Handheld Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reports system aids maintenance managers
EVIR, short for Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reports, is now being marketed for commercial trucks and construction markets. It incorporates a handheld computer/RFID reader, wireless communication, and Web-based software applications. Together, they guide drivers through the inspection process, record what they find, and communicate results back to the shop quickly and accurately. It puts inspection data into a Web-based database so maintenance managers can track chronic defects, as well as chronically poor inspection habits, and schedule work so their technicians are productive. It’s all electronic, so there’s no paperwork to wrangle with.
Rinker Materials Northwest operates a mixer truck fleet, and uses Zonar. The fleet manager says the company saves 32 hours of administration work per week because it no longer has to track paper inspection reports, reconcile inspection reports with maintenance records, decipher handwritten reports, correct data-entry mistakes, and so on.
The tags are self-adhesive and very durable. A user can position the tags around the vehicle at critical inspection zones. Each tag contains information about the components and systems the driver is required to inspect at that station. This information can be tailored to individual fleet and vehicles; in the close-up image of the screen, the unit is reading from a tag placed on the driver-side rear of a mixer truck. The list indicates conditions such as “chute lock,” “chute up/down,” “chutes” and “drum control.” When placed within four inches of a tag, the Zonar 2010 handheld unit reads the information on the tag and displays the items to inspect within the zone. Following prompts on the screen, the driver uses push-button responses to complete the inspection: the green button records an “OK” response; the red button notes a problem. When the driver records a defective condition, the Zonar 2010 asks for more detail, including whether the vehicle would be safe to operate. Once the inspection is complete, the driver can make a permanent record of the inspection report, complete with an automated stamp of the date, time, and VIN. The driver can return the unit to a cradle in the shop, where the data is sent via modem to a web server. Or he can put the unit in a cradle in the cab that sends the data wirelessly to the server via radio or using a Peoplenet or Qualcomm system.
Rinker Materials Northwest operates a mixer truck fleet, and uses Zonar. The fleet manager says the company saves 32 hours of administration work per week because it no longer has to track paper inspection reports, reconcile inspection reports with maintenance records, decipher handwritten reports, correct data-entry mistakes, and so on.
The tags are self-adhesive and very durable. A user can position the tags around the vehicle at critical inspection zones. Each tag contains information about the components and systems the driver is required to inspect at that station. This information can be tailored to individual fleet and vehicles; in the close-up image of the screen, the unit is reading from a tag placed on the driver-side rear of a mixer truck. The list indicates conditions such as “chute lock,” “chute up/down,” “chutes” and “drum control.” When placed within four inches of a tag, the Zonar 2010 handheld unit reads the information on the tag and displays the items to inspect within the zone. Following prompts on the screen, the driver uses push-button responses to complete the inspection: the green button records an “OK” response; the red button notes a problem. When the driver records a defective condition, the Zonar 2010 asks for more detail, including whether the vehicle would be safe to operate. Once the inspection is complete, the driver can make a permanent record of the inspection report, complete with an automated stamp of the date, time, and VIN. The driver can return the unit to a cradle in the shop, where the data is sent via modem to a web server. Or he can put the unit in a cradle in the cab that sends the data wirelessly to the server via radio or using a Peoplenet or Qualcomm system.
