The Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) was developed more than 40 years ago to establish a standard coding convention for universally tracking maintenance costs and functions. In other words, it was intended to be the "shorthand" of maintenance reporting.
Developed under the auspices of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and managed by ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), VMRS puts everyone on the same page and speaking the same language.
VMRS can help any maintenance shop reach its full potential and profitability.
Clarity is vitally important, especially when it comes to equipment maintenance. There are numerous ways to describe what work was performed and why a certain part failed. Most employees prefer a short, precise method when entering data on a repair order.
A technician's task is repairing equipment, not dwelling on filling out complicated repair orders. VMRS can help speed up the process.
The VMRS codes help eliminate the need for extensive written communications with all the inherent problems of miscommunication normally associated with the written word. The coding structure encompasses most equipment found within today's transportation activities, including trucks, tractors, trailers, forklifts, shop equipment, off-road and utility vehicles. If it needs maintenance, VMRS can help.
STANDARDIZED INFORMATION COLLECTION
There's an old saying, "It all starts on the shop floor," and when it comes to equipment repair orders, these words ring true.
The flow of information starts with the technician. He or she is the first step in collecting the correct data.
In order for a fleet to operate smoothly, the maintenance data must be precise and the repair order complete.
If the wrong information is collected on the repair order, eventually the wrong information will end up as being factual. Fleets cannot maintain their equipment with anecdotal information when the facts are needed to insure proper business decisions.
Using VMRS takes the guesswork out of collecting maintenance repair data.
CODE KEYS
VMRS brings continuity to the repair order process.
VMRS is organized into code keys which are data sets of individual codes that describe a given function. For examples, Code Key 18: Technician Failure Code, contains more than codes that describe the apparent failure of a suspect component as determined by the technician /supervisor.
Several of these code examples are: 04-Dented, 10-Bent and 14-Cracked.
With VMRS a fleet can operate multiple maintenance shops and receive consistent data throughout the organization.
Describing the work performed on a repair order can be a difficult task for many technicians. Too many choices can lead to frustration and incorrect data.
VMRS contains the codes that will make filling out the repair order a much simpler task. Code Key 15: Work Accomplished Code contains more than 45 codes used to describe the labor that was performed.
There are also codes for preventive maintenance levels. A few of these code examples are: 01-Adjust, 03-Replace with New and 33-Tighten.
The codes are a brief description of labor tasks that make it easy for a technician to choose the proper work that was performed on any type of equipment.
TIME SAVINGS
VMRS is much more than numbers. It is a standard method of recording daily maintenance operations.
A technician saves time completing a repair order by cutting down on the time spent writing labor and part descriptions.
VMRS contains the codes needed to help a technician or shop manager complete a repair order in a standard fashion. Gone are the days of confusing labor descriptions and different descriptions of the parts used on a repair.
VMRS cuts through the jargon that can hinder any maintenance operation. VMRS is the known advantage in collecting maintenance information.
Jack Poster is the VMRS services manager for TMC. tmc.truckline.com. North America’s premier technical society for truck equipment technology and maintenance professionals, TMC is a technical council within the American Trucking Associations (ATA) - the largest national trade association for the trucking industry.
