Admin Setup Guide

Set up your fleet management system from scratch. This guide covers company configuration, user management, fleet records, service workflows, operations modules, and alert settings.

System Overview

Motrix Cloud uses a multi-tenant architecture — each company's data is completely isolated from other organizations on the platform. As a Global Admin or Fleet Manager, you have access to all configuration features and are responsible for setting up the system for your fleet.

Key areas you will configure as a Global Admin or Fleet Manager:

• Users & Roles — who has access and what they can do
• Fleet Vehicles — your vehicle inventory with full lifecycle tracking
• Drivers — operator profiles with license and compliance tracking
• Service Templates — recurring maintenance schedules that power the Service Planner
• Inspection Templates — DVIR checklist templates for pre-trip and post-trip inspections
• Operations Modules — fuel tracking, budgets, parts inventory, and departments
• Alert Thresholds — configurable windows for maintenance, licensing, warranty, and parts notifications

Managing Users

New users join via the self-service trial signup or through email invitations sent from the Team Members page. Each user is assigned a role that determines their permissions and navigation visibility. Roles are permission presets — individual permissions can also be customized per user. Motrix currently includes 6 built-in roles:

Navigation by Role

Motrix changes the navigation based on the signed-in user's role. Fleet Managers and Global Admins see the full application, while Drivers see a simplified workflow focused on inspections.

Fleet Manager / Global Admin Navigation

• Dashboard — Fleet Health Score, operational status cards, reports hub, critical alerts, and recent activity
• Fleet — Vehicles, Drivers, Assignments
• Service — Service Planner, Maintenance Records, Service Templates, Work Orders, Inspections
• Operations — Fuel Tracking, EV Charging, Budgets, Parts Inventory, Departments
• Reports — all 11 built-in analytics views
• User Menu — Profile, Manage Companies, Alert Settings, Logout

Driver Navigation

• Dashboard — a simplified dashboard view with current fleet status
• Inspections — inspection history plus the + New Inspection workflow
• User Menu — personal account actions only

Drivers do not see Fleet, Service, Operations, Reports, or Quick Log. On mobile, the driver menu is intentionally reduced to a simple task flow so operators can file inspections quickly without sorting through admin features.

Adding Your Fleet

Navigate to Fleet > Vehicles > Add Vehicle to begin building your fleet inventory. Motrix tracks vehicles through their full lifecycle from acquisition to disposal.

Required Fields

• Year — model year of the vehicle
• Make — manufacturer (e.g., Ford, Chevrolet, ElDorado)
• Model — vehicle model name
• VIN — 17-character Vehicle Identification Number
• Status — current operational status
• Current Mileage — used to calculate service due dates

Optional but Recommended

• License Plate — state plate number
• Fleet Number — your internal unit number
• Fuel Type — gasoline, diesel, CNG, propane, electric
• Purchase Date & Price — for cost-per-mile calculations

Extended Specifications

• Body Type — cutaway, minivan, transit bus, etc.
• Seating Capacity — total passenger seats
• Wheelchair Capacity — number of wheelchair positions
• Engine Type & Transmission
• GVWR — gross vehicle weight rating

Insurance & Registration

• Policy number, provider name, and expiration date
• Registration expiration date

Compliance

• DOT Inspection Expiration — tracked and shown on dashboard
• ADA Compliance Status — for paratransit reporting

OEM Warranty

• Warranty provider, type (bumper-to-bumper, powertrain, etc.), start and end dates, and mileage limit

Vehicle Photo

Upload a photo in JPEG, PNG, or WebP format up to 5MB. Photos help drivers confirm they are inspecting the correct unit.

Vehicle Statuses

Setting Up Drivers

Navigate to Fleet > Drivers > Add Driver to create driver records. Driver profiles track operator credentials separately from user accounts.

Key Fields

• Name — driver's full name
• Phone & Email — contact information
• License Number — CDL or state license number
• License Class — Class A, B, C, or D
• Issuing State
• License Expiration Date — automatically monitored for alerts

License expiration alerts appear on the Dashboard automatically once the expiration date falls within your configured alert window.

