SPECIAL REPORT


Keeping Track Written by Taylor Ekbatani | taylor@stnonline.com


M


any transportation garages are shifting from paper documents to automated sys- tems or software to help them keep track of anything and everything in the main-


tenance facility. Some garages are leaning on already developed software to do the trick. Other maintenance professionals are creating their own system of keeping track.


School Transportation News discussed these trends


with the Garage Stars featured this month. Temple Independent School District in Texas has been using Transfinder’s Servicefinder but recently upgraded to the new version, Servicefinder 5.0. George Bell, the district’s fleet services supervisor, explained that the updated version took a while to get used to but is much


20 School Transportation News • AUGUST 2024


more user-friendly in keeping up with inventory and staff hours. He explained that Sevicefinder notifies him when the fleet is due for service by tracking mileage. The software also alerts the garage when it’s time to reorder service parts and how many need to be ordered. Bell added that he can set limits on how low he would like his inventory to get before receiving a notification. “Every piece of equipment is tracked in its own folder in the form of a work order,” Bell explained. “From the time the work order is made until the work is complet- ed and closed out, we can bill for man hours and parts used. Makes it very easy to go back and see the history of a piece of equipment. This system can be viewed by anyone in our district that is given access.”


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