Fleet Operations Managers hate getting the notice that a truck that has been scheduled for a route will not start… because of a bad battery. Think about how many times you have been confronted with this tiresome problem. Consider the amount of disruption to operations that comes from having to find a substitute truck – not to mention lost productivity. The fact is current Preventative Maintenance schedules lack real-time monitoring and battery Reserve Capacity diagnostics. As a result, No-Start events are far too common.
There must be an Easy Method to Prevent No-Starts caused by Bad Batteries…
Well, there certainly is – Midtronics manufactures a robust digital HD Battery Tester that enables users to check the health of the following important electrical system values:
- 12 & 24 Volt Pack Testing
- 12 & 24 Volt Electrical System Testing (Starter & Alternator)
- Battery Cranking ability (CCA)
- Battery Reserve Capacity
- Voltage loss from poor connections (cable drop)
Test records are stored on the tool, including the truck’s VIN or asset number and model info.
Connected Tools that Report Test Results to Cloud for Simple Analytics
Midtronics DSS-5000HD battery testers diagnose the health of your Heavy-Duty Fleet batteries and report the test results listed above. Large fleets can also be set up to send the data to a centralized, cloud-based repository so Fleet Operations Managers can review, monitor, and analyze the state of health of batteries for the entire fleet. This enables operations and maintenance professionals to implement standard PM battery testing processes and can monitor compliance of the process. The connected DSS-5000 HD tester and reporting provides complete visibility to the adherence to PM testing protocols enabling fleet operations to maintain a rigid battery testing program across all depot facilities. The rich data stream enables operations managers to track and evaluate battery health for all vehicles in the fleet.
Real-Time Battery & Electrical System Diagnostics with Alerts from On-Board Battery Monitors
There is a solid case for implementing a systemic approach to preventing No-Start events in fleet vehicle pools. Adding a Midtronics BMS-300 on-board battery monitor to existing fleet population is the first step to establishing this Preventative Maintenance battery health ecosystem. The BMS-300 monitors changes in battery voltage, current & temperature. This includes measurements of starting voltage and current as well as the conductance (CCA) of the system during start events. Operations managers receive real-time updates on any vehicle battery equipped with a BMS-300 monitor via CAN-BUS or telematics systems. Batteries that cross thresholds that are deemed to be of imminent concern can be quickly referred to a shop technician that can then perform a deeper battery diagnostic test with the Midtronics DSS-5000 HD tester. The DSS-5000 HD will provide a detailed diagnosis of the battery health, enabling the technician to make an informed judgement on maintenance for the battery in question BEFORE it fails. This system is approaching a phase of Predictive Analytics for battery state of health with the goal of eliminating costly No-Start events.
To discuss your specific needs/application, click the button below to fill out the form or email John Philbrook at jphilbrook@midtronics.com.
