CASE STUDY: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
How a Transit Agency Automated DOT & Union Pay Rules with Custom Time & Attendance Software
A public transportation agency replaced slow, error-prone manual validation with a custom workforce management platform that enforces complex scheduling and pay rules in real time across a large driver workforce.
- Enforces DOT regulations and union pay rules automatically, in real time
- Replaced time-consuming manual validation across multiple systems
- Calculates pay and assigns the correct pay codes for payroll
The Solution at a Glance
How We Solved It
Centralized Scheduling
Consolidates driver scheduling and attendance data into one system, replacing disconnected manual processes.
Automated Rule Enforcement
Applies complex DOT and union business rules automatically as scheduling and attendance data is entered.
Real-Time Alerts
Prevents invalid work assignments by flagging rule violations before they are saved.
Accurate Pay Coding
Calculates pay and assigns the correct pay codes automatically, ready for payroll.
The Challenge
A public transportation agency needed to manage driver scheduling, attendance, and payroll while complying with strict regulatory and union requirements. Driver compensation is governed by precise rules that determine how sick leave, vacation, workers’ compensation, and non-driving time must be applied—alongside complex eligibility rules based on hours worked, seniority, and infractions.
Key challenges:
- Driver scheduling governed by DOT regulations
- Union rules affecting pay and eligibility to work
- Multiple pay types—sick, vacation, workers’ comp, non-driving time, and more
- Manual validation across multiple disconnected systems
- High risk of payroll errors and compliance issues
Staff spent significant time verifying these rules by hand, slowing operations and increasing the risk of costly payroll and compliance mistakes.
Our Approach
Rather than patch a legacy system that could not keep up with the agency’s regulatory and contractual requirements, DragonPoint built a custom software platform designed around how the agency actually schedules drivers and processes pay.
The new Time & Attendance System replaced the legacy tool and added custom functionality to enforce DOT regulations and union requirements directly. Business rules that staff once checked by hand—across several disconnected systems—are now encoded into the software and applied automatically.
- Consolidated driver scheduling and attendance into a single platform
- Encoded DOT and union pay rules so eligibility and compensation are validated automatically
- Added real-time alerts that prevent invalid work assignments before they are saved
- Automated pay calculation and assignment of the correct pay codes for payroll
- Built admin tools so the agency can adjust pay-code rules as regulations and agreements change
- Gave employees a clear calendar view of weekly assignments and attendance
Because the rules live in configurable admin screens, the agency can adapt the system itself—without a new development cycle—each time a regulation or labor agreement changes.
How the System Works
Instead of staff validating rules by hand across disconnected tools, every schedule and attendance entry flows through the same automated pipeline—checked, coded, and ready for payroll.
Schedule & Attendance
Driver scheduling and attendance are captured in one central system.
Rules Applied
DOT and union pay rules run automatically on every entry.
Real-Time Checks
Rule violations are flagged before an assignment is saved.
Pay Coded
Pay is calculated and the correct pay codes are assigned.
Ready for Payroll
Clean, compliant data flows straight to payroll.
Results
Automating rule enforcement and pay coding streamlined operations while ensuring both regulatory and contractual compliance:
Eliminated Manual Validation
Removed time-consuming, error-prone rule-checking across multiple disconnected systems.
Improved Payroll Accuracy
Automatic pay calculation and pay-code assignment reduce payroll errors and compliance risk.
Reduced Administrative Workload
Staff no longer verify complex DOT and union rules by hand, freeing time for higher-value work.
Greater Employee Transparency
Drivers get a clear calendar view of their weekly assignments, attendance, and available time off.
By enforcing complex rules in real time and automating pay coding, the agency streamlined operations while staying compliant with both regulatory and contractual requirements.
Business Impact
Beyond day-to-day efficiency, the platform gave the agency a durable foundation for compliance and workforce management.
Real-Time Compliance
DOT and union rules are enforced the moment data is entered, not caught after payroll runs.
Configurable by Admins
The agency adapts pay-code rules itself as regulations and labor agreements change—no new dev cycle.
Fewer Payroll Errors
Automated pay coding reduces costly mistakes and the compliance exposure that comes with them.
Built for a Large Workforce
Handles scheduling, attendance, and pay for a large driver workforce on a single platform.
This wasn’t a one-time fix—it became the agency’s everyday engine for scheduling, attendance, and compliant pay.
Still Validating Complex Pay Rules by Hand?
If manual checks across disconnected systems are slowing your team down and putting payroll accuracy at risk, we can help you encode those rules into custom software that enforces them automatically.
“In 30 minutes, we’ll help you find where your scheduling and payroll process is losing the most time and money.”
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No obligation. Just a practical conversation focused on your operations.