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Fleetwatch FMS · Reports
Which Idle Hours Report Should I Use?
Fleetwatch has four idle hours reports, all under Reports > Vehicle Reports. They use the engine hours and idle hours recorded each time a bus is serviced (fueled). Pick the report that answers your question:
| If you want to know… | Run this report | Dates |
| Which buses spent the highest share of their engine time idling | Daily Maximum Idling Report by Idle Hour Percentage | Last 2 fuelings |
| Which buses idled the most total hours | Daily Maximum Idling Report by Idle Hours | Last 2 fuelings |
| Idle totals over days, weeks or months | Vehicle Idling Report | Any start/end date |
| A bus’s average idle hours per day | Vehicle Latest Idle Hours Report | Last 2 valid readings |
What counts as “idling”? According to Gillig, idling means the bus is out of gear, not necessarily with the shifter in Neutral. Most modern buses have an Auto Neutral at Stop transmission feature: with the brake on and the bus stopped (at a stop light, for example), the bus drops into a “soft neutral,” then goes back into gear when the brake is released. That time counts as idle time, so some idling is normal on every route.
1. Daily Maximum Idling Report by Idle Hour Percentage
The gist: shows the buses with the highest percentage of idle time compared to engine hours. The highest percentage is at the top.
| Dates | Choose the day before as the start date (unless it’s almost midnight). The report only shows vehicles serviced on both the start date and the day before it. |
| Shows | Vehicle #, previous service date/time, previous engine and idle hours, latest service date/time, current engine and idle hours, average gallons per hour (GPH), average gallons per idle hour (GPIH), fuel and fluids used, idle hours since the previous reading, and idle hours as a % of engine hours. |
| Sorted by | % of EH (idle hours as a % of engine hours), highest first |
Example: bus 001606 idled for 32.2% of its engine hours between fuelings.
2. Daily Maximum Idling Report by Idle Hours
The gist: shows which buses had the most total idle hours between their last two fuelings. The most idle hours are at the top.
| Dates | Choose the day before as the start date (unless it’s almost midnight). The report only shows vehicles serviced on both the start date and the day before it. |
| Shows | Vehicle #, previous service date/time, previous engine and idle hours, latest service date/time, current engine and idle hours, average gallons per hour (GPH), average gallons per idle hour (GPIH), fuel and fluids used, idle hours since the previous reading, and idle hours as a % of engine hours. |
| Sorted by | IH Since Prev. Reading (idle hours since the previous reading), highest first |
Example: bus 001206 idled 4.4 hours between fuelings, the most in this fleet.
3. Vehicle Idling Report
The gist: adds up idle data between any start and end date, so you can look at days, weeks or months. It’s the only one of the four reports that lets you pick both dates.
| Dates | Choose any start and end date. |
| Shows | Vehicle #, average MPG, average gallons per hour, fuel and fluids, miles run, engine hours run, idle hours as a % of engine hours, and idle hours. All values are totaled between the dates. |
4. Vehicle Latest Idle Hours Report
The gist: shows each bus’s average idle hours per day, based on its latest two fuelings with valid idle hour readings.
| Shows | Vehicle #, latest service date/time, latest engine and idle hours, previous service date/time and hours, engine hours since the previous fueling, idle hours as a % of engine hours, idle hours between the two fuelings, number of days between them, and average idle hours per day. |
Tip: these reports can be filtered by Facility, Division and Department, so you can compare one garage or group of buses at a time.
Questions about idle hours reports? Contact Fleetwatch Support.