Preventive Maintenance

One of the many cost-saving features in the RTA Fleet Management Software is the ability to track and schedule vehicle preventive maintenance (PM) schedules. PMs allow the shop to inspect vehicles on a regular, timely basis to prevent maintenance problems.
Most shops have a standard lube, oil change, and inspection schedule for their vehicles, but many stop there. All vehicles have additional service requirements that need to be performed at scheduled intervals, such as transmission services, tune-ups, air and fuel filter replacements, and hydraulic oil/filter changes. Many of these intervals are set by the manufacturer and, if not followed, may void the warranty; therefore, scheduling additional PMs rather than "checking and changing as needed" helps to keep vehicle warranties intact. Servicing vehicles regularly and on a timely basis also reduces the number of breakdowns and corrective repairs. If a PM schedule is strongly adhered to, you can expect a 15% to 40% reduction in unscheduled repairs and costly road calls.

Setting Up PM Schedules

PM schedules and histories are set up in vehicle records. Up to 260 PMs can be tracked per vehicle, by various methods and/or a combination of methods-by meters, alternate meters, gallons, hours, days, etc. If you wish to track PMs for equipment or other items, they must be set up as vehicles in RTA. To set up PM schedules for an individual vehicle record, follow the steps listed.

  1. Select Master > Vehicle > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MVM).
  2. Add a new vehicle record, if you haven't already done so. Add vehicle data as needed and get to the PM Schedule sub-window. Refer to "Adding a Vehicle" for instructions if necessary.

If you're adding PMs to an existing vehicle record, bring up the vehicle record and then select the Preventive Maintenance tab.

  1. Choose Add PM.
  2. Enter the PM schedule and choose OK to return to the PM Schedule window.
  3. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all PM schedules have been added for this vehicle.

To add a PM to multiple vehicles, use the Set PM program in the Utilities 1 add-on package (SCPS). Refer to the Utilities 1 User's Manual for instructions.
To add PM service notes for this vehicle, choose Service notes. Up to three lines of service notes can be added. Service notes can be used as a reminder of something that's required when servicing a vehicle. For example, you could note that the vehicle must be picked up at another location or that a problem is occurring for vehicles of this model that needs to be addressed when the vehicle is brought in. Service notes are printed on the PM due reports (VV, VD).
PM Field Descriptions

  • PM Code: Enter up to two characters to identify the PM; the first character must be a letter from A-Z; the second character (optional) must be a number from 0-9. Try to come up with a coding scheme that categorizes the PMs in an orderly manner. For example, many fleets use PM A for a 3000 mile service and PM B for a 6000 mile service. PMs can be added in any order. The RTA system automatically sorts them in order (A, A1, A2…A9, B, B1, B2…Z9). If PM A and PM B are set up initially and then an additional PM is later needed between the two services, PM A5 could be added. It would automatically be inserted between PMs A and B.
  • Include PM: The RTA system is capable of nesting PMs (i.e., a PM can include another PM). To nest this PM, enter the PM code of the PM to nest with this PM. For example, PM A could be a lube, oil, and inspection; PM B could be a PM A plus a fuel filter; and PM C could be a PM B plus an air filter and transmission service. As you can see, PM B includes PM A, and PM C includes both PMs A and B. Nesting PMs makes data entry easier and faster because when a PM is completed, the RTA system updates that PM record as well as the nested PM record(s).

PMs can only be nested in ascending order; therefore PM A cannot include any other PMs while PM C can include PMs B, A, or any PM from A to B9—but it cannot include PMs C1 through Z9. PMs don't have to include other PMs nor do they have to include all PMs above them. For example, PM C may include PM A but exclude PM B.

  • VMRS Code: Enter the PM VMRS code or press F1 to select a VMRS code from the lookup list. Codes 066001000 through 066009000 are set up in the RTA system for PMs but any VMRS code can be used. When the VMRS code of a work order line matches exactly with the PM VMRS code, the system automatically updates the PM record (and nested PM records) when the job is complete.
  • Template Work Order: Enter the PM template facility and number or press F1 to select a facility and template from the lookup list. The template specified here is used when work orders are automatically created for due PMs (VV, VD). When manually creating PM work orders, you'll be prompted to use this template.