Vehicle Assignments

Navigate to Fleet > Assignments to assign drivers to specific vehicles. Assignments include a start date and optional end date, providing a historical record of which operator was driving each unit and when.

Current and historical assignments are listed per vehicle, making it straightforward to determine who was operating a vehicle on any given date — useful for incident reviews and compliance audits.

Configuring Service Templates

Navigate to Service > Service Templates to define recurring maintenance schedules. Templates are the foundation of the Service Planner — they tell the system when each vehicle is due for each type of service.

What Each Template Defines

• Service Type — name of the maintenance task
• Mile Interval — trigger service every N miles
• Day Interval — trigger service every N days
• Estimated Cost — used in budget projections
• Default Vendor — pre-fills work orders

Both mile and day intervals can be set simultaneously. The Service Planner triggers on whichever threshold is reached first.

Pre-Loaded DOT Templates

Configuring Inspection Templates

Navigate to Service > Inspections > Manage Templates to configure DVIR checklist templates. Templates define the items drivers check during pre-trip and post-trip inspections.

Pre-Loaded DOT Templates

Two standard templates are pre-loaded for immediate use:

• DOT Pre-Trip — 22 items across 5 categories
• DOT Post-Trip — 12 items across 4 categories

Item Categories

• Engine / Cab
• Exterior
• Interior
• Safety Equipment
• Fluids

You can create custom templates for specialized vehicles or agency-specific requirements. Each item includes a name and an optional description to guide the driver during the inspection. Items are organized by category within the checklist form.

Work Orders

Navigate to Service > Work Orders to manage repair and follow-up activity. Work orders can be created manually by a manager or generated automatically when a DVIR defect is submitted.

What a Work Order Tracks

• Priority — normal or high priority based on urgency
• Status — open, in progress, or completed
• Vendor / Technician — who is handling the repair
• Labor and Parts Costs — captured for reporting and budget analysis
• Documents — invoices, photos, and supporting PDFs attached to the record

Minor DVIR defects keep the vehicle active and generate a normal-priority work order. Major defects immediately place the vehicle out of service and create a high-priority work order until repairs are closed out.

If your company uses the Shop module, work order creation also supports Smart Bay Assignment suggestions so the system can recommend the best available bay for the job type before the repair starts.

PM Inspections (Preventive Maintenance)

Technician-driven preventive maintenance inspections filed from within a Work Order. PM inspections use cascading A/B/C levels with measurement fields, threshold auto-flagging, and automatic defect-to-work-order generation.

PM vs. DVIR

PM Levels (Cascading)

Selecting PM-B automatically includes all PM-A items. Selecting PM-C includes all items.

Filing a PM Inspection

1. Open a Work Order and click File PM Inspection.
2. Select a PM template and PM level (A, B, or C).
3. Complete the checklist — items may be pass/fail, numeric (with unit labels and min/max thresholds), or dropdown (e.g., Good/Fair/Poor/Replace).
4. Out-of-range numeric values are automatically flagged as defects with an "Out of spec" warning. The technician can override back to pass.
5. Mark defect severity (Minor or Major), add notes and photos (up to 5 per defect).
6. Sign with the canvas signature pad and submit.

PM Defect Handling

• Minor defects: Vehicle stays active, a child Work Order is created with normal priority.
• Major defects: Vehicle is set to Out of Service, a child Work Order is created with high priority.
• Child Work Orders include measurement values in the description and link back to the PM inspection.
• Defect photos are copied to the child Work Order as documents.

PM Compliance Report

The PM Compliance Report (accessible from Reports menu) tracks preventive maintenance inspection compliance for FTA audits and shop management. It includes:

• Summary cards: Total PM inspections, pass rate, defects found, PM-A/B/C counts
• Overdue vehicles warning for active vehicles with zero PM inspections
• PM Inspection History table with level badges, results, and work order links
• Out-of-Spec Measurements section highlighting items outside acceptable thresholds
• Technician Workload breakdown with pass rates per technician
• PDF export in landscape format

Operations Modules

Navigate to the Operations menu to manage day-to-day cost, energy, and inventory controls. These modules connect operational data back to the dashboard, reporting, and alerting system.

