A resource blackout marks a guide, vehicle, or piece of equipment as unavailable during a specific period. When a resource is blacked out, it's removed from the available pool for new assignments — TripWorks won't offer it when assigning resources to upcoming activities during that window.
A blackout prevents new assignments only — it does not cancel or modify existing bookings where the resource is already assigned. If a guide is sick and already assigned to trips, you'll need to reassign those trips manually after creating the blackout.
Choose a method
There are two ways to create a blackout depending on the time period you need to block:
- Click and drag on the Timeline — fastest for blocking a specific window you can see on screen, such as a 3-hour maintenance slot. Good for same-day or next-day blocks.
- Blackouts panel — use this when you need to block a precise date range, such as a week of vacation or a multi-day equipment service period.
Block a single time window
- Select Manifest from the main navigation, then select Timeline in the upper right.
- Next to the resource you want to block, click and drag across the time window. On a tablet, hold and drag.
- Select Create Blackout.
The blocked period appears grayed out on the Timeline. That resource won't be offered for new assignments during the blackout window.
Block multiple resources at once: Drag across multiple resource rows in a single motion to select the same window for all of them, then select Create Blackout. Use this for facility-wide closures or fleet maintenance days.
Block a date range
- In the Manifest Timeline view, click on the white area next to the resource you want to block and choose Blackouts.
- Use the date picker to set the start and end dates, then set the start and end times.
- Select Apply Blackout.
- The blackout appears in the list on the right. To add another blackout for the same resource, repeat from step 2. Select Done when finished.
If the new blackout overlaps an existing one, TripWorks automatically merges them into a single continuous period.
Clear a blackout
Single time window
- In the Manifest Timeline view, click and drag across the grayed-out area you want to remove.
- Select Clear Blackout.
The resource becomes available for new assignments immediately.
Date range
- In the Manifest Timeline view, click on the grayed-out area and choose Blackouts.
- Select the trash icon next to the blackout you want to remove, then select Done.
The resource becomes available again for the previously blocked period. Note that only future blackouts are shown in this panel — past blackout periods are not displayed.
Troubleshooting
A resource is still appearing as unavailable after clearing the blackout.
Refresh the page. The availability pool updates in real time but the UI may need a refresh to reflect the change.
A blacked-out resource is still assigned to existing trips.
This is expected behavior. Blackouts only prevent new assignments — they don't remove or modify existing ones. Review the resource's upcoming assignments manually and reassign as needed.
A blackout I just created isn't visible in the Blackouts panel.
Only future blackouts are shown in the panel. If you created a blackout for a past date, it won't appear in the list.