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need for companies to start using that customization
aspect around inspections to incorporate
things like vehicle sanitization. "
Verizon Connect's reaction was to deploy a
pre-configured sanitization template that fleets
could incorporate into their eDVIR checklists.
Whether adjusting to changes in the needs
of inspection, or accounting for different operational
needs across a diverse fleet, having access
to various reporting forms is crucial. Take, for
example, fleets operating under varying DVIR
mandates internationally between the U.S. and
Canada, or across varying Canadian provinces
and territories. Geotab accommodates such a
need by providing different templates for U.S.
and Canadian fleets.
Brent McInnis, product manager for Geotab,
noted that there are additional stipulations for
Canadian inspections, such as the inclusion of
a signature on a completed DVIR. Plus, Canada
requires more information on vehicle inspection
reports compared to the U.S., such as the vehicle's
odometer reading - which can be captured
automatically using the Geotab vehicle tracking
Go Device - or the height and width of the load,
which must be entered manually by the driver.
" [With Canadian DVIRs], we can automate it for
[customers] and set it up for what is necessary for
them, " McInnis said of standardized DVIR forms.
" We base it off of the license plate of the vehicle. If
you have vehicles in several different provinces,
as long as that [information] is populated in our
system, then you will get the appropriate form.
You can still customize your defects list, for example,
but anything that is required on the report
we will at least show you and give the driver the
opportunity to enter that information. "
Customizing a report to capture the information
required according to a fleet's needs is one thing,
but having the ability to determine the
level of severity for defects on a report
offers another level of customization
which can establish prioritized action
items for the organization as a whole.
" We have different severity levels,
major and minor, " McInnis said of
Geotab Drive's defect designation capacity.
" We also offer a third severity called
'regulated' in our system. That is usually
stuff [like] a tear in your seat. It might
not be super interesting, but at some
point, it might need to be repaired. It
may not impact the safe use of the vehicle,
but still needs to be noted down. "
The severity level designation for
each item on the checklist is defined
when the checklist is created, not when
the pre- or post-trip DVIR is created,
McInnis clarified, which means a driver
cannot flag comfort or amenity defects
with out-of-service severity.
Dissemination of
information
The digitization of DVIRs changes the
way various departments within a fleet
receive, digest, and act upon the reported
FleetMaintenance.com/Inquire
June 2021 | FleetMaintenance.com
29
Image courtesy of Geotab
" We think about safety
for our drivers in terms
of road safety, but all
of a sudden, companies
started thinking about the
safety of my employee in
terms of their health. We
saw a need for companies
to start using that
customization aspect
around inspections to
incorporate things like
vehicle sanitization. "
Kevin Aires, global leader of product
success, Verizon Connect
information with an emphasis on speed via realtime
notification systems, prioritization alerts, and
customized reporting configurations.
" The whole point of a DVIR is for the driver to
sign off that these are the things that are wrong
with my assets, " said Cetaris' Bedard. " The next
step is transmitting that to the company, to have
a technician who also must sign off to say that
they have performed the repair and that it is
completed, and then the final stage is for the
driver to sign off that the repairs were completed
to their satisfaction. "
" Everybody wants information right now, "
Teletrac Navman's Flores said. " Being able to have
that real-time notification and real-time alerting
is a very valuable feature for customers. Not only
that, but it cuts down on having to go through and
run reports and do reactive management rather
than proactive. Proactive management leads to
better efficiencies and better safety. "
Communication is key - and sharing the data
gathered from eDVIRs to the appropriate parties
is what creates communication expressways that
organizations can lean into in order to expedite
the sharing of critical maintenance data. Most
eDVIR providers achieve this through offering
customers the ability to customize, personalize,
and organize their own notification system.
" It is infinite in the amount of context that
you can add to the alerts, " Flores said of Teletrac
Navman's eDVIR solutions. " If you have, say,
third-party mechanics that do your work for you,
you can have their email addresses entered and
they get notified as soon as a defect is found. And
conversely, when a repair is made, they would get
alerted as well. "
The concept of something as simple as a valid
email address being the key to providing real-time
actionable data insights, allowing for a fleet to know
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june2021

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