If your team creates the same Waste Transfer Notes week after week — same producer, same carrier, same waste stream — why type it all again? Quick-Fill Templates let you save repeating details once, then populate entire WTN forms with one selection. Less typing, fewer errors, faster compliance.

What Are Quick-Fill Templates?

Quick-Fill Templates are saved presets that automatically populate the most common fields when you start a new digital Waste Transfer Note. Instead of re-entering the same producer name, address, EWC code, carrier details and vehicle registration every time, you select a template from a dropdown — and the form fills itself in under a second.

Templates are particularly powerful for skip hire companies, waste carriers with repeat routes, and producers sending the same waste stream on a regular schedule. The larger your operation and the more repeat work you do, the more time they save.

Who Benefits Most?

Who Why templates help
Skip hire operators Same site, same waste, same carrier — weekly or daily collections on repeat routes
Waste producers Factory or construction site sending the same non-hazardous stream to the same facility each month
Transfer stations / MRFs Regular inbound loads from the same customers — pre-fill consignee and waste details per customer
Multi-driver operations Driver teams creating their own WTNs — templates enforce consistency and reduce per-driver errors

Who Can Create & Use Templates

Template management is restricted to account administrators to maintain data quality and prevent accidental changes. All seat users can benefit from templates their admin has set up.

Action Admin Seat (Team Member)
Create new template Yes No
Edit template name / fields Yes No
Mark template as favourite Yes Yes
Duplicate a template Yes No
Deactivate a template Yes No
Delete a template Yes No
View all active templates Yes Yes
Use template when creating a WTN Yes Yes
Override pre-filled fields on new WTN Yes Yes

Note: Favouriting is shared across the whole team, not per-user — anyone can star a template to bring it to the top of the list on Gate Hot Picks, and it moves for everyone.

What Can Be Pre-Filled

Templates can store data across six categories. You choose which sections to pre-fill — only populate fields that are consistent across collections. Variable data like quantity or date is always entered fresh on each WTN.

Section Fields you can pre-fill
Producer Business name, address & postcode, SIC code, contact name & phone
Carrier Carrier company name, waste carrier licence no., contact email, default vehicle reg
Consignee Site name & address, environmental permit no., RPS number (Scotland/NI), contact details
Waste Details EWC code, waste description, physical form, container type & R/D code
Vehicle / Transfer Vehicle registration, collection notes, special instructions, default quantity unit
Hazardous Flag Hazardous toggle, HP codes, POPs information, special handling notes

Tip: You don’t need to fill every section — only pre-fill what stays consistent. Leave quantity blank if it varies each visit, for example.

Creating Your First Template

Setup takes under 3 minutes. Once done, every team member benefits immediately.

Step 1 — Navigate to Quick-Fill Templates

Open Manage Templates — reachable from Gate Hot Picks, or the Matching Templates section on Flagged For Review. Template creation and editing is only visible to primary account administrators. If you don’t see it, check that your account has admin privileges.

Step 2 — Click “New Template”

Hit the New Template button. You’ll be prompted for a template name and optional description. The name is what your team will see in the dropdown when creating WTNs — make it descriptive and unambiguous.

Tip: Use a consistent naming format: [Frequency] [Size/Type] [Waste] — [Customer]. For example, “Weekly 8yd Mixed — Acme Site A”. This makes scanning the dropdown fast even with 20+ templates.

Step 3 — Fill the Sections You Want Pre-Populated

Work through each section of the template form. Only fill in fields that will be the same on every WTN created from this template. Leave variable fields (like quantity or specific dates) blank — these will be entered fresh each time.

Tip: A well-scoped template fills around 80% of the WTN automatically while leaving the 20% that varies (weight, date, any one-off notes) for the user to complete. Over-filling can create false data if fields are accepted without review.

Warning: If you pre-fill an EWC code, make sure it matches the actual waste being collected. An incorrect EWC code on a completed WTN cannot be changed and creates a compliance risk.

Step 4 — Toggle Hazardous Flag (if applicable)

If the template covers a hazardous waste stream, switch the Hazardous toggle on. This unlocks additional fields for HP codes, POPs details, and special handling instructions — ensuring nothing legally required is skipped when your team uses the template.

Warning: Do not use a non-hazardous template for hazardous loads. The legal requirements differ significantly: hazardous loads require a Consignment Note, not a standard WTN. WasteBolt will guide this distinction, but always verify the EWC code’s hazardous status.

Step 5 — Star Favourites & Save

Mark your most-used templates as favourites — they’ll appear at the top of the dropdown list for faster selection. Then save. The template is immediately available to all users in your account.

Tip: Set up your top 5–10 most common jobs as starred favourites first. Your team will thank you — those will appear above all others in the dropdown without needing to scroll or search.

Step 6 — Using a Template to Create a WTN

When any user starts a new Waste Transfer Note, a “Quick-Fill Template” dropdown appears at the top of the form. Selecting a template instantly populates all saved fields. The user then reviews everything, fills in any remaining variable fields, and proceeds to complete and sign as normal.

