VMRS Codes

The RTA system contains hundreds of pre-defined Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standard codes. The VMRS codes, sometimes referred to as job codes, contain descriptions and estimated hours for repairs and services performed in the shop. VMRS codes are required when adding work order lines, vehicle warranties, and part warranties. They also play a big part in tracking mechanic productivity--the estimated hours are compared to the actual completion times.
It's not necessary to do anything with the existing VMRS codes before using the RTA system, especially if you won't be tracking mechanic productivity initially. However, you might need to add or modify VMRS codes from time to time when codes for particular jobs you do don't exist. We suggest adding and revising codes as needed rather than reviewing and adding all the codes initially. Be sure to organize newly added VMRS codes in the same manner as described below. This assures consistency in the coding system, thus allowing jobs to be easily located. If you don't want to use the existing VMRS codes and want to devise an entirely new set of codes, contact our technical support department for assistance in deleting all the existing codes in one, easy step.
The VMRS code may contain up to nine digits consisting of a three-digit major code, three-digit intermediate code, and three-digit minor code (e.g., 013-004-000). The major code is used to indicate the area of the vehicle where the work is performed. For example, code 013 deals with brakes, 017 deals with tires, 032 deals with the cranking system. The intermediate code indicates the area of the job to be performed (front brake pads, rear brake shoes, etc.); these are listed alphabetically. The minor code allows even more detail about the job, in many cases, pin-pointing the specific part or area that needs attention.

RTA-WO-VMRS 2019.xlsx


The RTA system has a switch allowing you to use a three-, six-, or nine-digit VMRS code (SSM, switch 38). We recommend using a six-digit VMRS coding system because it's easy to use and provides the needed detail for tracking history. A three-digit VMRS coding system is very easy to use but tends to be too generic, not providing enough detail. For example, when viewing vehicle history, you might see that several brake jobs were performed; however, there's no detail indicating the complexity or severity of each job. On the other hand, a nine-digit VMRS coding system provides the best level of detail, but tends to be too cumbersome to be used effectively.
NOTE: VMRS codes from the American Trucking Association (ATA) are available upon request. If you prefer to use the ATA VMRS codes instead of the codes provided with your RTA system, please call RTA at 623-581-2447. We highly recommend that you decide upon which set of VMRS codes to use prior to entering work orders in RTA. Switching VMRS codes afterwards is quite labor intensive.

Adding a VMRS Code through File Maintenance

The VMRS code file is used by the entire system and is not facility specific. To add a VMRS code, do the following:

  1. Select Master > VMRS Code > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MRM).

  2. Enter a VMRS code and choose Add. The VMRS code is a numeric field allowing up to nine digits: three digits each for the major, intermediate, and minor VMRS codes.

  3. Enter the VMRS code information.

  4. Save the record.

Adding a VMRS Code "On-the-Fly"

New VMRS codes can be added "on-the-fly" through work orders. This method allows VMRS codes to be quickly added into the RTA system while adding or editing work orders and estimate work orders. To add a VMRS code record "on-the-fly," do the following:

  1. Create a new work order or bring up an existing work order or estimate work order (WW, WB, WPL, WE).

  2. Bring up the Edit Line or Add Line window.

  3. Enter a non-file VMRS code.

  4. Choose Add when prompted to continue.

  5. Enter the VMRS information.

  6. Save the record.

VMRS Code Field Descriptions

  • VMRS Code: (Numeric field) VMRS codes can contain up to nine digits. Enter a three-, six-, or nine-digit VMRS code according to the number of digits you plan to use (SSM, switch 38).

  • Description: Enter the job description for this VMRS code.

  • Miscellaneous: Enter miscellaneous information as needed for this VMRS code.

  • Warranty: Select this checkbox if this job is covered under bumper-to-bumper vehicle warranties. Deselect this checkbox if this job is not covered under bumper-to-bumper warranties (e.g., PMs, new vehicle prep., accident repairs).

