Frequently asked questions about equipment |
The following are common questions about equipment. Scan this list before you call Technical Support—you might save yourself a phone call!
Common Questions
Why would I assign an equipment unit to a PM class different than the maintenance class?
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for resources?
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for rental rates?
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for standards?
Why would I assign equipment units to the same maintenance class?
When I insert an equipment unit, in which fields am I required to enter values?
Is it an equipment unit, a component, or a subsystem?
Tip: To determine whether an item should classified as an asset or a part, refer to Is it an asset or a part?
There are three ways to define large or costly items.
Assets
If the item is a unit complete unto itself (not a component of another unit) with its own unique identification and/or system of measure (such as a serial number and/or meter) and a value, define it as an asset. Values include identifier, description, ownership, assignment, in-service date/sale date, license, downtime, and home location. An asset has a category and is made up of one or more components.
Assets are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Components
A component is major part, or assembly, of an asset. It can be purchased, depreciated, maintained, and replaced or sold independently or with the whole asset. If the item is a component of an asset and meets the following specifications, define it as an component and associate it with an equipment unit as a component relationship.
The item has its own identification measures, such as a serial number or meter.
The item can be moved from one equipment unit and installed on another.
You want to track information about the item separately from the equipment unit on which it is installed or used.
Components have the following characteristics: assignment history, meter tracking; historical costs; equipment-like features, such as classes and PM schedules; and parent-child relationships. They have the following attributes: manufacturer, make, model, series, model year; engine/power supply, fuel type; meter; and owner, VIN.
Components are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Components -> Primary Information screen. Component relationships are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Components -> Component Relationships screen.
Subsystems
If the item is a component of an equipment unit and meets the following specifications, define it as a subsystem of the equipment unit.
The item does not have its own identification measures such as a serial number or meter.
The item is fixed and cannot be moved from one equipment unit to another.
You do not want to track information about the item separate from the equipment unit.
Subsystems of equipment units are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Equipment - Attributes screen.
What would I use equipment classes for?
You can use equipment classes to group equipment units that have one or more characteristics in common from either of the following groups:
Class characteristics
Maintenance cost and labor data
PM (preventive maintenance) program
Rental rates
Task requirements and standards dependent on the class
Standards
Shop resource requirements, such as parts, labor skills, and bay types (Shop Scheduling Module)
Equipment classes are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen.
Characteristics of a group are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen and other screens on the Equipment Class menu.
Task requirements and standards for equipment units are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Class/Task Information screen.
Standard hours for class/task or class/task and work accomplished code based on historical labor postings are defined on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Standards Calculation screen.
Why would I assign an equipment unit to a PM class different than the maintenance class?
There may be auxiliary equipment on a vehicle that would place it in an equipment class for PM different from other vehicles in its equipment class for PM. For example, an equipment class for diesel buses may contain buses with and without wheelchair lifts. The buses with the lifts may need a different PM schedule or/and different tasks performed during the PM, even though all the buses may need the same general maintenance and may have the same task standards.
Many maintenance classes can share the same PM service pattern and schedule. If all of these equipment units below to one PM class, less administration and setup is required.
Equipment units are assigned to PM classes on the Classes tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen. Equipment class PM services and intervals are defined on the Class PM Service Pattern tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class screen.
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for resources?
Resource classes apply only if the Shop Scheduling module is installed. Assigning equipment units to shop scheduling classes allows you to group dissimilar equipment units based upon their shop needs. You can assign vehicles with similar shop needs to the same resource class. For example, even though a Caterpillar tractor and a 40-foot transit bus may not belong to the same maintenance, meter, or PM class, they may need to belong to the resources class because they both require a heavy-duty lift.
Equipment units are assigned to classes on the Classes tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for rental rates?
If you want to group dissimilar equipment units together because they have the same rental rates (either monthly, daily, or hourly), you can assign them to the same rental rates class.
Equipment units are assigned to rental rates classes on the Classes tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Why would I assign equipment units to equipment classes for standards?
If equipment units have the same expectations for performance standards such as miles per gallon or hours per gallon; and the same expectations for labor hours required to complete repair tasks, PM services, or inspections, you would assign them to the same standards class.
Equipment units are assigned to standards classes on the Classes tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Why would I assign equipment units to the same maintenance class?
Operating costs are reported based on the maintenance class of equipment units. By assigning a group of equipment units to a maintenance class, you can summarize operating costs of that group and compare them to the operating costs of another maintenance class.
Equipment units are assigned to maintenance classes on the Classes tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen.
Why would I use class types?
