by Jake Schell

“If I had only known” is an afterthought typically expressed when reflecting on a difficult task made more challenging by inexperience. For the technician, every single diagnostic and repair procedure happens for the first time.

It takes time to understand the system being serviced. How does the system work? What are the various components in the system? How does the system interact with other systems on the truck? With the ever-expanding variety of systems being used trucks, it is no small feat to grasp not only how a system functions but also the numerous ways in which a system may fail.

Digging into a problem for the first time can be daunting. Of course, the complexity found in today’s vehicle systems makes diagnosis and repairs a challenge for experienced technicians. There is simply no way a technician could possibly know all the in’s and out’s to every truck in service. The detailed diagnostic and repair information found in TruckSeries repair information software makes it possible to take on these complex tasks.

 TMC Recommended Practices Are a Click Away in TruckSeries!

Recently, Mitchell 1 has joined forces with the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC) of the American Trucking Associations to merge TMC Recommended Practices (RPs) into Mitchell 1’s TruckSeries offering – a move that makes it easier than ever for technicians to find specific information with a single search. The TMC RPs have long been recognized as one of the trucking industry’s best resources for commercial vehicle maintenance, testing and specification information, plus maintenance shop management knowledge.

The integration was made possible through Mitchell 1’s licensing agreement with TMC. The RPs include detailed instructions about every facet of commercial vehicle maintenance, which should leave very few questions unanswered and drive efficiency in the shop.

As TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell states, “The information is top-quality and has set the standards for the truck industry for more than 65 years,” Braswell continued. “Each RP was developed based on real-life experiences by maintenance and supplier personnel, and then subjected to stringent evaluation by TMC members.”

Throughout the decades, TMC members have spent countless hours deciding what guidance and information should be included in TMC’s 500-plus Recommended Practices. But getting the right info to the right people – at the right time – has been a challenge for TMC leaders.

Information that Empowers Technicians with Insight

But now, technicians can access specific maintenance guidance from among hundreds of documents with a click of a button. Technicians can find the specific RPs that are mapped to the appropriate topic via TruckSeries 1Search Plus card-based format or through the Service Manual view.

Adding the Recommended Practices to TruckSeries empowers technicians with the insight gained by others in the industry to better understand how truck systems work as well as details on potential problem areas.

For example, let’s take a look at the fuel injector.

Once the desired component is entered into 1Search, the TMC Recommended Practices containing information related to the component and system will be returned in the “Recommended Practices” card shown below:

 

The technician now has the ability to see and use additional diagnostic and service information collected and verified over years of experience to confidently take on new jobs and get trucks back on the road faster.