Now that you’re part of the Fleetpal crew, you’ve probably already understood the importance of having a list of fleet units in order to use the application to its full potential. Fleetpal enables users to improve their fleet maintenance processes by creating and monitoring work orders. But to do so, it’s vital to have included all of your fleet’s units in the system, along with accurate and up-to-date information about each unit individually.
When creating new units, you’ll see a wide range of fields you can edit and customize. However, only two fields are mandatory in Fleetpal’s unit creation process – Status and Unit Number. We’ve already covered the Unit Number section in another article, where we help you understand the importance of this field and provide practical tips on creating a reliable unit numbering system for your business.
Choosing a Fleet Unit Status
Once you are ready to create a new unit in Fleetpal, the first mandatory field you’ll see is the “Unit Status” field. By clicking on the arrow on the right-hand side of the box, you’ll see a dropdown menu with two available options – In Service and Out Of Service.
In Service
The In Service option in the dropdown menu under Unit Status is marked with a green circle and classifies a unit as functional and currently in use. In most cases, when creating a new unit, you will choose the In Service option, considering that the vehicle is new and in proper condition to be exploited by the business for different purposes.
In short, if the unit is ready for dispatch and meets all criteria for being used to conduct business, you can choose the In Service option during your unit creation process.
Out Of Service
On the other hand, the Out Of Service option is marked with a red circle and is used for units that are currently not in service. In the condition in which they are at the time of unit creation or unit editing, they cannot be used for company purposes. This could result from technical problems causing an out-of-service condition, or the unit could be experiencing other types of difficulties, making it unusable.
For example, an out-of-service unit could have suffered an accident on the road and cannot be used for company reasons until it is fully repaired and restored. It could also be a vehicle that needs maintenance in order to comply with regulatory requirements for safety purposes. Out-of-service units could also be ones that have reached their maximum mileage capacity or have been classified as too expensive to operate and have been scrapped for the time being.
In short, the out-of-service units in your fleet are the ones that require attention. By optimizing them to turn them into In Service units or archiving them entirely from your account, you can enjoy an overall upgrade in your fleet and enhanced business results.
The importance of a Fleet Unit Status for your Fleetpal account
In a nutshell, Unit Status creates fleet segregation, which enables you to quickly see which trucks are ready for dispatch and which are currently out of service.
When you log into your Fleetpal account, the first thing that you will see in your dashboard is the number of out-of-service units that you have in your fleet. This is an essential piece of information as it can give you an idea of what percentage of your fleet you’re actually using and what portion remains unused yet potentially accumulates certain expenses for your business.