Mitchell 1 introduced a new search capability in its TruckSeries repair information platform to help fleet technicians quickly locate service information using a truck’s unit number.
The company unveiled the feature, called Unit Number Search, during the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting in Nashville.
Fleet technicians don’t think in VINs, said Kristy Coffman, director of Mitchell 1’s Commercial Vehicle Group.
Unit Number Search allows technicians to retrieve repair information in Mitchell 1’s TruckSeries using the internal asset tag fleets assign to each vehicle. This eliminates the need to search by VIN or navigate through model and submodel details.
“In a fleet environment, technicians don’t walk up to the truck trying to figure out what it is,” Coffman said. “They already know the unit number. What they really need in that moment is to get to the repair information for that specific vehicle quickly.”
How it Works
Fleet customers give Mitchell 1 a mapping of asset tags to specific vehicles in their systems. Once that information is integrated, technicians can enter the unit number — often painted on the side of the truck — into the search bar and be directed to the correct repair information. The system automatically links the unit identifier to the vehicle’s data so technicians can move directly into the repair information.
Coffman said the feature was developed after looking closely at how technicians actually search for repair information in the shop and where those searches break down.
“When you’re working on dozens of vehicles every day, even a minute or two spent navigating VINs or model years turns into real operational cost,” she said. “That friction adds up fast.”
Building on Recent Search Improvements
Last fall, Mitchell 1 introduced search enhancements, called “Did You Mean,” designed to recognize misspellings and suggest corrected terms, helping technicians find information even when search entries are incomplete or typed incorrectly.
“You make one small typo in a search, and suddenly the repair just stops,” Coffman said. “Not because the information isn’t there, but because the system didn’t understand what the technician was trying to say.”
Those kinds of interruptions can slow repairs and disrupt workflow, she added, especially in busy shops where technicians may be working on multiple vehicles at once.
20 Years of Repair Information
The announcement comes as Mitchell 1 marks 20 years of providing online repair information for the commercial vehicle industry. The company launched its first web-based heavy-duty service information platform, Tractor-Trailer.net, in 2006.
Since then, the TruckSeries platform has expanded to include diagnostic information, wiring diagrams, and integrated access to industry resources. Today, more than 500 TMC Recommended Practices are integrated into the platform so technicians can access those procedures during the repair process rather than searching through manuals or PDFs.
Mitchell 1 is part of the Snap-on Total Shop Solutions family and provides repair information and shop management software for commercial truck operations.
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