Minimum Domicile Rest
• Waive Carry-Over Credit (must be bid in the first layer)
• Avoid Person
• Buddy With

For example, if you select to Waive Minimum Domicile Rest in layer 3, the system automatically applies this waiver to layers 3-7.

By adding the waiver to layer 3 the system can now potentially award you pairings from your layer 1 and 2 pairing pools, in layer 3, because of the added waiver. It is important to understand how PBS accumulates your pairings while advancing through your layers until a complete line can be built.

The only way to remove a persistent property once it is bid in an earlier layer is by using the Clear Bids property to restart your bid from that layer.

Single-Use Line Properties

Each of the following line properties can only be used one time per layer. When these properties are used more than once in the same layer, it creates conflicting bid criteria which will impact your award.

• Target Credit Range
• Work Block Size
• Prefer Cadence on Day-of-Week
• Commutable Work Block

Multi-Use Line Properties

The following line properties can be used more than once in the same layer, with different values.

• Pairing Mix in a Work Block
• Allow Double-Up on Date
• Allow Multiple Pairings on Date

When the properties above are selected more than once in the same layer, PBS will use the OR logic and consider all pairings that match the selected preferences.

Line properties constrain your options during the award process, but they do not affect the size of your pairing pools.

Restrictive Line Properties

PBS is a cumulative system. The following properties cannot be made more restrictive than what was used in a previous layer, without using the Clear Bids property:

• Work Block Size (default is one to six)
• Commutable Work Block

For example, if you select a work block size of 1-4 days in layer 1 but you do not select a work block size in layer 2; your layer 2 work block is the system default of 1-6 days. Then in layer 3, you select a work block size of 1-3 days. The actual work block size bid in layer 3 is 1-6 days because it is the lowest minimum and highest maximum work block settings in all of your previous layers.

Remember, when using a restrictive property your later layers must be equal to or less restrictive than the original value.