VMRS Code Time Standards
The remaining fields in the VMRS code record allow estimated times to be set to indicate how long checks, repairs, and replacements for this job should take. The estimates are used for computing mechanic productivity percentages and system flat rate billing (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 42). When calculating estimated times, be sure to account for weather conditions or the time involved in getting vehicles from the yard and ready to be worked on. If you aren't tracking mechanic productivity or using system flat rate billing, you can leave these fields blank or just enter rough estimates. Refer to "System Flat Rate" for more information.
Time standards can be set based on the vehicle difficulty factor and/or vehicle class. The times displayed on the main screen of the VMRS code are the estimated times based on vehicle difficulty factors.

Time Standards by Vehicle Difficulty Factor

  • Replace 1 – 5: Enter the estimated time to complete replacements for this job (e.g., replace a tire). One of these estimated times will be used when a Repair Type code of REPLACE, DAMAGE, or PM is used on a work order line. The five levels correspond to vehicle difficulty factors-levels 1 through 5. Refer to "Mechanic Productivity" for more information about difficulty factors.

  • Repair: Enter the estimated time to complete repairs for this job (e.g., repair or patch a tire). This estimated time will be used when a Repair Type code of REPAIR is used on a work order line.

  • Check: Enter the estimated time to complete checks for this job (e.g., check tire pressure). This estimated time will be used when a Repair Type code of CHECK is used on a work order line.

Time Standards by Vehicle Class Code

Estimated times based on vehicle class can be defined by selecting Utilities > Link Class Code from the menu or clicking on the Link Class icon in the toolbar. Specify the class to define and then enter the estimated Check, Repair, and Replacement hours for that class.

How the System Determines the Estimated Time for a Job

See the following sample screens to see how the system selects the estimated hours when adding a work order line.
When adding a work order line, you must specify the repair type. Reference the table for the corresponding estimated hours.

When adding a work order line, you must specify the repair type. Reference the table for the corresponding estimated hours.

Repair Type

Est. Hours to Use

CHECK

Check

REPAIR

Repair

REPLACE

Replace

DAMAGE

Replace

PM

Replace

If RPLC estimated hours are needed, the system checks the vehicle's difficulty factor to determine which RPLC hours to use. Difficulty factors can be set from 1-5 ranges of VMRS codes

Our sample has a repair type of PM, which uses RPLC estimated hours. The job code of 066-002-000 falls in the 60-69 range in the difficulty factor, which has a difficulty factor of 3. Therefore, RPLC3 estimated hours of 1.5 is used (as shown in the first screen shot when adding the work order line).
 

 

Some vehicles in your fleet will take longer than others. If your fleet type has such variations, you can specify estimated repair times by vehicle class code. Simply select Utilities > Link Class Code from the menu or click on the Link Class icon in the toolbar and define the check, repair, and replacement times specific to that class of vehicles. When the work order is created, the system will use the estimated times specified for the vehicle's class if specified, otherwise it will use the default estimated times.

Changing a VMRS Code

You can make changes to the VMRS description, warranty flag, and estimated hours. Use extreme caution when making changes to existing VMRS codes if you have already added work orders, vehicle warranties, or part warranties in the system! When the VMRS description is changed, reports will display the new job description. For example, if you did a brake job six months ago using code 013-001-000 and then change the description for that code to transmission work, any report you print afterwards will be misleading since the description will show as transmission work when, in actuality, it was a brake job. When making a change like this, it is better to use the Renumber VMRS Codes program in the Utilities 1 add-on package (SCIR). This utility program renumbers VMRS codes and all corresponding records. Contact RTA for more information about this option. If you haven't started entering work orders, vehicle warranties, or part warranties, changes can be made to the VMRS description with no potential problems.
To change a VMRS code, do the following:

  1. Select Master > VMRS Code > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MRM).

  2. Enter a VMRS code or press F1 to select a VMRS code from the lookup lists.

  3. Make the changes as needed.

  4. Save the record.

Deleting a VMRS Code

Use extreme caution when deleting a VMRS code! If a report includes a deleted VMRS code, the system attempts to use the description from the header VMRS code. For example if 013-001-000 FRONT BRAKES & DRUMS was deleted, the description for 013-000-000, BRAKES, would be used. If a header VMRS code isn't found, **************** would print as the description.
Also, be careful when reusing a deleted VMRS code for a new job¾the new job description will be used for any old jobs with that VMRS code. If you plan to reuse a deleted VMRS code, it is better to renumber the old VMRS code first in order to keep vehicle history as accurate as possible. You can use the Renumber VMRS Codes program in the Utilities 1 add-on package, which renumbers VMRS codes and all corresponding records (SCIR). Contact RTA for more information about this option.
To delete a VMRS code, do the following:

