Remote Diagnosis: What it does and what it doesn’t
By Joseph evangelist
Executive Vice President, Transervice
As originally appeared in FleetOwner Magazine’s IdeaXchange
Remote diagnostics is one of the buzzwords in the trucking industry today. Most truck manufacturers (OEMs) have a system in place that allows fleets to monitor the health of their trucks in real time if they choose to take advantage of it. While the details of these systems vary, they all allow the fleet to see which vehicles are performing as they should, which are in the shop for repair along with details of the problem, and which trucks are on the road but have failed. problems. There are a number of reasons why you should consider investing in remote diagnostics.
- Bridge Distances: Many fleets operate over a wide geographical area. A fleet may operate out of Sacramento, California, but drive trucks in Idaho. When a problem occurs with a truck that is outside the home area of the fleet, remote diagnostics allow the fleet manager to see what is happening with a particular unit even if it is hundreds of miles away. kilometers.
- Break through communication barriers: It can sometimes be difficult for drivers to articulate exactly what is wrong with a vehicle. Remote diagnostics keep everyone on the same page and let fleet managers know exactly what’s wrong with the truck in a clear and concise way.
- Improve Decision Making: Because you’ll know exactly what’s wrong with the truck, you can decide if the vehicle can keep running until it gets home, or if it needs to go straight to the shop or to a nearby dealer for repairs. It also helps you determine which resources should be sent to a broken down truck, which will help speed up the repair process.
But a remote diagnostic system is not everything.
- He can’t fix the truck: Although the system can tell you exactly what is wrong with the truck, it cannot fix the truck for you. The right tools, equipment and technician skills are always needed to get the truck back on the road.
- It does not manage: Having all the data is great, but someone still has to look at the data and take action based on what the data is telling them. You also need someone to act as an administrator and set up the structure in terms of who gets notified and what information they receive.
Additionally, technicians and others who receive the data need to be kept informed to ensure they understand what the data is telling them. They must be aware of shadow codes; not all notifications result in a serious problem. It is important that those in the loop see the value of the information they receive to ensure that it is used correctly.
Another advantage of a remote diagnostic system is that it gives you historical fault codes. You can see exactly what happened during a given period. This ability to track failure trends allows you to make changes to your maintenance schedule and can be used when making decisions about purchasing new equipment.
While Remote Diagnostics won’t fix your trucks for you, it gives you the information you need to make the right repair decisions while reducing driver downtime.