march2021 - 34

Tips to maximize CMMS from the start
Consider these key
areas during selection,
setup, and integration
of a fleet's maintenance
management software.
By Erica Schueller
Selecting the right computerized maintenance management
system (CMMS) for a fleet
requires ample research and
a comprehensive understanding of a fleet's operations.
A quality CMMS software provider
can provide step-by-step guidance
with assessing a fleet's maintenance management software
needs and share functionality and
processes available to meet those
needs. From there, a service provider can offer guidance ahead of the
implementation process to answer
any questions and make sure the
fleet is ready to start using the new
platform. A CMMS provider may
also provide comprehensive on-site
support, as needed, during the

installation process, as well as initial
and follow-up training, as needed.
Before getting started, a fleet
should establish a point person, or
team, to work as a liaison between
the fleet and the provider, ensure
buy-in from the leadership team,
and share plans and get input
with all employees who will be
impacted by this change.

UPDATES IN REAL-TIME

Manual data entry makes for a
less efficient process and can
cause issues with pertinent information not being immediately
available to key personnel.
" There are still so many fleets that
do PMs (preventive maintenance)
as checklists on paper, and somebody types that information in, "
notes Bob Hausler, vice president,
marketing and technology for
Dossier Systems. " Not only does
that create a time delay, but it creates the opportunity for [errors]. "
He suggests challenges with
reading a person's handwriting,
having subjective and short
written descriptions, or having

Hausler says. " Not only does it eliminate the transcription step, but it
also allows the tech [to] be able to
see the repair history for the asset. "
Having the ability to update and
access information in real-time
across the fleet also allows
technicians to avoid any missing information that may have
not yet been added into the
system by manual entry and
provides transparency around
previous service of that asset.
Additionally, integration of data from
other software systems utilized
by the fleet can further streamline
communication between departments. This includes integration of
the transportation management
software (TMS), telematics providers, accounting software, and more.

STANDARDIZED
INFORMATION

Vehicle maintenance reporting
standards, known as VMRS, is
an alphanumeric coding system
that allows commercial vehicle
operations the ability to organize and categorize information
into a standardized format.
Consider a VMRS licensed provider when selecting a CMMS.
" One of the key fundamentals in setting up all the part
information and equipment
information is using VMRS as a
foundation, " says Ric Bedard,
founder and CEO of Cetaris.
Beyond that, confirm that the
CMMS provider also offers sufficient training to utilize VMRS codes.
" Having an experienced partner
can make the difference between
having VMRS and using VMRS, "
Hausler notes. " As a VMRS licensee,
Dossier's software has many VMRS
code keys (CKs) embedded so
users need only select the codes
they want, they don't need to
look them up and type them in. "

		»Integration of data from other
software systems utilized by
the fleet can further streamline
communication between
departments. This includes
integration of the transportation
management software (TMS),
telematics providers, accounting
software, and more.
Photo courtesy of Fleetio

34 Fleet Maintenance | March 2021

incorrect information like number errors in meter entries can
cause unnecessary delays.
Automating the process of adding
new service information or updating
existing service details can help
streamline the maintenance service.
" Why don't you have all of your
technicians live on the system? "

He notes all Dossier support staff
are also certified VMRS specialists,
completing the certification process through the American Trucking
Associations' Technology &
Maintenance Council (TMC), and are
available to assist fleet customers.
" It is a standard that not only
provides great internal reporting but is used and accepted by
OEMs and service providers, as
well as fleets, " Hausler adds.

UPFRONT PREPARATION
A CMMS provider can assist fleets
with the planning and preparation to import existing fleet data
into the new software system.

Hausler explains for Dossier, the
implementation team conducts an
analysis and reviews existing fleet
information in various categories
such as assets, parts, personnel,
vendors, PMs, and warranties.
The team can then determine
which information would be
imported into the new CMMS.
Clean data imported into the
new system is imperative to
set a foundation for standard practices long-term.
" We first gather that data and break
it down into equipment types so
that we can look at cleaning up the
data, " notes Cetaris' Bedard. " We are
looking for 130 unique items about
an asset, [and] most of our customers don't have that. We have to
work with them to expand what they
have or work with their OEMs to
expand it, because there [are] other
goals that we have downstream. "
Laura Maxwell, product marketing manager for Fleetio, advises
data imports, often through
the importing of spreadsheet
information, involve inputting
vehicle specifications and historical
records, such as service history.
From there, fleets can set up
standard service programs for
similar vehicles in the fleet.
" If you have more than one of each
type of vehicle and equipment,
this is going to save some time,
because you are managing all of
the reminders and details at once, "
Maxwell says. " It is worth thinking
about what you want out of your
PMs and what kind of reminders
you want because, ultimately, when
you set up those service programs,
those are going to be a critical part
of what you get notified about. "
Maxwell adds OEM-recommended
service intervals can also be
added to the system to start,
and then updated based
on specific fleet needs.
From a fleet perspective, Mike
Jeffress, vice president of maintenance for Maverick Transportation,
shared that his fleet opted to not
bring in historical data from the
fleet's previous maintenance management system. But, the team did
march2021

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