## Boat Transport Ops Update – Where We Are and What’s New
We’re building **Boat Transport Ops** as a full operations platform for boat transport companies. Here’s where things stand and what’s changed compared to the previous system.
### The Big Picture
Boat Transport Ops is a **complete rebuild** of the system we ran for over 10 years. When we had to rebrand from the old name, we chose to rebuild from the ground up instead of just swapping logos. The new system is designed so **multiple transport companies can run on one platform**—each with their own data, users, and rates—while sharing the same proven workflows for trips, BOLs, quotes, and invoices.
### What’s Already Done
**Foundation and database**
- **Full database in place** – Schema, relationships, and migrations are done. The system has a single source of truth for trips, fleet, companies, users, BOLs, billing, quotes, invoices, incidents, work orders, and more. - **Multi-tenant design** – Every company is isolated by `company_id`. Admins can see all companies; each company only sees its own trips, fleet, invoices, and contacts. - **Quote → Billing → BOL → Invoice flow** – Tables and foreign keys are set up so a quote can tie to billing and a BOL, and an invoice can link to a quote, BOL, and billing. Drivers can still create BOLs in the field with no quote; the office can link them later. - **Company-specific rate tables** – Nine rate tables plus permit costs per company (width, height, overweight, accessorials, obtain permit, obtain escort, escort mileage, used-boat rack, and permit costs by state/type). A “template” company (company 0) holds default rates; when a new company is added, they get a full copy of those rates to customize. - **Migrations 001–005** – All run: rate tables, foreign keys, template seeding, and the ties between invoices, BOLs, and billing are in place. No further DB migrations are required for the core quote/invoice flow.
**Platform upgrade**
- **PHPRunner 10 → 11.2** – The app is built on PHPRunner 11.2 with a modern, directory-based project structure. The old system was PHPRunner 10; the new one has more consistent CRUD (add, edit, list, view, search, print, export, import) across the board. - **Larger, more capable codebase** – The new project has **1,352 files** (vs 1,006 in the old system), with **579 files** that are new or reworked. We didn’t just port the old app; we expanded and standardized it.
**What’s new compared to the old site**
- **Company management** – Full company CRUD, company-level invoices and payments, company roles, company settings, subscriptions, and usage tracking. - **Address book** – Address book groups, and export/import/print/view on categories, departments, networks, positions, relationships, and social. - **Invoicing** – Invoice items, invoice loads, invoice numbers, and invoice trips as first-class tables; more complete billing status/type and billing notes with search/export/import. - **Geography** – City/country/state management; country and state are proper lookup tables. - **Business listings** – Business departments, import for business listings, and improved categories. - **Fleet** – Truck assignments, trailer view, and clearer truck/trailer repair and profile handling. - **Users and security** – Dedicated users and user-type management (replacing the old user1/user setup); user documents and expiration tracking with full CRUD. - **Work orders** – Standalone work order and work order description tables (replacing trip-only work orders). - **Incidents** – Incident damage statements and incident import; export/import across incident-related tables. - **BOL and boat condition** – Cleaner naming (e.g. boat_condition_images), more complete CRUD and import where it was missing. - **Tutorials, FAQ, documents** – Export/import and search/view added across tutorials, FAQ, and documents. - **Mailing list** – Mailing list options and improved log/options handling. - **Payments and subscriptions** – Payment methods and subscription plans as proper tables for SaaS. - **Website content** – Website pages and website updates with export/import for easier content management.
Redundant or legacy pieces (e.g. old mail system, duplicate “active”/“archive” tables, trip_work_order) were removed or consolidated so the new system is easier to maintain and extend.
### What We’re Working On Now
We’re in the **implementation and polish** phase inside the PHPRunner IDE and app logic:
1.**Phase 1 – Company lock and permissions** Invoices and invoice details scoped by company; admin sees all companies; customer invoice view by hash (no login) with only customer-safe fields; Billing role restrictions; login and permissions for admin and company_admin.
2.**Phase 2 – Quote–invoice link** “Create invoice from quote” and “View quote” on invoices; making sure boat_quote_id is used everywhere it’s needed.
3.**Phase 3 – Quote and invoice layout** Standard line-item order and naming so quotes and invoices match; quote/order summary screen or PDF.
4.**Phase 4 – Rate tables and calculation** Rate tables in the UI so Billing can edit them; “Calculate from trip” (prefill lines from company rates) and “Recalculate” on invoices.
5.**Phase 5 – Polish** Quote PDF matching invoice layout; one-click “Convert quote to invoice”; optional route-state detection for permit costs.
We’re also working through a **site and event audit** (multi-tenancy checks, SQL safety, session conventions, and a few event bugs) so that when we open, everything is secure and consistent.
### How Much Longer Until We Open?
We’re not setting a single “launch date” because the remaining work is mostly configuration, event code, and UI in the PHPRunner IDE rather than unknown unknowns. **Roughly:** we’re in the **last major stretch**—Phases 1–5 and the audit items are well-defined and documented, so we’re aiming to have the core quote–invoice flow and company lock solid in the **next several weeks to a couple of months**, with polish and testing after that. We’ll post another update when we’re close to opening signups or a soft launch.
### Summary
- **Done:** Database, multi-tenancy design, rate tables, migrations, PHPRunner 11.2 upgrade, and a much broader and more consistent feature set than the old system. - **In progress:** Company-scoped invoices and permissions, quote–invoice linking, rate-table UI, “Calculate from trip” / “Recalculate,” and audit fixes. - **Goal:** A reliable, multi-tenant platform so your company—and others—can run trips, BOLs, quotes, and invoices in one place.
Thanks for your patience. We’re building this so it’s worth the wait.