If a non-file template number is keyed in, you'll have the option of adding the template into the system. Refer to "Adding a Template" for instructions and field definitions.

  • PM Part Kit: Enter the part kit facility and part kit number or press F1 to make a selection from the lookup list. If a non-file part kit number is keyed in, you'll have the option of adding the part kit into the system. Refer to "Adding a Part Kit" for instructions and field definitions.

When a part kit is assigned to a work order line, a parts pick list can be printed so that parts needed for the job can be obtained quickly. When a part kit is posted, all the components in the part kit are posted to the work order, saving you from having to individually post each part.

  • Primary Meter: Select the primary method used to track this PM; the choices will vary depending on the vehicle's meter type and alternate meters. If the meter type is set to GALLONS or HOURS, the primary meter choices are days, hours, and gallons. If the meter type is set to KILOMETERS, MILES, or UNITS, the primary meter choices are days, kilometers/miles/units, and gallons. If this PM is tracked by an alternate meter, the option of setting the alternate meter as the primary meter is also available. The selected primary meter displays on the vehicle's PM Schedule window; the non-primary meters can be viewed by looking at the PM detail.
  • Description: The VMRS code description is displayed as the default PM description, press ENTER to accept the default description or type in a new description for this PM. This description is included on PM reports to help identify what type of service is due.
  • One Time PM: Checking this box indicates that the PM will only occur once and will not be a recurring maintenance item. When a work order for this PM is completed, the PM will be automatically disabled and will not appear again on PM due inquiries.
  • PM Interval: PMs can be tracked by various combinations of gallons, hours, kilometers, miles, days, units, and alternate meters. Enter the intervals for each method you wish to use to track this PM. For example, if this PM is completed every 90 days or 3,000 miles, enter 90 in the Days field and 3000 in the Miles field. If this is a PM that is due on a specific day of the month or at set mileages, select the Lock checkbox. When the Lock checkbox is selected, a PM that is set up to be due on the 10th of every month will always come due on the 10th even if the last PM was done on the 5th or the 15th. Likewise, a 3000 mile PM will come due at 6000, 9000, 12000 miles, etc. even if the previous PMs were completed at 3100, 6200, or 8800 miles.

If you're tracking alternate meters for this vehicle, you'll also be able to specify the PM interval for the alternate meters. Once an interval has been entered, the RTA system calculates when the next PM will be due.

  • PM History: The PM history can be entered in the Last Done column. Entering this PM's last completion date and/or meter reading at this time, if known, is highly recommended. Doing so makes PM reporting accurate and effective immediately. The next due PM will be calculated and displayed after the previous PM information has been entered.
  • Work Orders: Leave these fields blank when initially adding vehicles; RTA automatically updates them as PM work orders are opened and closed. If an open PM work order line exists, that work order number displays in the Current WO field; the two previously closed work orders appear in the Last WO and Previous WO fields. To view the actual work order, press f2 while the cursor is in the desired WO field or click on the icon next to the field. To view all PM history, choose the History button located at the bottom of the window. A list of previous PM work orders will be displayed. If you wish to view the work order detail for a particular PM, highlight that line and then choose View WO. NOTE: Details are not available for work orders that have been purged from the system (SGWW).
  • Sleep Information: The RTA system has the ability to put PMs to "sleep." A PM that is "asleep" is inactive and is marked as "Sleeping" on PM reports. This is a great feature for seasonal PMs or seasonal equipment. The sleep feature is available only for PMs that are tracked by days (e.g., a PM tracked by days only or a PM tracked by days and miles).

Leave the sleep fields as is when initially adding new vehicles. Refer to "PM Sleep Mode" below for instructions on using this feature.

