Shed 5 hotspots
Use Shed 5 hotspots to keep an eye on different areas in the UK for new loads or vehicles, or new members joining, or traffic reports from the Highways Agency.
You can set up as many hotspots as you like, and you can turn them off and on in a few seconds.
how to set up your hotspots
You can set up and manage your hotspots using the 'hotspots' button on the dashboard page.
set up your first hotspot
To set up your first hotspot just follow these steps…
- enter the name of the place for your hotspot
- tick the boxes for the things you want to know about
- choose as many of these as you want for this hotspot
- choose the distance around this place for each kind of event
- these are miles in a straight line, not journey miles
- choose what type of alerts you want for these events:
- the option for your 'standard settings' is only available for load alerts, and uses the settings you chose on the 'my alerts' screen
- SMS alerts will be sent to your mobile phone, and will use your SMS credits
- email alerts will be sent to your usual email address, and are free
- the option for 'just show on site' means you will not get any alerts for these events, but they will be highlighted on the relevant pages on Shed 5
- click the 'submit' button to add your hotspot
- if the place name you enter is not recognised, or if it is ambiguous, you will be given a list of places to choose from
the different kinds of events
You can choose to watch any or all of these events…
- loads: these are the loads that are posted by Shed 5 members where the vehicle size is in your size range and the collection address is in your hotspot; if you choose these alerts they are sent at the same time as the load is posted
- vehicles: these are the vehicles that are posted by Shed 5 members as available in your hotspot; if you choose these alerts they are sent at the same time as the ticket is posted
- new members: these are members who have joined Shed 5 in the past 24 hours, with a business address in your hotspot; these alerts are sent once a day around midnight
- traffic reports: these are the traffic reports listed on the Highways Agency for locations in your hotspot; these alerts are sent every five minutes (but you will not get duplicate alerts for the same report)
to change the settings for a hotspot
When you have set up some hotspots you can change the settings for them on the same page.
To change any of the settings for an area, make the changes and click submit.
To temporarily stop watching an area, just un-tick all the boxes for it and click submit. You can start watching it again at any time.
To permanently stop watching an area, tick the 'remove this hotspot' box and click submit.
if your hotspots overlap
It doesn't matter if your hotspots overlap, you will only get one alert for each event. If you have asked for different types of alerts in the two areas, SMS alerts take precedence over email alerts.
For example, say you've got a hotspot for loads at Nottingham set at 20 miles, and one at Leicester set at 15 miles, a load in Loughborough is in both hotspots, but you only get one alert. But if the Nottingham alerts are SMS and the Leicester alerts are emails, you will get SMS alerts for the overlapping area.
the difference between hotspots and your 'home' area
The settings you choose on the 'my alerts' page are for loads posted in your 'home' area.
Your 'home' area is also used to highlight vehicles available and traffic reports near you, but won't get any alerts for the other kinds of events in the area unless you set a hotspot for the same place.