One of the many cost-saving features in the RTA Fleet Management Software is the ability to track and schedule vehicle preventive maintenance (PM) schedules. PMs allow the shop to inspect vehicles on a regular, timely basis to prevent maintenance problems.
Most shops have a standard lube, oil change, and inspection schedule for their vehicles, but many stop there. All vehicles have additional service requirements that need to be performed at scheduled intervals, such as transmission services, tune-ups, air and fuel filter replacements, and hydraulic oil/filter changes. Many of these intervals are set by the manufacturer and, if not followed, may void the warranty; therefore, scheduling additional PMs rather than "checking and changing as needed" helps to keep vehicle warranties intact. Servicing vehicles regularly and on a timely basis also reduces the number of breakdowns and corrective repairs. If a PM schedule is strongly adhered to, you can expect a 15% to 40% reduction in unscheduled repairs and costly road calls.

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Setting Up PM Schedules

PM schedules and histories are set up in vehicle records. Up to 260 PMs can be tracked per vehicle, by various methods and/or a combination of methodsby methods-by meters, alternate meters, gallons, hours, days, etc. If you wish to track PMs for equipment or other items, they must be set up as vehicles in RTA. To set up PM schedules for an individual vehicle record, follow the steps listed.

1. Select Master > Vehicle > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MVM).
2. Add a new vehicle record, if you haven't already done so. Add vehicle data as needed and get to the PM Schedule sub-window. Refer to "Adding a Vehicle" earlier in this chapter for instructions if necessary.

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If a non-file template number is keyed in, you'll have the option of adding the template into the system. Refer to "Adding a Template" for instructions and field definitions.

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Leave the sleep fields as is when initially adding new vehicles. Refer to "PM Sleep Mode" below for instructions on using this feature.

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PM Reports

Once PMs have been set up, a variety of PM reports are available to provide PMs due, PM history, and PM effectiveness. These reports are listed under the Vehicles menu.
There are a couple of system switches relating to PM reports that should be reviewed. These switches are located in Misc. Parameters I (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab).

• PM Report Defaults (switch 11): This switch contains default settings used for PM reports and for calculating PMs due or due soon on work orders.
• Process PMs by Location (switch 19): This switch controls whether a prompt for vehicle location will be available when generating PM reports.

Display Previous PMs Completed

This option allows you to quickly view previous PM information for vehicles. This type of information is also available in the vehicle records (PM Schedule sub-window), but the process is a bit slower. This option is especially handy if the vehicle odometer has ever been replaced or reset because the previous PM meter displays the life meter at the time the PM was completed rather than the previous odometer reading.

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1. Choose Next Vehicle or Previous Vehicle to navigate through previous PM records for multiple vehicles.

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PM Report

The PM Report is used to determine which PMs are due, due soon, or overdue. This report can be sorted by vehicle, by department, or by vehicle link. Past due PMs will be marked with three asterisks (**) at the beginning of the PM line. A single asterisk () will appear next to the PM interval if PMs have locked intervals (due on specific date or mileage). Sleeping will display in the Remarks column if a PM is currently in the sleep mode. To generate this report, do the following:

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1. Enter the starting and ending facility or press F1 to select the facilities from a lookup list. When printing for a range of facilities, information is printed only for the facilities in your region. Refer to the "System Security" in Chapter 2Getting Started for more information about regions.
2. Enter the starting and ending vehicle(s) or press F1 to select the vehicle(s) from the lookup list. OR

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1. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check. A through Z9 includes all PMs, but there may be times when specifying a single or small range of PMs is helpful. For example, if a mechanic is going to do a yard walk and basic inspections, a list of all annual inspections due can be printed so they can be knocked out during the yard walk.
2. Select a radio button to specify whether or not to have the RTA system create work orders for due PMs. Set to YES to automatically create work orders and then specify a default WO template number; set to NO to only print the PM report. Refer to "Auto-Creating PM Work Orders" later in this chapter for more information about this feature.
3. Check the 'export file' box if you wish to create an exported txt file listing the PMs due instead of printing a report.
4. Check the 'exclude scheduled' box if you wish to exclude scheduled PMs, which will exclude printing of PMs that are due, but are already scheduled on open work orders to be completed. This option is only available if "due only" was selected.
5. Check the 'include other PMs' and "Due Only' boxes to display other PMs due in addition to the PM type specified in the PM range selected. This feature allows you to create scenarios such as completing other PMs only if the A service is also due.