PM Reports

Once PMs have been set up, a variety of PM reports are available to provide PMs due, PM history, and PM effectiveness. These reports are listed under the Vehicles menu.
There are a couple of system switches relating to PM reports that should be reviewed. These switches are located in Misc. Parameters I (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab).

  • PM Report Defaults (switch 11): This switch contains default settings used for PM reports and for calculating PMs due or due soon on work orders.
  • Process PMs by Location (switch 19): This switch controls whether a prompt for vehicle location will be available when generating PM reports.

Display Previous PMs Completed

This option allows you to quickly view previous PM information for vehicles. This type of information is also available in the vehicle records (PM Schedule sub-window), but the process is a bit slower. This option is especially handy if the vehicle odometer has ever been replaced or reset because the previous PM meter displays the life meter at the time the PM was completed rather than the previous odometer reading.

  1. Select Vehicles > Display PMs from the RTA main menu (VP).
  2. Enter a vehicle number or press F1 to select a vehicle from the lookup list.

The vehicle's current meter and fuel meter readings are displayed along with the life meter, "add-miles," current period and life-to-period fuel usage, and previous PM information.

  1. Choose Next Vehicle or Previous Vehicle to navigate through previous PM records for multiple vehicles.

PM Report

The PM Report is used to determine which PMs are due, due soon, or overdue. This report can be sorted by vehicle, by department, or by vehicle link. Past due PMs will be marked with three asterisks (**) at the beginning of the PM line. A single asterisk () will appear next to the PM interval if PMs have locked intervals (due on specific date or mileage). Sleeping will display in the Remarks column if a PM is currently in the sleep mode. To generate this report, do the following:

  1. Select one of the menu following menu options from the RTA main menu according to the preferred sorting preference.
  • Vehicles > Print PMs by Vehicle (VV)
  • Vehicles > Print PMs by Department (VD)
  • Vehicles > Print PMs by Vehicle Link (VK) This option sorts by primarily by the vehicle number. However, if a vehicle is linked, all linked vehicles will be grouped with the parent vehicle. Refer to "Linking a Vehicle to Another Vehicle" earlier in this chapter for more information.
  1. Enter the starting and ending facility or press F1 to select the facilities from a lookup list. When printing for a range of facilities, information is printed only for the facilities in your region. Refer to the "System Security" for more information about regions.
  2. Enter the starting and ending vehicle(s) or press F1 to select the vehicle(s) from the lookup list. OR

Enter the starting and ending department(s) or press F1 to select the department(s) from the lookup list OR enter a vehicle class code.

  1. Enter a specific vehicle location or press ENTER to print PMs for all locations (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 19). Specifying a location allows PM reporting to be grouped by the vehicle location field in the vehicle record (MVM). The location field could be used to indicate where a vehicle is parked, a specific mechanic to perform the PM, vehicle class (fork lifts, refrigeration units, etc.), or any other type of classification.
  2. Select a radio button to specify whether or not to print the PM report for a specific date range. Use this option with caution! If YES is selected, the starting and ending date fields will be available to specify a date range. When dates are entered, the PM report only prints PMs that are due, due soon, or past due in the specified date range. This is beneficial when checking to see if a specific PM that is only tracked by days is due (e.g., annual inspections). PMs due, due soon, or past due outside of the specified date range will not be on the PM report!
  3. Select a radio button to specify whether to print all PM information or just the information for due PMs.
  4. Check the box if you would like to exclude the PM service notes from being printed on the report.
  5. Check the box if you would like to send emails to drivers and department heads notifying them of PMs due. In order to email a driver, the driver must be set up in the system as an employee with an email address specified. Also, the operator field in the vehicle master record must contain the employee ID number. To email a department head, an email address must be specified in the department record of the department that the vehicle is assigned to. The user that is running the report must have an SMTP email account configured for their user login.
  6. Specify PMs due within xx number of days, units, hours, or gallons. The default values come from the defaults set in Misc. Parameters I (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 11) but you may find occasions to override these as you are printing the report. For example, the shop may be rebuilding an engine or two OR a couple mechanics may be out for training; thus, you may want to lower the intervals to view only the most due PMs. On the other hand, if you have a few vacations coming up soon you may want to extend the intervals to get slightly ahead of schedule.