Class types are a roll-up reporting feature for equipment classes. A broader category for your equipment classes, they allow you to combine equipment classes for reporting purposes. For example: you may have separate equipment classes for backhoes, lawn mowers, and tractors. In order to capture the costs of owning and maintaining all landscaping equipment, you may want to assign those classes to a class type of Landscape Equipment. Whether class types are required is specified on the General Info tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Options screen.
What data can I maintain throughout the life of a vehicle?
Meter replacements (Meter Info tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen)
Annual condition review (Status tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen)
Registration renewal dates (Codes tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen)
Operator or department changes (Assignments tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen)
How do I set up a standard?
Determine the standards class assigned to each equipment unit. On the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen, filter on each unit for which you want to set a standard. On the Classes tab, in the Equipment class for standards field, determine which class is assigned to standards. If the field is blank, select a value.
Make sure that the class noted in step 1 has the Standards function turned on. On the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen, filter on the class, and then click the Functions tab. Make sure that the Standards field is selected.
Set up the class/task information with your values. On the Basic Info tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Class/Task Information screen, filter on each class and task combination.
If the search returns no results, you will need to insert the data. For example, insert a new record for class 091, task 01. On the Standards tab of the Class/Task Information screen, complete the applicable fields. Repeat this step for each class/task combination you want to set up.
Note: If you want to set up standards for cost per meter unit (such as mpg), make sure the applicable task IDs are installed. For these values, you must issue fuel and fluids via the fuel tickets screens.
After you set up your standards, when you insert a new task ID on the Tasks tab of the Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center screen, the Estimated Hours field displays the labor hours from the Standards tab. If you specify a work accomplished code, this field displays the value in the Standard labor hours by work accomplished code/Labor hours field on the Standards tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Class/Task Information screen. If you do not specify a work accomplished code, this field displays the value from the Labor hours field on the Standards tab of the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Class/Task Information screen.
You can also generate exception reports.
When I insert an equipment unit, in which fields am I required to enter values?
Click the applicable hyperlink to see the fields on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen in which the system requires information to insert a fleet equipment unit.
How do I update equipment meter readings?
Equipment meter readings are updated when you enter a meter reading from any of the following screens:
Data -> Shop Activity -> Work Order Center
Data -> Equipment Activity-> Meter Update
Data -> Equipment Activity -> Usage -> Usage Tickets
Data -> Equipment Activity -> Fueling -> Internal Fuel Tickets
Data -> Equipment Activity -> Fueling -> External Fuel Tickets
Data -> Equipment Activity -> Motor Pool -> Motor Pool Center
Data -> Equipment Activity -> Service Requests/Defects
Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment
Data -> Data Capture -> Hand-held Devices
The Data -> Equipment Activity -> Fueling -> Automated Fuel Tickets and the Data -> Equipment Activity -> Usage -> Usage Tickets screens process the automated transactions, but do not update the meter reading on the Equipment Primary table if the meter is out of the edit range specified on the Meter Info tab on the Data -> Equipment Units -> Setup -> Equipment Class -> Primary Information screen.
If you manually enter a meter reading that is out of the edit range and you are authorized to update the Data -> Equipment Units -> Fleet Equipment screen, a dialog box provides choices as to how to update the meter reading.
When you stop a work transfer delay to create a new work order in a different location for the same equipment, the meter reading on the new work order is taken from the current meter on the equipment unit instead of the meter reading from the originating work order.
How do I generate bills for services?
You can generate bills for services in many different ways.
To produce bills, you can use one of the standard Billing Reports or the Query/Report Generator. You can also use Web Modules Reporting or any other reporting tool sold separately (such as Microsoft Access) that can attach to the database. Refer to the related documentation for these products.
Remember to save your queries or reports so that you can use them each month.
Some tables contain required data items for billing purposes. For example, to avoid double billing, you can query only rental rates that do not include charges for maintenance. If you have specific questions about which tables contain data items required for billing purposes, please contact Technical Support.
What are special fees for equipment? and Where can I view and assign fees?
Vehicle license registrations and renewals can be a major source of costs incurred by fleet departments. States have specific rules regarding vehicle registration fees, and they often change with new legislation. Registration fees paid last year may not be the best estimation of this year’s fees.
Some states automatically notify organizations of fees due for a specific month, which requires significant review and reconciliation to ensure that overpayments do not occur. In the event of an overpayment, the agency may issue a credit for use in conjunction with future fees. These individual credits need to be tracked and selectively applied to new payments (based on user choice).
The software version 6.2.1 includes the following enhancements:
Data-driven fee structures, including rules based on weights, vehicle age, fuel types, and other parameters
Effective and end dates for fee structures so that data may be set up immediately after it is known but not applied until put into effect by legislation
Track miscellaneous charges, such as replacement decals and replacement license plates
Notes functionality
Less manual data entry, increasing efficiency and accuracy in license renewal processing.
See Also