The Problem:

The transportation division of a large school district was using hand written reports to satisfy their vehicle record keeping needs. They had pieces of paper on fuel consumption, part usage, labor time, vehicle use and more - all in an effort to create annual reports required by the state's government. The amount of clerical time to record all these bits of information was astronomical. There were always mistakes, missing data, or illegible notes. In addition, improvements were needed to better manage their repair parts inventory and track and report vehicle repair history.

  The Solution:

Current Directions developed a solution using Intermec 9445 portable bar-code readers, an Intermec 4400 bar-code printer and a networked PC. The system manages and tracks all fuel consumption, vehicle mileage, part use, drivers and mechanics labor.

Barcoded labels and badges are used to simplify the identification of each employee, vehicle, type of labor, and part.

The mechanics use the portable bar-code readers to record their ID, repair type, parts used, and time spent on the repair. At day's end all scanned information is loaded into the PC from the hand-held.

At the fueling station the drivers enter their employee ID, vehicle ID, and current vehicle mileage before receiving fuel. This insures all mileage information is recorded and designated by type of travel for accounting purposes.

All tabulations are done to conform to state requirements. A wide variety of reports are now offered by part, vehicle, or time frame. The system updates all files daily; guaranteeing accurate and timely reports.

  The Benefits:

Clerical labor-hours are reduced several fold and clerical error is a thing of the past. Both mechanics and management were pleased with the elimination of clerical responsibilities. Daily file updates guarantee their reports will be accurate, timely, and effective in planning preventive maintenance, controlling part inventory, and pointing out the "lemons" in the fleet. In addition, vehicle replacements are now better planned for and justified.