NOTE: These parameters apply only to the primary vehicle meter type and not the alternate meters. The PM report does not currently project PMs due soon for alternate meters. However, if a PM is currently due or past due based on an alternate meter, that information will appear on the PM report.

  1. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check. A through Z9 includes all PMs, but there may be times when specifying a single or small range of PMs is helpful. For example, if a mechanic is going to do a yard walk and basic inspections, a list of all annual inspections due can be printed so they can be knocked out during the yard walk.
  2. Select a radio button to specify whether or not to have the RTA system create work orders for due PMs. Set to YES to automatically create work orders and then specify a default WO template number; set to NO to only print the PM report. Refer to "Auto-Creating PM Work Orders" later in this chapter for more information about this feature.
  3. Check the 'export file' box if you wish to create an exported txt file listing the PMs due instead of printing a report.
  4. Check the 'exclude scheduled' box if you wish to exclude scheduled PMs, which will exclude printing of PMs that are due, but are already scheduled on open work orders to be completed. This option is only available if "due only" was selected.
  5. Check the 'include other PMs' and "Due Only' boxes to display other PMs due in addition to the PM type specified in the PM range selected. This feature allows you to create scenarios such as completing other PMs only if the A service is also due.

PM Due Listing

This option displays a list of all vehicles due for PM services. Once the list is displayed, it can be narrowed down to display only the PMs that have already been assigned to work orders or the PMs that still need to be assigned. Work orders or estimate work orders can also be auto-created for unassigned PMs directly from this option! To display the PM due list, select Vehicles > List PMs Due from the RTA main menu (VL).

Displaying Scheduled or Unscheduled Work Orders

Initially, the list automatically displays all PMs due. To view PMs that have already been assigned to work orders, select the Scheduled radio button located at the top of the window. To view PMs that have not been assigned to work orders, select the Un-Scheduled radio button.

Displaying Vehicle PM Data

To view detailed PM information for a vehicle, double-click the desired PM line or highlight it and then press the Enter key.

Printing the List

To print the PM Due Listing, click the PRINT button in the lower right corner of the window.

Auto-Creating Work Orders or Estimate Work Orders

For convenience, work orders or estimate work orders can be created automatically from the List PMs Due option, saving time in having to manually create the work orders and adding the jobs for each one. All that's left to do afterwards is to post the costs to the work orders (WW, WB, WPL, WQ, PQ or WE)! This feature requires the use of template work orders (WT). To auto-create work orders, do the following:

  1. Indicate the type of work order to create by selecting the Work Orders or Estimates radio button located in the upper, right-hand corner of the window.
  2. Select the PMs that you would like work orders created for by checking the box to the left of the PM. The checkbox will not be available if a work order already exists for the PM.
  3. Repeat step 2 until all the desired PM lines have been flagged.
  4. At the Default Template# prompt, enter a default template work order or press F1 to select a template from the lookup list. The default template is used only for vehicles that do not have a template work order assigned in the PM record (MVM, PM schedule window). The template number is displayed in the Template WO column if one was assigned in the vehicle PM record. If templates were added to all vehicle records, you can skip this step.
  5. Choose OK to start the auto-creation process.
  6. When the process is complete, a message indicating the work order(s) created comes up. Choose WO List to review or print a list of the work orders created. Choose Exception List to view or print a list of work orders that could not be created and the reasons why.

TIP: For more detailed information about the auto-creation process, refer to "Auto-Creating PM Work Orders" and "Scenarios to Note About the Work Orders Created" later in this chapter.

