During a press conference held at TMC’s 2022 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition, Ben Johnson, Director of Product Management for Mitchell 1, showcased next-generation electrical diagnostics software and time management tools for truck service operations that enable technicians to work smarter and more efficiently.
Reinforcing the conference theme, “Electrifying Performance in Maintenance Management,” Johnson emphasized Mitchell 1’s focus on better preparing technicians for the challenges ahead in servicing the ever more complex and technologically advanced vehicles they will be seeing in their shops—from vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to fully electric trucks (EV’s).
Time management features
He also introduced Mitchell 1’s new suite of time management features for shops that service Class 4-8 trucks. Available in Mitchell 1’s Manager™ SE Truck Series, the software automatically generates productivity statistics as technicians clock in-and out of labour operations, and also enables users to track and report employee shift hours in real time on mobile devices.
The new time management features, coupled with new diagnostic tools, are designed to assist shops with challenges they encounter with increasing electrification of commercial trucks.
“We’re experiencing more technological advances than any time in history, including watching heavy duty trucks evolve towards becoming fully self-driving. We’re also seeing a continued emphasis on the environment with cleaner diesel technology, along with an increasing focus on electric drivetrains—whether they are powered by huge banks of batteries or by hydrogen and fuel cells,” said Johnson.
‘First time events’
“With these new technologies, maintenance technicians will experience a lot of ‘first time’ events in the repair shop with no experience to draw upon,” he continued. “What this means is that techs on the front lines will need to adopt a proven electronic diagnostics strategy to succeed in repairing and maintaining fleets with these advanced technologies.”
He detailed new Mitchell 1 features that will help technicians proficiently service advanced electronics vehicles, including added components, wiring, and circuits they’ve possibly never seen before. With the latest release of TruckSeries repair information, Mitchell 1 has added exclusive features to its wiring diagrams that help save even more time when working on complex electrical issues. They enhance diagram navigation making connectors, grounds and splices not only searchable but also interactive.
“At Mitchell 1 we believe the wiring diagram can and should be, the hub of electrical diagnosis with additional information supporting the diagram,” noted Johnson. “However, the wiring diagram is just a single tool in a vast tool-chest of features we deliver to assist the diagnostician in finding the root causes of problems fast and accurately.”
Advanced Interactive Wiring Diagrams
The new enhancements to the Truck-Series Advanced Interactive Wiring Diagrams streamline navigation within a diagram set—or from one diagram set to a completely different diagram set. It also adds interactivity to connectors, grounds and splices. Improvements also include a dropdown history that shows the previous 10 diagrams viewed in a session.
Exclusive to Mitchell 1, Advanced Interactive Wiring Diagrams let users navigate via the diagram directly to repair information for components. Component names shown in the wiring diagrams are active links that take users straight to the information needed, such as location, connector views, and replacement procedures.
Connectors, grounds and splices are also now searchable in 1Search and include active hyperlinks that take users directly to related content. Truck-Series not only takes the user to the specific diagram but when the diagram is opened the component, connector, ground, or splice will be in focus with all the traces already highlighted.
