6
EXAMPLES OF
TYPES & THEIR
UNITS OF MEASURE
• Highway trucks
descriptive and by
standard FHWA class
• Dozers by engine power
range
• Excavators by weight
range
• Pumps by diameter
• Cranes descriptive and
by capacity
Methodology continued
Category
This field is most commonly used to identify units by their basic form
and function. Definitions can be made at a fairly high level as the
equipment type field remains available to further divide and define the
category. Three things characterize the units in a given category:
1 All units in the category will have the same form and/or function,
but probably not the same size and productive capacity.
2 All units in the category will have a common set of business rules
defining how they are charged to jobs and how job costs are
calculated. (Heavy duty trucks are charged on a mileage basis,
dozers and excavators are charged on an hourly basis, water
pumps are charged on a weekly basis.)
3 All units will have the same "engine" to drive scheduled
maintenance programs. (Heavy duty trucks will have two
service types and will be serviced every 5,000 miles, dozers and
excavators will have four service types and will be serviced every
250 hours, water pumps will be inspected and serviced monthly.)
Type
This field is used to divide equipment categories into "families" of
similar machines all of which have the same fundamental function and
productive capacity. Class 8 tractors all pull trailers of a certain capacity,
all similarly equipped 200 to 300 horse power dozers all perform
essentially the same function.
The measure used to distinguish between types varies with the
equipment category and can be descriptive (tri axle dump trucks) or
quantitative (200 to 300 Hp). See examples in the sidebar.