PM Department Schedule Report

To print a full PM due report, use the Print PMs by Vehicle or Print PMs by Department option (VV, VD). This option prints abbreviated PM information. Only two PM records are provided on the report for each vehicle—the last PM completed and the next PM due. Even if a vehicle has more than one PM due, keep in mind that this report only lists the "most due" PM. To print this report, select Vehicles > Print PM Dept Schedule from the RTA main menu (VS).

  1. Enter the starting and ending department(s) or press F1 to select the department(s) from the lookup list.
  2. Enter a specific vehicle location or press ENTER to print PMs for all locations (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 19). Specifying a location allows PM reporting to be grouped by the vehicle location field in the vehicle record (MVM). The location field could be used to indicate where a vehicle is parked, a specific mechanic to perform the PM, vehicle class (fork lifts, refrigeration units, etc.), or any other type of classification.
  3. Select a radio button to specify whether to print all PM information or just the information for due PMs.
  4. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check.

PM Cards

This option prints a notice that can be sent to your drivers or departments informing them that PM services are due soon so the vehicle can be brought in for service. The output is formatted to print on 8.5 x 11 paper or cardstock, two PM cards per page. These notices can be hand-delivered, mailed, or emailed.
During a round-table discussion at an RTA annual user's conference, one of our customers shared with others that he resolved the problem of vehicles not being brought in for service by attaching PM due cards to paychecks. This eliminated the excuse of not being aware to bring a vehicle in--he knew that if the paycheck had been cashed, the employee was informed.
To print PM due cards, select Vehicles > Print PM Cards from the RTA main menu (VC).

  1. Select a radio button to specify whether to sort the PM cards in department or vehicle order.
  2. Depending on the sort selection, enter either the starting and ending department or vehicle number range or press F1 to make a selection from the lookup list.
  3. Enter a specific vehicle location or press ENTER to print PMs for all locations (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 19). Specifying a location allows PM reporting to be grouped by the vehicle location field in the vehicle record (MVM). The location field could be used to indicate where a vehicle is parked, a specific mechanic to perform the PM, vehicle class (fork lifts, refrigeration units, etc.), or any other type of classification.
  4. Select a radio button to specify whether or not to print the PM card for a specific date range. Use this option with caution! If YES is selected, the starting and ending date fields will be available to specify a date range. When dates are entered, the PM cards will only include PMs that are due, due soon, or past due in the specified date range. This is beneficial when checking to see if a specific PM that is only tracked by days is due (e.g., annual inspections). PMs due, due soon, or past due outside of the specified date range will not be included on the PM cards!
  5. Specify PMs due within xx number of days, units, hours, or gallons. The default values come from the defaults set in Misc. Parameters I (SSI, Miscellaneous I tab, switch 11) but the values can be overridden at any time to accommodate the shop schedule.

NOTE: These parameters apply only to the primary vehicle meter type and not the alternate meters. The PM card does not currently project PMs due soon for alternate meters. However, if a PM is currently due or past due based on an alternate meter, that information will appear on the PM card.

  1. Enter the starting and ending PM code(s) to check.
  2. If you wish for a checklist of inspection items to be printed on the notification card, select the appropriate template containing the desired checklist. The template work order containing a checklist must be configured in advance. See the section on "Template Work Orders" for details on how to configure the checklist.
  3. If you wish to modify the message that prints on the PM cards, choose Notes, type in the new message, and then choose OK.

PM Costs Vs. Corrective Repairs

This report compares PM costs to corrective maintenance costs, which can be extremely beneficial to the fleet manager. If PMs are done as scheduled, there should be a substantial drop in the corrective maintenance costs. If the corrective maintenance costs are higher than they should be, it could indicate that the PM schedules need to be reevaluated or done more frequently in order to avoid major repairs and costly breakdowns. To print this report, do the following:

  1. Select Reports > Total Vehicle Costs > PM Cost Breakdown from the RTA main menu (RVP).
  2. Enter the starting and ending vehicle class.
  3. Enter the starting and ending date(s) or press F1 to select the date(s) from the calendar.

