NEW ORLEANS—Mitchell 1 has integrated its TruckSeries diagnostic data into NEXIQ’s eTechnician PC-based diagnostics software to cut down the steps a technician takes to troubleshoot a truck. The streamlining is intended to enable the faster diagnosis and repair of medium- to heavy-duty trucks, all through one subscription.
Both NEXIQ and Mitchell 1 are part of Snap-On’s Total Shop Solution family, and with the integration, TruckSeries has essentially moved into eTechnician’s guest room to help out around the house. Through the new living situation, all the diagnostic data and repair information are under one roof, or more specifically, accessible on one portal—eTechnician. This circumvents the need for technicians to toggle back and forth between software.
It may seem like a minor change, but for a tech concentrating on resolving a first-time issue with a new system or when time is of the essence, minimizing extra steps allows the worker to focus on the actual job, and not where to find the data or repair guidance.
This makes the troubleshooting process, and locating a problem’s root cause, more efficient and intuitive, explained Kristy Coffman, director of Mitchell 1’s Commercial Vehicle Group, who revealed the collaboration at the 2024 American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition. She said the previous way of having to leave one site to check information on the other was “clunky.”
Now all of the TruckSeries’ data services are available with an eTechnician subscription.
Read more: ABS, engine, transmission identification included in Mitchell 1 software update
“When you add the TruckSeries’ software suite, technicians will be armed with the industry’s most robust combination of vehicle diagnostics and maintenance capabilities for Classes 4-8 trucks,” noted Coffman. “With TruckSeries, technicians have access to a wide range of features including our intuitive card-based interface, driven by our 1Search Plus engine. Users can also quickly reference information about new technologies, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.”
With ADAS diagnostics, a user can see what systems are installed on the specific vehicle, supporting components, and necessary calibrations. Meanwhile, for brake jobs, a technician can check ABS faults through the eTechnician side and on the same site also find the correct wheel-end torque specs.
TruckSeries also includes advanced interactive wiring diagrams to facilitate electrical repairs and access to TMC’s library of Recommended Practices, which provides technical guidance on more than 500 maintenance and repair tasks.
According to Coffman, the RP section is accessed 4,100 times per month.
“Those are important bits of information that a lot of people spend a lot of time every year to create, so it's great that they're being accessed,” Coffman said.
