Hyster Co., in partnership with On-Board Communications, recently introduced the remote hour-meter reading device, a new approach to reducing maintenance time and labor costs. A valuable tool for lift truck owners and operators, the remote hour meter, has the ability to remotely acquire and automatically track lift truck run time, which saves time and effort normally spent on maintenance and manual product checks.

The remote hour meter is housed in a 3-inch by 5-inch box and links to a customizable digital paging network. The meter's customizable network allows operators to select a specific time for the device to submit truck runtime data. Users can log into the network and check this information at any time from any computer.

The features of the remote hour meter are designed to benefit fleet owners. With the customizable LiftTraks web-based software interface, managers can use the network's grouping capability to view an entire fleet or specific units based on their specific settings. GPS capabilities are offered as an optional add-on to remotely track the location of fleet trucks, providing another valuable resource in fleet management and control.