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Shift Overdue

The Shift Overdue trigger fires when a device's active shift has exceeded a configured hours threshold. Use it to catch workers who forgot to end a shift, drivers who blew past their hours-of-service window, or trackers left in "on shift" mode overnight.

What It Does​

A scheduled scanner inspects every active shift in your workspace and computes the elapsed hours since shift_started_at. When the elapsed time crosses the configured threshold_hours, the workflow fires with a payload that includes the shift start time, the elapsed hours, and the device's current location.

When to Use​

  • Catch field workers who forgot to clock out and remind them (or their manager)
  • Enforce hours-of-service ceilings for compliance with labor regulations
  • Detect trackers left in "on shift" mode overnight that should have ended hours ago
  • Surface long-running shifts that may indicate the worker is stranded or in distress

Configuration​

KnobTypeDefaultMin / MaxDescription
threshold_hoursinteger(required)1 / 168 (1 week)Fire once the shift's elapsed duration exceeds this many hours.
repeat_policystringonce_until_seenenumonce_until_seen fires once per overdue shift and re-arms only after the shift ends. every_interval re-fires every cooldown.
cooldown_minutesintegernone1 / 10080Required when repeat_policy is every_interval. Minutes between repeat fires for the same still-overdue shift.
device_filtersobject{} (all devices)—Optional filter: device_ids, exclude_device_ids, device_types (mobile, vehicle, iot, tracker, other), metadata_match.
Picking a threshold

For typical 8-hour shifts, threshold_hours: 10 gives a 2-hour grace buffer for overtime without crying wolf. For hours-of-service compliance (US trucking), threshold_hours: 14 aligns with the FMCSA on-duty limit. Pair with repeat_policy: every_interval and a short cooldown if you want escalating reminders.

Trigger Payload​

When the trigger fires, the following trigger_data envelope is delivered to every downstream action. Optional fields are only present when the underlying data is available.

{
  "event_type": "shift_overdue",
  "signal_type": "shift_overdue",
  "device_id": "phone-jane-d",
  "device_name": "Jane D. (iPhone)",
  "device_type": "mobile",
  "workspace_id": "a1b2c3d4-5678-90ab-cdef-1234567890ab",
  "shift_started_at": "2026-05-20T06:00:00+00:00",
  "hours_elapsed": 10.5,
  "threshold_hours": 10,
  "repeat_policy": "once_until_seen",
  "shift_status": "active",
  "location": {
    "latitude": 37.7749,
    "longitude": -122.4194
  }
}

Template Variables​

Reference these in any action body using the standard {{trigger.xxx}} syntax.

VariableResolved Value
{{trigger.event_type}}"shift_overdue"
{{trigger.signal_type}}"shift_overdue" (mirrors event_type for signal-aware consumers)
{{trigger.device_id}}External device identifier (customer-assigned)
{{trigger.device_name}}Human-readable device name
{{trigger.device_type}}"mobile", "vehicle", "iot", "tracker", or "other"
{{trigger.workspace_id}}UUID of the workspace that owns the device
{{trigger.shift_started_at}}ISO 8601 timestamp of when the shift began
{{trigger.hours_elapsed}}Numeric hours elapsed since shift_started_at (integer or float)
{{trigger.threshold_hours}}The threshold the trigger was configured with (echoed back)
{{trigger.repeat_policy}}"once_until_seen" or "every_interval"
{{trigger.shift_status}}Current shift status (when present) — typically "active"
{{trigger.location.latitude}}Current latitude (only present when a location is available)
{{trigger.location.longitude}}Current longitude (only present when a location is available)

Example Use Case​

Scenario. A residential cleaning company schedules 8-hour shifts for its crews. Forgetting to clock out is the single biggest source of payroll disputes — and crews regularly leave the app running long after they have actually gone home. Operations wants two reminders: a gentle one at 10 hours, then escalating pings every hour after 12.

Workflow A — Gentle reminder.

  1. Trigger: Shift Overdue with threshold_hours: 10 and repeat_policy: once_until_seen.
  2. Action: Send the worker a friendly SMS via Twilio: Hey {{trigger.device_name}}, looks like your shift has been running for {{trigger.hours_elapsed}} hours. If you are done, please clock out in the app.

Workflow B — Escalation.

  1. Trigger: Shift Overdue with threshold_hours: 12, repeat_policy: every_interval, cooldown_minutes: 60.
  2. Action: Notify #ops-supervisors Slack channel so the on-call supervisor can phone the worker directly.

End-to-end runnable guides for routing this trigger to external systems:

See Also​