Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/252139
26 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | FEBRUARY 2014 technology maintenance management system, has an inte- gration with Zonar that adds inspection defects to SQ.7's Work Request system to create repair orders and schedule service. Arsenault Associates, developer of the Dossier maintenance system, also is developing an integration with Zonar where diagnostic trouble codes captured directly from engine and vehicle electronics will be included in the scheduling and repair process. 2 Prenotifications FMS systems can provide visibility of pending maintenance work to fleet managers, load planners and other office staff that control the daily schedules of drivers and equipment. This visibility allows maintenance work to be scheduled more conveniently. Arsenault's Dossier system interfaces directly with McLeod Software's LoadMaster transportation management system. For pending maintenance work, Dossier sends notifications that are displayed in LoadMaster's dispatch and load planning screens. Dossier also receives information from LoadMaster to assist with scheduling, such as odometer readings from any of the telematics systems that integrate with the TMS. PCS Software's cloud-based TMS has an integrated fleet main- tenance module that allows clients to set up a flagging system that interrupts the dispatch process and warns dispatchers when trucks are due for service. Carriers can set the flagging system to lock the truck from being dispatched if the service does not get addressed after the warning period has expired. 3 Seamless accounting FMS systems have built-in accounting features to track maintenance expenses and create purchase orders for parts and third-party vendors. For maximum efficiency and control, fleets prefer to manage all financial transactions from a single general ledger accounting system. Both the Dossier and SQ.7 systems integrate with LoadMaster to send cost information from work orders directly to LoadMaster's general ledger. Similarly, purchase orders flow directly into accounts payable. Accounting integration also is a useful feature for fleets that perform outside repair work. Invoicing and managing receivables can be man- aged directly from the central accounting system. For financial reporting, PCS Software's maintenance module has all parts and labor costs integrated with its dispatch and accounting databases. Management can view profit-and- loss statements per truck and trailer and see the service costs for assets through any date range. 4 Managing service events While previous FMS systems have not pro- vided visibility of maintenance service events that take place beyond a fleet's facilities, new technologies are changing that paradigm. The Decisiv platform integrates with more than 35 different maintenance management systems used by dealers, independent shops and fleets. The platform captures vehicle inspections and other service event data from electronic forms used to trigger a maintenance service event. The repair's progress is tracked through all stages from cost estimate to completion and reimbursement for parts and labor covered by warranty. Ryder has invested $25 million in its IT infrastructure to add new capabilities such as reporting and integration features for fleets that use its on-demand maintenance services at more than 800 U.S. and Canada locations. Ryder sends fleets documents and files for work performed on their vehicles and has started to integrate service event data with Decisiv, TMW Systems and Zonar. Its customers also can sign in to a Web portal to view their vehicle repair histories. Today, it is difficult to get the full value from FMS technology without integration with other fleet management systems. W ebtech Wireless Inc., a provider of vehicle fleet location-based services and telematics technology, announced that its Webtech Driver Center software application now is available on ruggedized MDT3500 In-Cab devices. Webtech Driver Center, a mobile fleet manage- ment application built on the Android platform, benefits from Android smart device technology, making the MDT3500 touchscreen seem in- stinctive and natural to use, said Scott Edmonds, president and chief executive officer of Webtech Wireless. "Putting the MDT3500 together with Webtech Driver Center on an Android system puts our customers ahead of the technology curve," Edmonds said. "Early adoption means better driver logs, accurate vehicle inspection reports and improved productivity." – Aaron Huff Ryder Systems is beefing up its technology and integration op- tions for its full-service leasing and on-demand maintenance services. Webtech Driver Center available on MDT3500 Android devices