  1. Select Master > VMRS Code > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MRM).

  2. Enter a VMRS code or press F1 to select a VMRS code from the lookup lists.

  3. Select Utilities > Delete VMRS from the menu or click on the Delete VMRS icon in the toolbar.

  4. Choose Yes to confirm the deletion.

Export/Import VMRS Records

This program exports your VMRS codes into a tab delimited text file. This file can then be edited manually or via a spreadsheet program, and then re-imported into the RTA system to update any changes made.
Notes:
This process is not reversible. Backup your data prior to using this utility.
This utility prompts for system password level 3. This utility is considered a "power user" utility. As such, it is not restricted by user security settings within the RTA software. Therefore, it is necessary to protect access to the utility with the highest system password.

Exporting the Data

  • From the main menu in RTA, select System > Utilities > WOs > VMRS Export/Import (STWV).

  • At the prompt screen, choose "Export" and select the range of codes you wish to export.

  • Specify whether you want to edit the job VMRS code or the part VMRS codes.

  • Specify a file to create. Generally you should use a .txt extension (ex. vmrs.txt)

  • The utility will process your existing VMRS records and the file is created.

Editing the Data

Import the file (ex. vmrs.txt) into your spreadsheet software for editing.Detailed instructions are included below for Microsoft Excel 2003. Special care is required to follow the steps exactly as outlined below. If the formatting is not done correctly, Excel may cause unintended changes to your data values.
Start Microsoft Excel.
Choose Data->Import External Data->Import Data.
Select the file that you exported from RTA (ex. vmrs.txt)This initiates Excel's import wizard…
Wizard step 1: Choose delimited for the file type (this is the default) and click the 'Next' button.
Wizard step 2: Choose tab for the delimiter (this is the default) and change the text qualifier to {none}. Click the 'Next' button.
Wizard step 3: The first column is already highlighted. We need to select ALL of the columns. Do this by dragging the bottom scrollbar all the way to the right. Hold down the 'Shift' key and click on the word 'General' on that last column. This will highlight all of the columns. Now, change the 'Column Data Format' option to TEXT. Click the 'Finish' button.
The spreadsheet columns will now display your RTA VMRS code data.
Once data is brought into a spreadsheet to be changed, the following rules apply:

  • You may not remove or add columns to the file.

  • You may add new rows to this file. Be sure to follow exactly the same format as the existing rows.

  • The utility will add or delete records if specified. There is a special column that causes a record to be deleted. Fill this column in with a Y.

  • The column titles display the field name and the maximum length of the field. Filling in data that exceeds this size limit will be truncated when the data is re-imported back into the RTA system.

  • The first row exported contains a legend describing each field's contents and size limits.

Saving the file

  • Now that you're done editing the data in your spreadsheet program, you'll need to save the file so that it can be re-imported into RTA.

  • It is imperative that you save the file as a TAB-DELIMITED ASCII TEXT file. Generally, this means maintaining a .txt file extension.

  • Do not allow your spreadsheet software to convert the file into it's native format (such as .xls for Microsoft's Excel).


Importing the Data

  • From the main menu in RTA, select System > Utilities > WOs > VMRS Export/Import (STWV).

  • At the prompt screen, choose "Import" and select the range of codes you wish to export.

  • Specify whether you want to update the job VMRS code or the part VMRS codes. You should choose the same option you chose when you exported the data.

  • Check the Add Non-File box if you added new codes in the text file and wish these to be added into the system.

  • Specify the .txt file that contains your changes to import. (ex. vmrs.txt)

  • The utility will process your changes.

  • When the import utility completes, an error file is created. The error file is named the same as your data file, with a .err extension (ex. vmrs.err). This file should be reviewed for any possible exceptions during the import process.

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