Mitchell 1 showcased what it termed “next-generation” electrical diagnostics software and time management tools for truck servicing that “enable technicians to work smarter and more efficiently” on March 6 at the TMC annual meeting in Orlando.
Ben Johnson, director of product management, emphasized that Mitchell 1’s focus is 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 (EVs).”
Mitchell 1 announced a new suite of time-management features for shops that service Class 4-8 trucks. Available in the company’s Manager SE Truck Series, this software automatically generates productivity statistics as technicians clock in-and out of labor 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, Johnson noted.
“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 pointed out. “What this means is that techs will need to adopt a proven electronic diagnostics strategy to succeed in repairing and maintaining fleets with these advanced technologies.”
Johnson said new Mitchell 1 tools have features that will help techs proficiently service advanced electronics on vehicles, including added components, wiring, and circuits that they’ve possibly never seen before. “
“With the latest release of TruckSeries repair information, Mitchell 1 has added exclusive features to its award-winning wiring diagrams that help save even more time when working on complex electrical issues,” Johnson said. “They enhance diagram navigation making connectors, grounds and splices not only searchable but also interactive.”
Interactive wiring diagrams
He explained that 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.
