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How Do I Set Up a Maintenance Schedule in the DT3 Vehicle Maintenance System?
using the VMS
Data Tools 3 · Vehicle Maintenance System
How Do I Set Up a Maintenance Schedule in the DT3 Vehicle Maintenance System?
The Vehicle Maintenance System (VMS) tracks when each vehicle is due for a preventive maintenance (PM) inspection, such as a brake check every 3,000 miles. You build a cycle with one or more levels, add it to a schedule, then assign the schedule to vehicles.
Where: Utilities > Vehicle Utilities > Vehicle Maintenance System (Data Tools 3.6).
Who: users with the HR, Service Clerks, Supervisors, Power Users or Administrators role.
Who: users with the HR, Service Clerks, Supervisors, Power Users or Administrators role.
How the Pieces Fit Together
Build them in this order. The example used throughout is a 3,000-mile brake check.
| Piece | What it is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Check list template (optional) | A reusable list of inspection items | Brake inspection |
| Cycle | The repeating maintenance interval | BRK3K |
| Level | The mileage (and optional days) inside a cycle that makes the inspection due | Due at 3,000 miles |
| Schedule | What you assign to vehicles. It holds one or more cycles. | BRAKE_CHECK |
| Assignment | Links a vehicle to a schedule, with a starting level | Bus 1234 → BRAKE_CHECK |
Part 1: Create a Check List Template (Optional)
A template lets you add the same inspection items to several levels at once. You can skip this part and add items one at a time in Part 4.
| 1 | Go to Maintenance Settings > Check List and click Add Template. Give it a name. |
| 2 | Click Add Item for each line of the inspection, for example Measure pad thickness. |
Part 2: Create the Cycle and Its Level
| 3 | Go to Maintenance Settings > Cycles and click Add New Cycle. |
| 4 | Enter the Cycle ID and Description. Enter 0 for both Mileage Offset and Days Offset unless you need an offset. They’re required in the current version. Click Save Cycle. |
| 5 | Click the cycle to highlight it, then click Add New Level. Enter the level values (see the table below) and click Save Changes. |
| 6 | Confirm the new level now appears under the cycle’s Assigned Levels. |
Every cycle needs at least one level. A cycle saved without a level causes errors later. If the level you saved doesn’t appear under the cycle in step 6, contact Fleetwatch Support before going on.
Level values for a 3,000-mile check. Enter every value as an actual odometer distance from the last inspection, not as a difference from another field.
| Field | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | 3000 | The interval: the inspection is due every 3,000 miles |
| Minimum | 2250 | Lower limit of the interval |
| Early | 2500 | Start of the on-time window |
| Late | 2750 | End of the on-time window |
| Maximum | 2950 | Upper limit of the interval |
Watch the field order. The Add Level form lists the fields as Minimum, Maximum, Early, Late, which isn’t their numeric order. The values must always run
Minimum < Early < Late < Maximum < Amount
Minimum < Early < Late < Maximum < Amount
Optional time backstop: to also make the inspection due after a set number of days, for buses that don’t run many miles, fill in the time fields the same way. A 60-day example is Minimum 45, Early 50, Late 55, Maximum 59, Amount 60.
Part 3: Create the Schedule and Add the Cycle
| 7 | Go to Maintenance Settings > Schedule and click Add Schedule. Enter a Name and Description, then click Save Changes. |
| 8 | Select the new schedule, click Add Cycle, pick your cycle, and click Save Cycle once. |
| 9 | Check that the cycle is listed under the schedule only once. |
Cycle listed twice? The page doesn’t always block duplicates, for example when Save Cycle is clicked more than once. Contact Fleetwatch Support to remove the extra entry before you assign any vehicles.
Part 4: Add Check List Items
| 10 | On the Schedule tab, click the schedule, then the cycle, then the level. |
| 11 | Click Add Item and choose your template from Part 1, or add single items. |
| 12 | Click Save Check List Items. |
Part 5: Assign the Schedule to a Vehicle
| 13 | Go to Vehicle Settings and select the vehicle. |
| 14 | Click Assign Schedule. Pick the schedule from the dropdown. It’s labeled Cycle ID, but it lists schedules. |
| 15 | Choose the starting level and the Due By value, then click Save. |
Part 6: Verify and Test Before Assigning the Fleet
| 16 | Check the vehicle’s Next Inspection in Vehicle Information, and confirm it appears in the Vehicles Due grid when it’s due. |
| 17 | Run one test inspection on that vehicle all the way through: Due → Being Inspected → Inspected Recently → Submit Inspection. |
| 18 | Once the test works, assign the schedule to the rest of the vehicles. |
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| The level doesn’t show under the cycle after you save it | Make sure the cycle was highlighted before you clicked Add New Level. If it still doesn’t appear, contact Fleetwatch Support. |
| Errors when working with a cycle | Check that the cycle has at least one level (Part 2). |
| Level won’t save, or the inspection comes due at the wrong time | Check the values run Minimum < Early < Late < Maximum < Amount, and that each is an actual distance, not a difference. |
| The same cycle appears twice under a schedule | Contact Fleetwatch Support before assigning vehicles. |
| Vehicle never shows as Due | Check that its odometer is updating from fueling, and check the starting level and Due By on the assignment. |
Need help planning your PM levels or setting up a schedule? Contact Fleetwatch Support.