Tip: Templates only populate the initial form — users can override any pre-filled field before completing the WTN. This is intentional: the template is a starting point, not a locked record.

If a template covers a single waste stream, it also appears as a one-tap card on Gate Hot Picks — enter the weight and log the load without opening the full WTN form at all. Templates with more than one waste stream still work here, they just don’t appear on Gate Hot Picks. Templates assigned to records in Flagged For Review work the same way — auto-filling a flagged load rather than a fresh WTN.

Time Savings in Practice

The time difference per WTN looks small — but it compounds fast at scale. Here’s a real comparison for a typical skip hire operator with 20 daily collections:

Without templates (~4 minutes per WTN):

Step Time
Type producer details 60s
Type carrier & licence no. 45s
Type consignee & permit 60s
Look up EWC code 30s
Enter waste description 30s
Enter vehicle reg 15s

With templates (~40 seconds per WTN):

Step Time
Select template from dropdown 5s
All 5 sections auto-fill 1s
Enter quantity for this load 10s
Verify date 5s
Complete & sign 20s

That’s roughly a 75% time saving, or about 3 minutes per WTN. At 20 WTNs a day, that’s an hour saved daily — and over 200 hours a year across a typical working calendar.

Best Practices & Tips

Naming Convention

Use the format: [Frequency] [Size/Type] [Waste] — [Customer/Site]

Example name Notes
Weekly 8yd Mixed — Acme Site A Skip hire, regular Monday run — starred
Monthly Inert — Quarry B Deliveries Aggregate waste, same producer — starred
Daily Food Waste — Central Kitchen High-frequency collection
One-off Hazardous — Old Paint Store Haz flag on, HP codes pre-filled

Additional Tips

  • Duplicate before editing — When a regular customer changes their waste stream slightly, duplicate the existing template and modify the copy rather than editing in place. Keeps the original intact for reference.
  • Review EWC codes quarterly — EWC code lists are updated periodically and permits change. Set a quarterly reminder to audit templates, especially if a consignee’s environmental permit has been renewed or conditions have changed.
  • Train your team on template selection — The most common template mistake is selecting the wrong one in a hurry and not checking the auto-filled fields. A 30-second briefing on how to verify the populated data prevents this entirely.
  • Keep your favourites list lean — Starring every template defeats the purpose. Aim for 5–8 truly high-frequency templates as favourites. The rest are still accessible by scrolling or searching.

Deactivating vs Deleting Templates

As your business evolves — customers change, vehicles are replaced, waste streams shift — you’ll need to retire old templates. Understanding when to deactivate versus delete protects your audit trail.

Deactivate (recommended) — Hides the template from the dropdown. All WTNs created from it remain fully intact with their audit trail. You can reactivate at any time. Use this when: a customer is temporarily paused, a vehicle is off the road, a waste stream is seasonal, or a permit is under renewal.

Delete (permanent) — Permanently removes the template. Existing WTNs are unaffected but the template can never be recovered. Use sparingly — for example, when a customer relationship has ended permanently, for a duplicate or test template, after a major waste stream restructure, or when a template was created by mistake.

Tip: When in doubt, deactivate rather than delete. Deleting a template cannot be undone, and if a previous WTN references the template name in notes it may cause confusion at audit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Quick-Fill Templates and how are they different from pick lists?

Quick-Fill Templates pre-populate an entire WTN form in one click — producer, carrier, consignee, waste details, and vehicle. Pick lists are individual saved entries for each party type that you select field-by-field. Templates are faster for repeat jobs; pick lists give more flexibility when mixing and matching parties.

Can I have templates for both hazardous and non-hazardous waste?

Yes. Toggle the hazardous switch on when creating a template for a hazardous waste stream. This unlocks HP codes and POPs fields. Non-hazardous templates and hazardous templates appear in the same dropdown but are visually labelled, so users can distinguish them at a glance.

Will editing a template change WTNs that were already created from it?

No. Editing or deleting a template has no effect whatsoever on WTNs already created. Each completed WTN is a standalone locked record. The template is only a starting point for new WTNs.

Can team members (seats) create their own templates?

No. Template creation and management is restricted to primary account administrators. This is deliberate — it maintains quality control and prevents inconsistent or duplicate templates from accumulating. Seats can use all active templates when creating WTNs.

How many templates can I create?

There is no hard limit on the number of templates. However, keeping your active template list concise (10–20 well-named templates with your top ones starred) makes the dropdown easier to use and reduces the chance of selecting the wrong one in a hurry.

Can I use a template for a season ticket as well as a single WTN?

Currently Quick-Fill Templates apply to single Waste Transfer Notes. Season tickets have a separate form with their own Parts A–E flow. If you regularly create season tickets for the same parties, use WasteBolt pick lists instead — these work across both WTNs and season tickets.

What happens to templates when I upgrade or change my subscription?

Templates are stored with your account and persist across all subscription changes. Downgrading to a lower tier may restrict the number of seats who can create WTNs, but does not delete your templates.

What’s Next