How to Add a Vehicle

Owned by Enoch Poston
Last updated: Feb 17, 2017
6 min read

Step by Step guide

  1. Select Master > Vehicle > File Maintenance (MVM) from the RTA main menu.
  2. Enter a vehicle number and select “Add”. The vehicle number is a text field allowing up to eight characters
  3. Specify if you would like to use a template. (Most information from the template vehicle will be copied to the vehicle being added. Only the inherently unique information is omitted, such as: VIN, License, Odometer, Operator, etc.)

  4. If you use a template, you will be prompted for the Vehicle Number you wish to use for the template. You may enter the Vehicle Number, or press ”F1” to select from the lookup list of your existing vehicles in the RTA system. Leaving the “Include User Definable” box checked will also copy the data from the “User Defined” tab of the template vehicle. Uncheck the box if you wish to use the default field descriptions in the “User Defined” tab for the vehicle being added.

  5. Enter the Year, Make, Model, Serial Number (VIN), License Plate, Class Code, Department, and Customer in the upper section. When the cursor is in any of these fields, a “Help Line” is displayed at the lower left corner of the window, prompting you for information and advising if a list is available using the “F1” key on your keyboard.

  6. In the lower section, there are Tabs with labels in bold font. Only a few areas within these tabs are “required”. Below are descriptions of the fields. ****Click to see a description of each tab.

     General Tab


    1. Size (Required)
      Select the appropriate Size by using the drop down arrow and selecting from the available lists.


    2. Meter Units (Required)
      Select the appropriate Meter type by using the drop down arrow and selecting from the available lists.

    3. Odometer (Required)
      Enter the Vehicle’s odometer reading in the Odometer field. This will bring up a prompt asking if you wish to post the odometer reading to “Lifetime” or “Current Period”. Select “Lifetime”.
      ****NOTE: The Odometer field cannot be edited in this screen after the vehicle record is saved. It is best to enter this information when first adding the vehicle.

    4. Fuel Meter
      The Fuel meter is automatically updated by the RTA system. No entry can be made to this field.

    5. Base Meter (Recommended)
      The number entered here will be subtracted from the “Life meter” before the cost per mile is computed on the vehicle cost per mile reports. If no costs or history is being entered into the RTA system, enter the “Odometer” reading into the “Base meter” field as well. If history is being entered, the “Base meter” should be edited to reflect the meter reading from the earliest documented repair costs in RTA.

    6. Life Meter
      The Life meter is automatically updated by the RTA system. No entry can be made to this field.
     Fluids Tab

    1. Fuel Type (Recommended)
      Select the appropriate Fuel type by using the drop down arrow, and selecting from the available lists.

    2. Fuel Capacity
      Enter the vehicle’s total fuel tank capacity in gallons or liters.

    3. Average MPG
      Enter an estimate of the vehicle’s fuel economy. The label indicates miles per gallon; however, enter the estimate figures for Liters per 100 Kilometers, Gallons per hour, Kilometer per Liter, or whatever type of cost reporting your fleet uses for measuring fuel economy.

    4. Highway Tax
      Enter the highway use tax rate for this vehicle

    5. Fuel Taxable
      RTA can track fuel taxes, when fuel tickets are entered in the system. The box is checked by default. Uncheck this box to not track fuel taxes for this vehicle.

    6. Split fuel with second unit
      Allows two vehicles to share fuel costs, such as when a reefer unit is pulling fuel from a tractor’s fuel tank.

    7. Fuel Cross-Referance
      This field is used with the Electronic Fuel Interface add-on option.

    8. Oil type and Capacity (Recommended)
      Enter the oil part number and capacity used by this vehicle. The Part number entered here can be automatically posted when posting through the Quick Fuel Entry option (FFQ or 212).

    9. Transmission Fluid and Capacity (Recommended)
      Enter the transmission fluid part number and capacity used by this vehicle. The Part number entered here can be automatically posted when posting through the Quick Fuel Entry option (FFQ or 212).

    10. Antifreeze and Capacity
      Enter the antifreeze part number and capacity used by this vehicle.

    11. Gear Oil and Capacity
      Enter the gear oil part number and capacity used by this vehicle.

    12. Hydraulic Fluid and Capacity
      Enter the hydraulic fluid part number and capacity used by this vehicle.

    13. Freon and Capacity
      Enter the refrigerant part number and capacity used by this vehicle.
     Alternate Meters Tab

    In addition to the Odometer entry in the General Tab, up to four alternate meters may be used per vehicle.

     Replacement Tab

    An optional vehicle replacement schedule may be defined individually, or for a class of vehicle.

     Financial Tab

    Purchase, license and insurance costs may be entered here. Costs are incorporated in the fixed costs reports.

     Depreciation Tab

    A straight line depreciation option may be entered here.

     Class Info Tab

    The fields tracked within this tab are defined by the classification to which you assigned the vehicle. These fields can be customized by editing the Class Code. (See how to add vehicle class codes)

     Class GDF Tab

    Class Global Defined Fields are available for additional fields of information specific to the vehicle’s Class Code.

     User Defined Tab

    All of the fields in this window are for notational purposes only and are not used by the RTA system. Both the field descriptions and the values may be edited directly from this window. It is commonly used as a reference to list frequently used Part numbers.

     Vehicle GDF Tab

    Vehicle Global Defined Fields are available for additional fields of information for this specific vehicle

     Brakes Tab

    Brake lining measurements may be entered here. This option is also available on each work order, with the information being stored on this tab for quick reference.

     Preventive Maintenance Tab

    PM schedules may be added, updated and reviewed here.


  7. Save the Record



Tips

Basic Information

In order to track repairs, preventive maintenance, and costs for a vehicle, trailer, equipment or asset, it must be added into the Vehicle Master File.

Tips for Adding Vehicles

Acquire as much information about each vehicle as you can prior to entering it into the system. (Odometer, PM Schedule, PM History, etc…)

● The Vehicle Number is an alpha-numeric field and will sort left to right. Using all three-digit numbers or all four-digit numbers is not a problem. The sort affects the listing of Vehicles when you mix the number of digits you use to designate your Vehicle numbers. Refer to the RTA User’s Manual for more information. Review Chapter 1 Introduction, “Text Fields vs. Numeric Fields”, and then devise a vehicle-numbering scheme accordingly.

● The Vehicle Record contains eight screens. It is not necessary to enter information in every screen or every field. Many of the fields are provided for your benefit and are not used by the RTA system; required fields will be noted in the description. For example, if you want to track only Vehicle Year, Make, and Model, then simply fill in those fields and leave everything else blank, but if you want to track additional information, the fields are available for you.

● Use a Template when adding similar vehicles. This greatly speeds up the process of adding vehicles into the system because most of the data from the template vehicle, including PM schedules and warranties, is copied to the vehicle being added. The only information that does not come across from the template is the information unique to each vehicle such as meter readings, serial numbers, license plate numbers, and PM histories. Those unique entries will need to be entered, as well as any unit specific data from the Class Info and User Defined Tabs.