Auto-Creating PM Work Orders

PM work orders can automatically be created by the RTA system for due PMs when the PM due report is generated (VD, VV, VK). To use this feature you must create template work orders (WT). Although, you can set up just one template work order to use this feature, it's better to set up templates for each type of PM service and possibly for each type of vehicle as well, if the PMs are different. For example, if the jobs you perform to complete an A PM for the cars in your fleet are different than the jobs to complete an A PM for your cement trucks, then you should set up two PM A templates. Refer to "Template Work Orders" for instructions on adding templates.
Once the template(s) have been set up, we recommend that you indicate the PM templates to use in the vehicle records (MVM).


From the Vehicle PM record (MVM, PM Schedle Sub-Window)
This step is optional. It may take a little time upfront, but saves time in the end, and it also makes the auto-create feature easier to use. A Set PM program is available in the Utilities 1 add-on package that enables you to quickly add PM templates to a group of vehicles (SCPS).
To auto-create PM work orders for due PMs, do the following:

  1. Generate the PM due reportselect Vehicle > Print PMs by Vehicle or Print PMs by Department or Print PMs by Vehicle Link from the RTA main menu (VV, VD, VL).
  2. Fill in all the report criteria up to Create WOs prompt. Refer to "PM Report" for instructions if necessary.
  3. At the Create WOs prompt, choose Yes.
  4. At the Default WO template prompt, you have several options. If PM templates were added to all vehicle records, as described previously, you can skip this field; otherwise, enter a default template work order or press F1 to select a template from the lookup list. The default template is used only for vehicles that don't have templates defined in the PM record.
  5. Choose OK to generate the PM report.
  6. View and/or print the PM report as needed and exit the report viewer when done.
  7. At this point, you'll be prompted to continue; choose Yes to have the system start creating work orders.

Scenarios to Note About the Work Orders Created

  • Work orders are created for vehicles that have PMs showing due, due soon, or past due as long as a work order does not already exist for that PM.
  • If the template work order from the vehicle PM record is used, all the header data and work order lines from that template are added to the work order.
  • If the default template work order is used (from the PM report prompt), only one work order line will be created using the VMRS code from the vehicle PM record.
  • If PMs A, B, C, and D are nested, a work order is created only for PM D.
  • If a vehicle has PMs A, B, C, and D due, and these PMs are not nested together AND no work orders already exist for these PMs, one work order, containing at least four work order lines—one for each PM, is created for that vehicle. The total number of lines depends on the number of lines on each PM template.
  • For multiple line work orders, only the master work order notes from the first template work order are used. The work order header information (priority, reason, shop codes, etc.) also comes from the first template work order.

When the work order creation process is complete, a message indicating the work order numbers created (if any) is displayed.
Choose WO List to view or print a list of the work orders created. The list displays the WO number created, wo line, vmrs job code, vehicle to be serviced, and PM description.
If no work orders were created even though PMs are due, an exception report is generated; choose Exception List to view or print the exception list. Common exceptions are caused when a work order already exists for the PM or no template work order was specified.

Quick PM Posting

This utility allows for quickly recording several PMs in a very short amount of time. A complete work order is created and posted for each vehicle's PM without the user having to create the work order manually.

Preparation

In order to benefit the most from this utility, there are a few things that should be done to maximize the benefits of this time-saving feature:

  • A template work order (WT) should be created to define exactly how the work order is to be created. Job type, notes, checklist items, and inspection information should be included in the template work order.
  • The template work order should be assigned to the PM information for each vehicle (MVM).
  • A partkit containing the common items used during the PM should be assigned to the PM information for each vehicle (MVM).

