Handheld Tool Improves Pretrips
– Deborah Lockridge, Senior Editor
How many of your drivers actually do the required walk-around inspection before they get into the truck? If they do, how many do a thorough job? And how many breakdowns and citations are you dealing with because they're not?
In fact, if you look at most fleets' SafeStat reports, you'll see that a lot of out-of -service violations are caused by things that should have been caught during the pretrip – turn and stop lamps, for instance, or tires that are flat or so worn there is fabric exposed.
Zonar Systems has a tool that could help. The Electronic Vehicle Inspection Report System uses a handheld tool to help drivers easily and accurately document their inspection observations.
Here's how the EVIR works: Durable, self-adhesive RFID (radio frequency identification) tags – fat buttons about the size of a half-dollar – are positioned around the vehicle in critical inspection zones. When a driver holds a Zonar handheld reader within 4 inches of the tag, it transmits data to the reader, such as location on the vehicle, vehicle ID and components to be inspected.
The reader then displays the list of components the driver needs to check in that "zone." If no defects are found, the driver pushes the green button and the component items are checked off. If the driver finds a problem, he or she can document the condition by pushing the red button. When the driver records a defective condition, the Zonar reader asks for more detail, including whether the vehicle would be safe to operate. It also records how much time a driver spends in each "zone."
The zones and the items included in those zones are customizable by the fleet. For instance, vocational fleets may have zones on bodies or other equipment that need to be inspected.
The reader is designed for easy, one-hand push-button operation, and even includes a built-in LED spotlight.
Once the inspection is complete, the system makes a permanent record of the inspection report, complete with an automated stamp of the date, time and VIN.
There are several ways to access the data. One is to put the reader into a mount in the vehicle. The company also offers options such as GPS systems that offer real-time data reporting, or a modem that allows for report uploads from remote locations. Zonar is working with Qualcomm to integrate the product so fleets can wirelessly transmit EVIR data using Qualcomm's mobile computing solutions.
Whichever method you choose, the inspection data is transmitted to Zonar's secure server, which can be accessed via the Internet. The system includes Ground Traffic Control, a suite of Web-based software solutions that help you manage, interpret, and report the data drivers collect during inspections.
Zonar Systems' applications can interface with your existing maintenance and routing software. Fleets save time on paperwork, and reports generated by the system make it easier to spot trends.
