Arsenault Associates and McLeod Software have announced the integration of Arsenault’s Dossier maintenance management software with McLeod’s LoadMaster Enterprise trucking dispatch operations management system.

The integration will provide bi-directional information flow in both the business and maintenance dimensions. Customers using both products will have relevant data updated between the two systems in near real-time, eliminating the need for manual and error-prone duplicate data entry. Customers and vendors defined in LoadMaster will automatically be created and updated in Dossier, as will fuel tickets and meter readings. Mobile communications messages entered in LoadMaster will be passed on to Dossier as potential maintenance work items, called ‘Work Pending’ in Dossier.

Likewise, Dossier will alert LoadMaster of any units where preventive maintenance is due or overdue, a key input for dispatch. Any unit with an open maintenance repair order in Dossier can be flagged as unavailable for dispatch. Maintenance cost data can also be sent to LoadMaster.

The result will allow customers to streamline workflows, have better status data, and capture their complete maintenance costs for billing and analysis.

The interface is implemented in a modular way, allowing users to begin with the exchange of the most critical information, then add other elements later if they choose.

For example, the ability for dispatch to know if a unit is currently in the shop or is due for maintenance is a key to efficiency. Customers can begin by using these basic functions, then turn on the accounting functions later, or they can implement everything at once.

This integration will be available as an option in Dossier version 6.3, scheduled for release in 2Q 2013.