How to Add New Vehicles in Data Tools 4

Fleetwatch FMS · Data Tools 4

How Do I Add New Vehicles in Data Tools?

Use the Add Multiple Vehicles Utility to add one vehicle or a whole group of buses with the same year, make and model at once. A few minutes of setup first (fleet, vehicle type and template) makes adding them quick and consistent.

Before You Start

Log into your Data Tools web page. The letters on the screenshot match the items below.

A	New fleet? Create it first. If you’re adding a new group of vehicles with the same year, make and model, go to Organization and create a new Fleet for them. Skip this if the vehicles are joining an existing fleet.
B	Check the vehicle type. If available, open Setup > Vehicle Types and confirm a suitable type exists. A close match is fine for now.
C	Set up a template. Click Vehicle Templates to add a new template, or edit an existing one so it fits these vehicles.

Data Tools Setup menu: A Organization, B Setup and Vehicle Types, C Vehicle Templates

Not your agency’s vehicles? If you’re adding vehicles your agency doesn’t own, such as third-party buses that will fuel at your locations, create a separate Division or Department for them. That keeps their fueling separate in reports and billing.

Open the Add Vehicles Utility

The yellow numbers on the screenshots match the steps.

1	Click Vehicles in the left menu.
2	Click Settings.
3	Click the ACTIONS tab.
4	Click Add New .... The Add Multiple Vehicles Utility opens.

Vehicles screen: 1 Vehicles, 2 Settings, 3 ACTIONS tab, 4 Add New

Fill In the Vehicle Details

5	Select a Vehicle Template from the drop-down, for example Diesel Bus. The template fills in most of the settings for you.

Add Multiple Vehicles Utility with 5 the Select A Vehicle Template drop-down open, listing templates such as Diesel Bus and CNG Bus

6	Select the Division. Also set the Fleet, Region, Department and Type if you use them. You can leave these blank and add them later.
7	Fill in the Year, Make and Model (for example 2025, Gillig, Low Floor) and any other details.
8	Check the MPG settings are reasonable for this vehicle (see the table below).
9	Check the fuel and fluids. Set the Primary Fuel and Fluids 3–16 (Engine Oil, Coolant, ATF, DEF, etc.) with the right Flag and Tank Size. A vehicle can only receive the fuels and fluids assigned here.

Vehicle Parameters: 6 Division, 7 Year Make Model, 8 MPG Current and MPG Upper and Lower Bound, 9 Primary Fuel and Fluids with Flag and Tank Size

Setting	Recommended
MPG Current	A reasonable starting number (default 3.5). The system works out the real MPG after several fuelings. Bus: about 4 · Toyota Prius: about 50
MPG Upper Bound	About the vehicle’s highway MPG. Bus averaging 4 MPG: about 8 · Toyota Prius: about 70
MPG Lower Bound	About its worst stop-and-go MPG. Bus averaging 4 MPG: about 2 · Toyota Prius: about 30
Hybrids: a hybrid like the Prius often gets better mileage in stop-and-go driving than on the highway. Keep the bounds wide so normal fuelings aren’t flagged. Adjust after a few weeks of real data.
Fuel Limit	Daily fuel limit (works with Limit Fuel). Set it to at least 2× the tank size so a bus can be filled twice in 24 hours.
Max Mileage Jump	400 for city buses that fuel only at your facility. 1500–2000 for cars and trucks that often fuel offsite.
Meter Type	Both if the bus has a Fleetwatch module (JX55, GP55, etc.). Odometer if attendants key in the odometer. Engine Hours for equipment measured in hours.
Tire Factor	100 for all vehicles.
Keep Zero Data Records	Normally checked, so mileage is still recorded if a meter reports zero fuel.
Flag / Tank Size	Flag = the amount you want to be alerted about. Tank Size = the manufacturer’s capacity, where fuel shuts off.

Enter Vehicle Numbers and Add

Scroll down past Fluid 16 to the Vehicle Number section.

10	Type the vehicle number in the Vehicle # box. To add more vehicles, press Tab (not Enter) to create the next box, then type the next number.
11	Optional: check Include Odometer to enter a starting odometer for each vehicle. Check Include Asset Number to enter asset numbers too.
12	Click Add Vehicles.
13	Click Add Vehicles one more time to finish. Number Of Vehicles always shows one more than you’re adding, because of the empty box at the end. That’s normal. The empty box is ignored.

Vehicle Number section: 10 Vehicle # box, 11 Include Odometer, 12 Add Vehicles button, 13 Number Of Vehicles showing one more than entered

Using Maximo? Add the Site ID and Equipment ID

Some Maximo (and other maintenance software) systems need a Site ID and Vehicle Equipment ID for each vehicle so Fleetwatch fuel and mileage data matches the right asset in the closeout file. These fields aren’t in the Add Vehicles utility, so add them to each new vehicle afterward:

14	Search for the new vehicle number in the search bar at the top of the Vehicles screen.
15	Click Settings, then the PROPERTIES tab.
16	Under Vehicle, click Vehicle Properties.
17	Enter the Site ID and Vehicle Equipment ID exactly as they appear in your maintenance system.
18	Click Save at the top left. Repeat for each new vehicle.

Not sure what values to use? Ask your maintenance system administrator. The Vehicle Equipment ID can contain letters and numbers, and is sometimes combined with the vehicle number in the closeout file. See also How Do I Change a Vehicle’s Asset Number and Equipment ID? for screenshots of this screen.

✔ Check your work

Search for one of the new vehicle numbers on the Vehicles screen and review its Properties and Fuel/Fluid settings. If the vehicles will have Fleetwatch modules, those still need to be installed and read at the lane.

Adding a large number of vehicles? Contact Fleetwatch Support. We may be able to import them for you.