Can You Track More Than Vehicles in Your FMIS?

Here’s a true story.

A few months ago, Jeff Jenkins was at a tradeshow and he and an Account Executive were talking to a gentleman about this concrete mixing operation.

He told them they only had 11 vehicles. So, Jeff and the AE thought, ‘OK, he likely doesn’t need fleet management software.’

But then Jeff asked a follow-up question: “What other equipment do you have that needs maintenance tracked?”

Ding-ding.

The man said around 600 pieces of equipment. They had generators, tractors, concrete mixers, and a slew of other assets.

This raised an interesting point. While you might immediately think of vehicles when you think of what you would track in fleet management software, you can track a variety of assets and equipment.

Jeff and Steve Saltzgiver recently discussed this topic on the podcast, “The Fleet Success Show,” and various ways an FMIS can be used to track assets and equipment other than vehicles.

Emergency Vehicles

In the episode, Steve said police departments and fire departments often track their equipment in an FMIS.

He said police departments track their weapons in the software, as well as the various items they keep in their trunks (flares, safety cones, safety equipment, and other items).

Fire departments also track their safety equipment in the FMIS, including their oxygen tanks. They can monitor how much air is in a tank and when it was filled last.

“How important is that oxygen, and tracking that oxygen?” Jeff said. “It’s life-saving.”

Steve said they also track their saws and even their Jaws of Life – ensuring it’s being properly maintained so it works in an emergency.

Shop Tools and Equipment

Another way to use an FMIS, is to track your tools and equipment.

As Jeff said, “It’s amazing how often items walk off.”

If you’re not tracking your tools and equipment, you can easily lose items – whether employees misplace them or take them.

Facilities

Items you might not think of tracking – but can be – can include your facility, and important systems in it. You can use your FMIS to ensure your HVAC unit is properly maintained, and record when the filters were last changed. You can track when you last added freon to your unit and how much.

You can also track when your generators were last tested and serviced. It’s essential to ensure these are checked regularly so you can make sure they work when you need them in an emergency.

“If it’s an asset, it can be tracked,” Jeff said.

How To Track Assets and Equipment

Setting up your tools, equipment, and even your facilities in your fleet management software is simple.

As Steve said in the podcast, there are three main steps:

1. Create a birth certificate for the item to record its details and when it was purchased.
2. Record its location.
3. Establish a maintenance schedule.

Once this information is recorded, you can start scheduling and monitoring the maintenance of your assets.

To hear the full podcast episode (including stories from Jeff and Steve on the most expensive assets they’ve lost due to a lack of maintenance tracking), listen to it here! And to learn more about RTA’s FMIS and how you can use it at your operation, schedule a demo with our Sales team!