Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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in focus: ONBOARD DIAGNOSTICS technology Zonar worked with Daimler Trucks North America on the Virtual Techni- cian program, which is embed- ded in trucks at the factory. information options in its Vehicle Maintenance application. The options can be tailored to avoid overwhelming a fleet with data that it cannot manage. "As (customers) learn more, we can adjust the fault codes sent to meet their changing needs," says Jim Sassen, senior product marketing manager. "For fleets that may not have a lot of experience with managing fault codes, we typically start them off with the most common and critical fault codes." More than 90 percent of deployed Vital signs Onboard diagnostics shine light on vehicle health BY AARON HUFF T ractors and trailers teem with information about performance and driving behaviors. When filtered properly, fault codes can be trans- formed into leading indicators for maintenance issues that can turn into costly repairs if not addressed. The latest onboard computing and mobile communica- tion systems give fleet managers real-time leading indicators of fleet maintenance needs. They also help manage noncritical faults that can be just as critical for keep- ing vehicles running at peak efficiency. Shaping the lens Applications to manage fault codes typically are sold as upgrades to a base platform. Users can customize the alerts and workflow processes for managing leading indicators such as low oil pressure. With real-time information, fleet managers often can respond to critical maintenance issues before the driver is aware of the problem. Vehicle performance monitoring and diagnostics comes standard with Rand McNally's product offerings, which include the TruckPC and TND 760 Fleet Edi- tion. The company provides open access via Web services and through its Fleet- Watcher portal to more than 200 different vehicle metrics. "We allow customers to mine through the data and determine which metrics impact their operation most significantly, uct management. Qualcomm Enterprise Services provides numerous fault code and diagnostic 42 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2012 Fault codes can be transformed into leading indicators for maintenance issues. " says Mason Meadows, director of prod- PeopleNet units are equipped with the company's Vehicle Maintenance product that allows customers to access vehicle fault codes. Through the Web- based PeopleNet Fleet Manager portal, customers are able to identify their own priority list of real-time fault codes that can be transmitted to the back office. Visibility is provided to all fault codes on the vehicle and is not limited to a static list. "This allows maintenance departments the flexibility to see criti- cal fault codes but also allows in-depth vehicle analysis that can assist in future vehicle purchase decisions," says Tom Dorazio, product manager of vehicle integration. Through Zonar's ZAlert push notification service, customers can select fault codes they deem critical so that the appropriate personnel can be notified. ZAlert also includes escalation capabilities so that if the first person notified doesn't respond within a specified time period, the next person in the hierarchy is notified, says Chris Oliver, vice president of sales and marketing. Xata recently added reports that summarize fault code information at different levels over time. A fleet summary report can highlight trends for fault code types, while a vehicle