Use the Motorpool Reservations window to track short-term rentals of vehicles. This window contains the following panes: Accessories, Equipment Class Codes, Motorpool, and Reservations.
The window also contains a field for entering a date that filters the displayed records to just those records for finalized reservations (that is, completed reservations where the vehicle was taken out and returned) where the end date is on or after the entered date. (You must also select the Show Finalized check box to show finalized reservations.)
The Show Finalized check box also filters the displayed records (complete, active, and pending reservations). When selected, it causes all records to be displayed; when it is clear, only records for pending or active reservations are displayed.
Accessories Pane
The Accessories pane shows the accessories that can be installed in vehicles. It does not change the vehicles that are displayed.
Equipment Class Codes Pane
The Class Codes pane shows the different types of vehicles in your agency. By selecting a particular type of vehicle, you can display just the vehicles of that type in the Motorpool pane.
To select one or more vehicle types, right-click the desired type and select the appropriate selection command. De-selecting vehicle types is accomplished in the same way.
Motorpool Pane
The Motorpool pane shows the active "pool" vehicles that match the criteria set in the Class Codes pane. ("Pool" vehicles are those vehicles assigned an equipment status of Motor Pool in the Inventory tab of the Equipment Inventory window.)
When you right-click a record in the Motorpool pane, the system displays a shortcut menu. This menu provides the common commands along with the following special commands:
- Assign Vehicle: This command adds the vehicle selected in the Motorpool pane to the reservation selected in the Reservations pane. The selected vehicle will then appear in the Equipment column of the Reservations pane, and the reservation status is changed to Active. (Note: If you want to remove a vehicle from a reservation, you must use the Disassign Vehicle command found in the Reservations pane.)
- Schedule All: This command displays a new window that shows the reservation schedule for all active Motorpool vehicles. See Schedule View Window for more information.
Reservations Pane
The Reservations pane shows active and pending short-term vehicle reservations from the date shown at the top of the window. If the Show Finalized check box is selected, completed reservations (that is, those having an ending odometer reading) will also be displayed provided their reservation period is on or after the date shown at the top of the window.
The columns in this pane provide information about the reservation and the vehicle being rented:
- Create a Reservation by inserting a new record, and the start and end date (called Final Date in the application) are by default today's date. Since the start and end date are the same day, the time of day defaults to show the reservation running from the beginning of the work day to the end of the work day. You can edit any of these columns to show the appropriate rental period.
- Activate a Reservation by using the Assign Vehicle command in the Motorpool pane, and then the Odometer Out column is updated with the odometer reading, the Equipment column shows the assigned vehicle, and the Equip. Class Code column shows the type of vehicle. The reservation status is also changed from Pending to Active in the Status column.
- Terminate a Rental and the odometer reading is entered in the Odometer In column. After saving this information, the reservation is complete and the Status column shows Complete.
When you right-click a record in the Reservations pane, the system displays a shortcut menu. This menu provides the common commands along with the following special commands:
- Disassign Vehicle: This command removes the vehicle from the selected reservation. The reservation status is then changed back to Pending.
- Show Schedule: This command displays a new window that shows the reservation schedule for all active Motorpool vehicles of the same class as the vehicle selected in this pane. See Schedule View Window for more information.
Schedule All Window
The Schedule All window is displayed by selecting the Schedule All command found by right-clicking in the Motorpool pane. It shows the reservation schedule for all vehicles in the Motorpool pane for 90 days starting from the date at the top of the Motorpool window.
You can alter the time period of the schedule by adjusting the From Date and/or Days fields at the top of the Schedule All window and selecting the Refresh button.
If you wish to assign a vehicle in the schedule to the reservation selected in the Reservation pane, right-click the desired vehicle and select Assign Vehicle. The Schedule All window will then close and the vehicle will be assigned to the selected reservation. (The reservation's vehicle class is also adjusted to match the assigned vehicle.)
When you are finished using the Schedule All window, click the Close icon in the upper right corner to close the window and return to the Motorpool window.
Schedule View Window
The Schedule View window is displayed by selecting the Show Schedule command found by right-clicking in the Reservations pane. It shows the reservation schedule for all active Motorpool vehicles that have the same vehicle class as the selected vehicle and that has a rental time period equal to or less than the rental period for the selected record.
You can alter the time period of the schedule by adjusting the From Date and/or Days fields at the top of the Schedule View window, and selecting the Refresh button.
If you wish to assign a vehicle in the schedule to the selected reservation, right-click the desired vehicle and select Assign Vehicle. The Show Schedule window will then close and the vehicle will be assigned to the selected reservation.