Recording multiple PMs

. To quick-post PMs, do the following:

  1. Select Wos > Quick Post PMs from the RTA main menu (WU).
  2. Enter the mechanic ID of the mechanic who peformed the PMs.
  3. Enter the date that the PMs were completed.
  4. In the Default PM field, enter the type of PM performed.
  5. Select whether to prompt for meter readings. If this is checked, you will be asked to enter the current odometer reading for each vehicle. If this is unchecked, the most recent odometer reading for the vehicle will be used and the user will not be prompted.
  6. Select whether to prompt for hours. If this is checked, you will be asked to enter the number of hours the mechanic spent completing the PM. If this is unchecked, the estimated hours to perform the PM will be used and you will not be prompted to enter the hours.
  7. Enter the first vehicle number that had a PM performed.
  8. Enter the current meter reading (if prompted).
  9. Enter the labor hours (if prompted).
  10. Click the radio button next to the type of PM that was completed. A default will already be selected based on your answer in step 4.

Once the information is entered, you will need to POST the PM. This will create the work order based on the work order template, post the labor hours to the work order, post the assigned partkit items to the work order, and close the job.

Posting the PM

There are two ways to POST the PM, as indicated by the two buttons labeled "POST" and "POST W/Parts":

  • Clicking on the "POST" button, will post the labor hours and the items included in the assigned partkit. If there is no partkit assigned, only labor will be recorded.
  • Clicking on the "POST W/Parts" button will post the labor hours and then prompt you to enter individual part numbers used to complete the PM.

Printing the PMs

A log of each PM that was completed will appear at the bottom of the screen. This list can be printed by clicking the PRINT icon on the toolbar.

PM Sleep Mode

The RTA system has the ability to put PMs in "sleep" mode. A PM that is "asleep" is inactive and will be flagged as "Sleeping" on PM reports. This is a great feature for seasonal PMs or seasonal equipment. PMs can be put to sleep or awakened individually in each PM record or globally for a group of vehicles using the Put PMs to Sleep and Disable PM Sleep Mode programs in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP, SIPD).
The sleep feature is only available for PMs that are tracked by days (e.g., a PM tracked by days only or a PM tracked by days and miles). If the Days Interval entry field is blank in the vehicle PM record, the Sleep Info fields won't be available for editing. If a non-zero value was entered in the Days Interval entry field, you'll have the ability to set the Sleep Mode Enabled checkbox. This checkbox is selected, by default, when new PMs are added. This allows the PM to be put to sleep. If this is a PM that is always active, deselect the Sleep Mode Enabled checkbox to prevent the PM from accidentally being put to sleep.

Putting a PM to Sleep

To put an individual PM to sleep, do the following:

  1. Select Master > Vehicle > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MVM).
  2. Enter a vehicle number or press F1 to select a vehicle from the lookup list.
  3. Select the Preventive Maintenance tab.
  4. Open up the PM record to put to sleep.
  5. Select the Sleep Mode Enabled checkbox, if not already selected.
  6. Enter the PM sleep date or press F1 to select a date from the calendar. The PM automatically falls asleep on the specified date.
  7. Enter the wake up date for the PM (optional) or press F1 to select a date from the calendar. If a date is entered, the PM automatically wakens on the specified date; otherwise the PM remains asleep indefinitely.


To put all sleep enabled PMs to sleep for a group of vehicles, use the Put PMs to Sleep program in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP). Refer to the Utilities 2 User's Manual for instructions.

Waking up a Sleeping PM

If a wake date was set, a PM automatically awakens on that date. If no wake date was set or you need to awaken an individual PM early, do the following.

  1. Select Master > Vehicle > File Maintenance from the RTA main menu (MVM).
  2. Enter a vehicle number or press F1 to select a vehicle from the lookup list.
  3. Select the Preventive Maintenance tab.
  4. Open up the PM record to awaken.
  5. Enter the wake up date for the PM or press F1 to select a date from the calendar.

To wake up sleeping PMs for a group of vehicles, use the Disable PM Sleep Mode program in the Utilities 2 add-on package (SIPP). Refer to "Disable PM Sleep Mode" for instructions.
NOTE: Updating and completing a PM work order also awakens a sleeping PM.

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