PM Due Listing

This option displays a list of all vehicles due for PM services. Once the list is displayed, it can be narrowed down to display only the PMs that have already been assigned to work orders or the PMs that still need to be assigned. Work orders or estimate work orders can also be auto-created for unassigned PMs directly from this option! To display the PM due list, select Vehicles > List PMs Due from the RTA main menu (VL).

Displaying Scheduled or Unscheduled Work Orders

Initially, the list automatically displays all PMs due. To view PMs that have already been assigned to work orders, select the Scheduled radio button located at the top of the window. To view PMs that have not been assigned to work orders, select the Un-Scheduled radio button.

Displaying Vehicle PM Data

To view detailed PM information for a vehicle, double-click the desired PM line or highlight it and then press the Enter key.

Printing the List

To print the PM Due Listing, click the PRINT button in the lower right corner of the window.

Auto-Creating Work Orders or Estimate Work Orders

For convenience, work orders or estimate work orders can be created automatically from the List PMs Due option, saving time in having to manually create the work orders and adding the jobs for each one. All that's left to do afterwards is to post the costs to the work orders (WW, WB, WPL, WQ, PQ or WE)! This feature requires the use of template work orders (WT). To auto-create work orders, do the following:

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TIP: For more detailed information about the auto-creation process, refer to "Auto-Creating PM Work Orders" and "Scenarios to Note About the Work Orders Created" later in this chapter.

PM Department Schedule Report

To print a full PM due report, use the Print PMs by Vehicle or Print PMs by Department option (VV, VD). This option prints abbreviated PM information. Only two PM records are provided on the report for each vehicle—the last PM completed and the next PM due. Even if a vehicle has more than one PM due, keep in mind that this report only lists the "most due" PM. To print this report, select Vehicles > Print PM Dept Schedule from the RTA main menu (VS).

1. Enter the starting and ending department(s) or press F1 to select the department(s) from the lookup list.
2. Enter a specific vehicle location or press ENTER to print PMs for all locations (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 19). Specifying a location allows PM reporting to be grouped by the vehicle location field in the vehicle record (MVM). The location field could be used to indicate where a vehicle is parked, a specific mechanic to perform the PM, vehicle class (fork lifts, refrigeration units, etc.), or any other type of classification.
3. Select a radio button to specify whether to print all PM information or just the information for due PMs.
4. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check.

PM Cards

This option prints a notice that can be sent to your drivers or departments informing them that PM services are due soon so the vehicle can be brought in for service. The output is formatted to print on 8.5 x 11 paper or cardstock, two PM cards per page. These notices can be hand-delivered, mailed, or emailed.
During a round-table discussion at an RTA annual user's conference, one of our customers shared with others that he resolved the problem of vehicles not being brought in for service by attaching PM due cards to paychecks. This eliminated the excuse of not being aware to bring a vehicle inhe in--he knew that if the paycheck had been cashed, the employee was informed.
To print PM due cards, select Vehicles > Print PM Cards from the RTA main menu (VC).

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1. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check.
2. If you wish for a checklist of inspection items to be printed on the notification card, select the appropriate template containing the desired checklist. The template work order containing a checklist must be configured in advance. See the section on "Template Work Orders" in Chapter 7 for details on how to configure the checklist.
3. If you wish to modify the message that prints on the PM cards, choose Notes, type in the new message, and then choose OK.

PM Costs Vs. Corrective Repairs

This report compares PM costs to corrective maintenance costs, which can be extremely beneficial to the fleet manager. If PMs are done as scheduled, there should be a substantial drop in the corrective maintenance costs. If the corrective maintenance costs are higher than they should be, it could indicate that the PM schedules need to be reevaluated or done more frequently in order to avoid major repairs and costly breakdowns. To print this report, do the following:

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Auto-Creating PM Work Orders

PM work orders can automatically be created by the RTA system for due PMs when the PM due report is generated (VD, VV, VK). To use this feature you must create template work orders (WT). Although, you can set up just one template work order to use this feature, it's better to set up templates for each type of PM service and possibly for each type of vehicle as well, if the PMs are different. For example, if the jobs you perform to complete an A PM for the cars in your fleet are different than the jobs to complete an A PM for your cement trucks, then you should set up two PM A templates. Refer to "Template Work Orders" in Chapter 7Work Orders for instructions on adding templates.
Once the template(s) have been set up, we recommend that you indicate the PM templates to use in the vehicle records (MVM).