Fuel Tracking

Fuel records capture date, vendor, odometer, gallons, total cost, and price per gallon. MPG is calculated automatically, and CSV import is available when you need to load historical transactions in bulk.

EV Charging

Use Operations > EV Charging to track charging sessions for electric units, including charging location, kWh, session cost, and odometer at charge time. This keeps EV energy spend visible alongside fuel and maintenance costs in your operating records.

Budgets

Navigate to Operations > Budgets to create monthly spending targets. Budgets give you a real-time view of fleet spending against plan.

Configurable Thresholds

• Total — overall fleet spend target
• Fuel — fuel purchases
• Maintenance — scheduled service costs
• Repairs — unplanned repair costs

Once budgets are set, the Dashboard automatically shows a Budget vs. Actual comparison. Variance is color-coded for quick interpretation:

Parts Inventory

Use Operations > Parts Inventory to track stocked items and replacement components. Part data supports low-stock alerting, cost visibility, warranty reference, and the Parts & Warranty report.

Departments

Use Operations > Departments to group vehicles and spending by organizational unit. Departments make it easier to review utilization, costs, and maintenance patterns across programs or divisions.

Quick Log

The Quick Log (+) button is available to Fleet Managers and Global Admins for fast fuel and maintenance entry without leaving the current page. It is intentionally hidden for Drivers.

Alert Settings

Navigate to User Menu > Alert Settings to configure maintenance alert thresholds. These settings control when the system flags upcoming and overdue service across the dashboard, Service Planner, and daily email summaries.

Configurable Thresholds

• Days Before Service (1–90 days, default: 10) — alert when maintenance is due within this many days
• Miles Before Service (50–5,000 miles, default: 500) — alert when a vehicle is within this many miles of a service interval

Critical Alert Types

• Maintenance — overdue maintenance and upcoming service windows
• Compliance — overdue DOT inspections and expiring driver licenses
• Warranty — OEM and component warranties nearing expiration
• Inventory — low or out-of-stock parts
• Work Orders — overdue repair tickets that still require action

Alert Email

Optionally specify a dedicated email address for maintenance alerts. If left blank, alerts are sent to all Fleet Manager and Global Admin users in your company.

Where Alerts Appear

• Dashboard — overdue and upcoming maintenance listed by vehicle
• Service Planner — color-coded status for each vehicle/service combination
• Daily Email — consolidated digest sent at 7:00 AM listing overdue and upcoming items
• Weekly Fleet Summary — automated Monday morning email with 7-day operational snapshot: fleet stats, weekly costs, work order activity, action-required alerts, top expensive vehicles, and inspection pass rates

CSV Data Export

Every major entity index page includes a green Export CSV button for one-click data export. Exports are available for vehicles (32 columns), drivers (13 columns), work orders (17 columns), fuel records (11 columns), and maintenance (14 columns). All exports are company-scoped and formula-injection-safe.

Dispatch Module

Navigate to Dispatch > Trip Board to manage paratransit trip scheduling. The Dispatch module handles trip creation, driver/vehicle assignment, and real-time status tracking.

Trip Lifecycle

Key Features

• Auto-generated trip numbers — sequential per company per day (TRP-YYYYMMDD-NNN)
• Passenger tracking — name, phone, count, wheelchair required, mobility aids, trip purpose
• Trip Board — dispatcher calendar view grouped by 30-minute time slots with color-coded cards
• My Trips (driver view) — today's trips with touch-friendly Dispatch/Close buttons
• Quick-assign — inline vehicle + driver dropdowns on the trip detail page

Auto Shop Management

Navigate to Shop > Shop Board to manage in-house maintenance operations. The Shop module extends work orders with service bay tracking, technician time tracking, and parts requisition workflows.

Shop Board

The Shop Board is the primary workspace for shop foremen. Each bay card shows the current work order, vehicle, technician name, and a running clock. Unassigned in-house work orders appear in a sidebar for bay assignment.

