The plate, the meter, and the flag
What belongs on every machine record — and what you should never pretend lives in a software product. Written for crews who already know the difference between a service manual and a spreadsheet that died in someone's truck.
DirtFleet is built around a daily habit: honest hours (or miles), fast flags, PM that doesn't drift. This page is the plain checklist behind that habit. It is not a copy of any manufacturer's service literature.
Copyright & trademarks: we write our own words. We do not host OEM manuals, SIS extracts, wiring diagrams, or paid dealer content. Brand names show up only because that is what is parked in the yard. Confirm every torque, fluid, and interval against the literature that matches your serial — or ask the dealer. DirtFleet is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of the equipment manufacturers, dealers, or marketplaces linked here unless a separate written agreement says so. Brand names are used only to describe equipment fleets track. Trademarks belong to their owners. Always confirm fitment, intervals, and safety procedures against the OEM manual and your dealer — our PM seeds and model labels are starting points, not certified service data.
Put this on the card
If it is not on the asset, the shop will invent it at the worst possible time. Keep the list short enough that a gloved thumb can maintain it.
Unit number
What the crew actually says on the radio. Not the VIN. Not the finance asset tag unless that’s the only number anyone knows.
In DirtFleet · Required on the asset card. Show it big.
Make + model family
So the shop knows which filter kit and which PM seed to start from. “Yellow excavator” is not a model family.
In DirtFleet · Pick from the catalog or type free-form when the machine is oddball.
Serial / PIN
The only string that settles warranty, recall, and “is this the same iron we bought?” fights.
In DirtFleet · Optional at create; fill it when you can see the plate.
Meter type + last reading
Hours for yellow iron. Miles for the F-450. “None” for a light tower you only care about check-ins. Guessing the meter is how PM drifts.
In DirtFleet · Log typed or photo-of-dash. Offline queue when the yard has no signal.
Who logged it / when
Accountability without a spreadsheet archaeology dig at month-end.
In DirtFleet · Stamped on every hours entry. Managers see utilization without nagging the wrong person.
Flags + photos
“Hyd line weeping” with a photo beats a radio call that never made the whiteboard.
In DirtFleet · Three taps. Photo optional. Mechanic queue sorts red first.
PM intervals you actually run
Your shop’s real schedule — oil, filters, greases, final drives — tied to meter hours, not a calendar nobody trusts.
In DirtFleet · Service catalog per org. Seeds are starting points; you edit them.
Repair cost when you have it
Cost per engine hour only works if someone wrote the invoice down once.
In DirtFleet · Optional on repairs. Finance exports later; no per-seat tax for the bookkeeper.
By class — habits, not factory chapters
These are shop-floor defaults from mixed fleets, not published OEM chapters. Use them to set the daily habit. Replace intervals with what your dealer stamps in the book for that serial.
Hydraulic excavators / loaders / dozers
- Meter
- Engine hours
- Daily habit
- End of shift, every day the iron ran. Photo of the hour meter when gloves make typing ugly.
- PM posture
- Start from a conservative hour seed (oil, hyd filter, finals). Tighten after the first real dealer service history lands.
Ag tractors & high-hour seasonal iron
- Meter
- Engine hours
- Daily habit
- Log when the operator changes or when the unit comes back from a field. Rental returns get a meter photo.
- PM posture
- Season spikes break calendar PM. Hours stay honest when the machine sits half the year.
Pickups & service trucks
- Meter
- Odometer (miles)
- Daily habit
- Same app as the excavator. Don’t run a second system for the F-450.
- PM posture
- Oil and brakes still care about miles. Attachments and trailers can check in without inventing a fake hour meter.
Light towers, compressors, generators
- Meter
- Hours if the panel has them; otherwise check-in only
- Daily habit
- Someone has to own “did it run today.” A silent tower is how shops forget filters.
- PM posture
- Shorter intervals often win. Track runtime if the panel shows it; don’t invent precision you can’t see.
Leave this with the dealer (and the law)
Software that pretends to replace the manual is either lying or infringing. We do neither.
Full factory service manuals / SIS-style data
Torque tables, wiring trees, software calibration steps, and locked service literature stay with the OEM and the franchised dealer. We do not republish them. Link out when you need the official site; do the work from the book that belongs to the serial.
Software-locked modules and dealer-only parts programs
If the counter needs a dealer login, DirtFleet is not a substitute. Log the job, the hours, and the invoice — buy the part where the machine’s serial is recognized.
Certified ELD / HOS for interstate trucks
DirtFleet Hours is maintenance documentation and asset tracking. It is not an FMCSA-registered ELD. Pair road units with a certified device when the law requires it.
Continuous driver surveillance by default
We are not selling a “watch the operator all day” product. Optional GPS snapshot at save-time is not the same as a telematics dongle watching every mile.
Three free pages. One job.
- This page — what to put on the record so the next shift trusts it.
- Equipment catalog — makes and model families we recognize, plus editorial links to official OEM sites (not partnership claims).
- Parts & suppliers — public marketplaces and diagram sites when the filter is due or the unit is for sale.
Ready to run it on real iron? Start a free trial or browse the live demo fleet. No email gate on these resources.
DirtFleet is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a partner of the equipment manufacturers, dealers, or marketplaces linked here unless a separate written agreement says so. Brand names are used only to describe equipment fleets track. Trademarks belong to their owners. Always confirm fitment, intervals, and safety procedures against the OEM manual and your dealer — our PM seeds and model labels are starting points, not certified service data. This guide is original DirtFleet editorial content. It is not legal advice, not a substitute for OEM service publications, and not a safety procedure for any specific machine.