PHOENIX — Paradise Valley Unified School District’s transportation department has begun a pilot program that integrates Zonar System’s electronic pretrip inspection device with fleet management software designed by Ron Turley Associates (RTA).

Since last fall, Zonar's Electronic Vehicle Inspection Report (EVIR™) system has been used on 10 Paradise Valley buses. In mid-February, the device was integrated with the RTA software, allowing bus drivers to electronically report information to the garage staff.

“I would love to find some problems with this integrated system, but it’s really working well,” said Doug Curry, Paradise Valley’s vehicle maintenance supervisor.

The system is relatively simple: Drivers use the Zonar handheld reader to inspect the bus from front to back, interior and exterior, and under the hood. If problems are discovered, they’re input into the Zonar inspection tool. After the driver completes the pretrip, the information is downloaded into a computer and relayed via the Internet to the RTA software. Reported problems automatically generate work orders for the garage staff.

When the work order is closed out, the maintenance technician’s electronic signature and notes of “corrective action” are automatically communicated back to the Zonar EVIR™ system. This automation improves operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

In the first four weeks of testing on the 10 buses, drivers have generated 30 to 35 work orders, Curry said. “This helps my preventive maintenance program. And we eliminate preventable road calls.”

“The driver is the first line of defense in reporting defects to maintenance,” added Bill Brinton, Zonar’s marketing director. “If you can get timely and accurate reporting of defects to maintenance, it translates into a safer fleet.”