In the medical profession, triage is about quickly assessing the patient’s condition, stabilizing the patient, and determining if the patient requires surgery or can be bandaged up and sent on their way.

“The medic never performs major surgery out on the battlefield,” says Chris Freeman, director of sales/training HD at Autel, a developer of intelligent diagnostics, detection, and analysis systems.

Since heavy duty technicians are really doctors of metal, Freeman relates, a triage-like approach makes perfect sense for a fleet. When executed effectively with the right tools, triage diagnostics can help increase uptime, reduce tow bills, and control overall maintenance and repair costs.

“What a mobile technician is really trying to understand is whether or not a truck can make it back to the facility for a full-scale repair,” says Tom Kotenko, company director of NEXIQ Technologies, a provider of diagnostic and telematics products and services. “The technician also wants an overview of what’s going on with the truck. With triage diagnostics, the technician wants something really fast – something that connects quickly to the truck. Then the technician needs speedy delivery of the trouble code or other piece of information to help determine what the problem is.”

In some instances, a quick repair is all that is needed to get the truck back up and running. A good triage tool will also provide the necessary functionality for all of those common, relatively simple repairs.

While triage diagnostics can be applicable in a shop environment, it primarily comes into play along the roadside. A mobile technician’s goal is to either execute a quick fix so the truck can be sent on its way, or determine what the more severe problem is so technicians back at the shop can prepare for the vehicle’s arrival into the service bay. This is the essence of triage service.

Essential features and functionality

A good triage tool will be capable of reading fault codes and other information from the various electronic control modules (ECMs) on the vehicle. The tool will also be able to execute basic system resets.

For example, if an engine light comes on and the truck goes into a derate limp mode, the driver calls the shop and a mobile technician is dispatched. The technician wants to do a quick triage to see what’s wrong. If it’s something mechanically broken, the technician can make the call to have the truck towed back to the shop; there is no avoiding a tow this time. But maybe the truck just needs a DPF regen or a new coolant temperature sensor, both of which are straightforward roadside repairs for a solid B-level technician who is diagnostically savvy. A good triage tool will be able to help identify and remedy situations like those.

Additionally, Kotenko says it can be useful to have the ability to execute specialized tests. If one of the cylinders isn’t functioning properly, a cylinder cutout test could help diagnose that problem.

Another helpful feature for a mobile technician is functionality to execute common bidirectional controls, such as a DPF regen.

“The mobile technician might want to blow that DPF out on the side of the road so the fleet can avoid a tow fee,” Kotenko relates.

Aside from forced regens, Freeman says a triage tool typically won’t have other bidirectional capabilities. It’s a matter of balancing tool functionality with cost – and matching functionality with whatever capabilities a fleet is expecting its mobile technicians to have.

Fleets should also confirm product coverage before investing in a triage tool. For a mixed fleet, any tool should have all makes and models capability. It’s essential to ask specific questions of vendors when shopping. For instance, if you ask a vendor if their tool can handle DPF regens, the answer you will likely hear is “Yes.” But regens may only be possible on certain trucks.

“Fleets should ask the vendor about the specific vehicles they’ll be able to do forced regens on,” Freeman says.

Trip reporting can be another useful feature of a triage tool.

“If the fleet notices a significant drop in how the truck is performing, a technician can look at the trip reporting to confirm the fuel mileage in an effort to analyze how the truck is consuming fuel,” Kotenko says. “Similarly, if the truck is starting to show signs of oil shortage, it’s important to understand that as well.”

All of these tasks can help fleets improve uptime, reduce bay time, and reduce overall maintenance, repair, and tow costs. Maximizing those potential benefits largely comes down to ease of use.

“Technicians want a triage tool that is going to connect quickly,” Kotenko reminds. “Along those same lines, fleets don’t want something that is overly complex for their mobile technicians to use. User-friendly features can be a big help, such as touchscreens with simple up/down, left/right navigation. But speed is the big thing. Fleets want near instantaneous connectivity. That technician on the side of the road wants as much relevant information in as short amount of time as possible.”

Apps, tablets, and other options

Kotenko says it generally is not a wise idea to utilize a PC-based triage diagnostic solution, which would require the use of a laptop. Not only is a laptop more challenging for the roadside technician to handle, but it generally takes a while to boot up – which eats up precious time neither the technician nor driver have to waste. Yes, a PC-based solution will likely be capable of providing more information, but with a handheld device or mobile app, the speed and convenience are there while still providing the information a mobile technician needs.

First-Link is a mobile app that works with a NEXIQ device called Blue-Link Mini, which plugs into a vehicle’s diagnostic port to provide wireless communication with onboard ECUs. First-Link monitors vehicle health status. For example, if the check engine light comes on, the app helps the driver understand the problem so they can seek assistance. Back at the shop, the technician can utilize that preliminary diagnostic information to get a jumpstart on the repair when the truck returns for service.

Pocket iQ2 is another one of NEXIQ’s diagnostics tools that is well-suited to mobile technicians in triage situations. Pocket iQ2 is a heavy duty scan tool that provides a broader and deeper array of information to help diagnose and repair common issues. Fault codes are just the beginning. There is also built-in software that can perform DPF regens. The Pocket iQ2 can also monitor vital system data including engine speed and load, pressures, and temperatures.

Whereas NEXIQ’s Blue-Link Mini works in tandem with the First-Link mobile app, Pocket iQ2 is a handheld device with built-in software. Regardless, the technology provides mobile technicians with a fast, easy-to-use diagnostic solution for triage situations.

Autel’s MS906CV Heavy Duty Service Tablet is also considered an effective triage tool.

“It’s a less expensive alternative to our professional-level tool,” Freeman says. “It essentially does everything our professional-duty tool does, aside from the longer list of bidirectional testing required to perform bigger repairs.”

The MS906CV has forced regen capability, and mobile technicians can also do full vehicle scans or select individual ECMs. From there, vehicle health reports can be generated. Technicians can also use the tablet to capture pictures and videos.

As diagnostics technology evolves, so do the triage tools themselves.

NEXIQ, for example, is on the second iteration of its triage diagnostics products. Autel’s MS906CV has been around since roughly 2013 and continues to evolve with market needs. Freeman says the company strives to stay on top of trends, and perhaps stay a step or two ahead of them. For instance, the MS906CV already has the ability to assist mobile technicians with TPMS and ADAS-related issues.

Staying on top of trends is important. The key to triage diagnostics is understanding the types of issues mobile technicians are likely to encounter. Then diagnostics providers can develop the tools to help technicians diagnose and, in some cases, remedy those issues right along the side of the road. That helps the fleet save time and money, which is becoming even more critical in today’s challenging and uncertain environment.