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This step is optional. It may take a little time upfront, but saves time in the end, and it also makes the auto-create feature easier to use. A Set PM program is available in the Utilities 1 add-on package that enables you to quickly add PM templates to a group of vehicles (SCPS).
To auto-create PM work orders for due PMs, do the following:

1. Generate the PM due reportselect Vehicle > Print PMs by Vehicle or Print PMs by Department or Print PMs by Vehicle Link from the RTA main menu (VV, VD, VL).
2. Fill in all the report criteria up to Create WOs prompt. Refer to "PM Report" for instructions if necessary.
3. At the Create WOs prompt, choose Yes.
4. At the Default WO template prompt, you have several options. If PM templates were added to all vehicle records, as described previously, you can skip this field; otherwise, enter a default template work order or press F1 to select a template from the lookup list. The default template is used only for vehicles that don't have templates defined in the PM record.
5. Choose OK to generate the PM report.
6. View and/or print the PM report as needed and exit the report viewer when done.
7. At this point, you'll be prompted to continue; choose Yes to have the system start creating work orders.

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When the work order creation process is complete, a message indicating the work order numbers created (if any) is displayed.
Choose WO List to view or print a list of the work orders created. The list displays the WO number created, wo line, vmrs job code, vehicle to be serviced, and PM description.
If no work orders were created even though PMs are due, an exception report is generated; choose Exception List to view or print the exception list. Common exceptions are caused when a work order already exists for the PM or no template work order was specified.

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Quick PM Posting

This utility allows for quickly recording several PMs in a very short amount of time. A complete work order is created and posted for each vehicle's PM without the user having to create the work order manually.

Preparation

In order to benefit the most from this utility, there are a few things that should be done to maximize the benefits of this time-saving feature:

• A template work order (WT) should be created to define exactly how the work order is to be created. Job type, notes, checklist items, and inspection information should be included in the template work order.
• The template work order should be assigned to the PM information for each vehicle (MVM).
• A partkit containing the common items used during the PM should be assigned to the PM information for each vehicle (MVM).

Recording multiple PMs

. To quick-post PMs, do the following:

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Once the information is entered, you will need to POST the PM. This will create the work order based on the work order template, post the labor hours to the work order, post the assigned partkit items to the work order, and close the job.

Posting the PM

There are two ways to POST the PM, as indicated by the two buttons labeled "POST" and "POST W/Parts":

• Clicking on the "POST" button, will post the labor hours and the items included in the assigned partkit. If there is no partkit assigned, only labor will be recorded.
• Clicking on the "POST W/Parts" button will post the labor hours and then prompt you to enter individual part numbers used to complete the PM.

Printing the PMs

A log of each PM that was completed will appear at the bottom of the screen. This list can be printed by clicking the PRINT icon on the toolbar.

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PM Sleep Mode

The RTA system has the ability to put PMs in "sleep" mode. A PM that is "asleep" is inactive and will be flagged as "Sleeping" on PM reports. This is a great feature for seasonal PMs or seasonal equipment. PMs can be put to sleep or awakened individually in each PM record or globally for a group of vehicles using the Put PMs to Sleep and Disable PM Sleep Mode programs in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP, SIPD).
The sleep feature is only available for PMs that are tracked by days (e.g., a PM tracked by days only or a PM tracked by days and miles). If the Days Interval entry field is blank in the vehicle PM record, the Sleep Info fields won't be available for editing. If a non-zero value was entered in the Days Interval entry field, you'll have the ability to set the Sleep Mode Enabled checkbox. This checkbox is selected, by default, when new PMs are added. This allows the PM to be put to sleep. If this is a PM that is always active, deselect the Sleep Mode Enabled checkbox to prevent the PM from accidentally being put to sleep.

Putting a PM to Sleep

To put an individual PM to sleep, do the following:

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To put all sleep enabled PMs to sleep for a group of vehicles, use the Put PMs to Sleep program in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP). Refer to the Utilities 2 User's Manual for instructions.

Waking up a Sleeping PM

If a wake date was set, a PM automatically awakens on that date. If no wake date was set or you need to awaken an individual PM early, do the following.

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To wake up sleeping PMs for a group of vehicles, use the Disable PM Sleep Mode program in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP). Refer to the Utilities 2 User's Manual for "Disable PM Sleep Mode" for instructions.
NOTE: Updating and completing a PM work order also awakens a sleeping PM.