Service Bays

Navigate to Shop > Service Bays to create and manage bays. Bay types include Lift, Flat, Pit, Wash, and Other. Bays are automatically released when a work order is completed or cancelled.

Smart Bay Assignment

When creating a work order, the system suggests the best available bay based on keyword matching against 60+ maintenance terms (e.g., "brake inspection" → Lift bay, "battery" → Flat bay).

Technician Time Tracking

Navigate to Shop > Time Tracking for per-technician, per-work-order time entries. Clocks start automatically with the "Assign & Start Clock" option on work order creation. Running clocks are visible on the Shop Board.

Parts Requisitions

Navigate to Shop > Parts Requests to manage the parts requisition workflow. Technicians request parts from inventory against work orders. Fleet Managers approve or deny with stock levels visible. Approved requisitions automatically decrement inventory.

Shop Metrics

Navigate to Shop > Shop Metrics for throughput analysis: jobs completed, jobs per day, average hours per job, bay utilization, and technician hours breakdown.

Available Reports

Motrix includes 11 built-in reports accessible from the Reports menu. All reports are automatically scoped to your company's data and support one-click PDF export.

• Cost Analysis (Reports > Cost Analysis) — fleet-wide cost breakdown, per-vehicle cost comparison, monthly trends, and cost-per-mile calculations.
• Vendor Performance (Reports > Vendor Performance) — job counts, average downtime, total cost, and average cost per job broken down by vendor.
• DVIR Audit (Reports > DVIR Audit) — inspection pass/fail rates, defect severity breakdown (minor/major), compliance gap detection for vehicles with zero inspections, and resolution time tracking. CSV export for auditors.
• Parts & Warranty (Reports > Parts & Warranty) — component tracking by vehicle, OEM and component warranty status, spend-by-vehicle visualization, and most-replaced components.
• Fleet Utilization (Reports > Fleet Utilization) — per-vehicle utilization and availability rates, assignment days, idle days, downtime analysis.
• Fuel Efficiency (Reports > Fuel Efficiency) — total fuel cost, gallons used, fleet average MPG, monthly trend, and per-vehicle fuel cost analysis.
• Service Planner (Reports > Service Planner) — printable view of all upcoming and overdue maintenance with urgency badges, grouped by service type and by vehicle.
• Work Orders by Vehicle (Reports > Work Orders by Vehicle) — work order volume, labor/parts costs, and status breakdown grouped by vehicle.
• Service History (Reports > Service History) — unified maintenance and work order timeline per vehicle with cost, vendor, and date details.
• Technician Labor (Reports > Technician Labor) — workload per technician, completion rates, labor cost allocation, and average turnaround time.
• PM Compliance (Reports > PM Compliance) — preventive maintenance inspection compliance for FTA audits, including pass rates, defect counts, PM-A/B/C breakdowns, out-of-spec measurements, and technician workload.

Admin Tips

• Set up service templates before entering vehicles — templates feed the Service Planner automatically. Add them first and the planner populates as soon as vehicles are entered.
• Configure alert thresholds early — the default 10 days / 500 miles works well for most fleets, but adjust based on your service intervals and staffing capacity.
• Add vehicle photos and VINs — photos help drivers confirm they are inspecting the correct unit. VINs are required for warranty tracking and recall lookups.
• Keep parts inventory current — low-stock alerts and the Parts & Warranty report are only useful if receipts and usage are logged consistently.
• Review the Service Planner weekly — a 15-minute review keeps you ahead of maintenance and prevents vehicles from going overdue without warning.
• Check the Dashboard daily — the Fleet Health Score gives you an instant snapshot of overall fleet condition. Declining scores indicate maintenance backlog building up.
• Create both pre-trip and post-trip inspection templates — DOT regulations require both. The pre-loaded templates cover standard requirements; customize them for any specialized equipment in your fleet.
• Use departments consistently — assigning vehicles and spend to departments makes reporting far more useful during audits and budget reviews.
• Add drivers before assigning vehicles — driver records must exist before you can create vehicle assignments or have drivers selected in inspection reports.