Table of Contents

Introduction
Installing FPC
Launching FPC the First Time
Security
Registration Suspension
Automatic Updates
Preferences
Program Startup

Creating a Study
Navigation
The Project Screen
Creating a Fleet
Select a Hauler
Hauler Popups
Select a Loader
Specifying a Dump
Rimpull Graph Screen
Retarding Graph Screen
Creating a Course
Creating a Course from GPS Data
Calculating Rolling Resistance
The Select Screen
Field-level Help
Right-Click Menus

Production and Cost

Export Data
Cycle Times Screen
Manual Bunching
Fleet Production Screen
Haul Return Screen
 Tire Temp Screen
Cost Screen (Fleet/Course)
Fleet Size Screen
Speed Graphs
Fuel Graphs
Fuel Screen
Cost Screen (Fleet)
Cost Screen (Overall)
Results Screen
Fleet/Course Graphs
Embedded Cycle Timer

Slide Show
Insert a Slide into the Slide Show
Displaying the Slide Show
Changing the Order of Slides
1. Introduction
What is FPC?
Fleet Production & Cost Analysis (FPC) is a PC software tool designed to estimate the
PRODUCTIVITY, COST, and TIME REQUIRED for a wide variety of earthmoving or other material
handling FLEETS moving material from one location to another over one or more COURSES.
A FLEET consists of specified quantities of HAULERS, LOADERS, and SUPPORT EQUIPMENT.
The productivity of the FLEET and TIME REQUIRED to move specified quantities of material is
determined for the HAULERS and LOADERS. (In some cases, the HAULERS are self-loading and do
not require a loading tool.) The material handling cost is the sum of the costs for the HAULERS,
LOADERS, and SUPPORT EQUIPMENT.
A COURSE defines the hauling conditions over which a specified quantity of material is transferred
from its original location to a new desired location. Distances, rolling resistances, grades, and any
speed or passing restrictions for safety or comfort are the variables for the course.

Primary Uses
Fleet Production & Cost Analysis is useful for COMPARISON and ESTIMATING purposes. A cost or
production COMPARISON can be made between FLEETS moving material over a single COURSE
(haul profile) or over a group of COURSES. Usually, in a comparison, the FLEET that can move the
materials for the lowest COST within a prescribed time period would be the most desirable.
For ESTIMATING costs and equipment requirements for an earthmoving job (or other types of
material handling jobs), the material handling can be broken down into specified quantities moved
from one location to another over defined COURSES. FPC will then estimate PRODUCTIVITY,
COST, and TIME REQUIRED to move these specific quantities with a single FLEET or with different
FLEETS for different COURSES. The objective here would be to determine total job material handling
COSTS using various equipment in different FLEET combinations.

Differences from Earlier Versions

Users familiar with earlier versions of FPC will notice a distinct difference in the look and feel of the
screens in version 4. Some new functionality has been added and the program has been updated
technologically in a number of ways. The arrangement of screens and the method of navigation
between screens is new, but the screens themselves mostly contain the same data and perform the same
functions as earlier versions.

Installing FPC
The first time you install FPC, you probably will install from a CD supplied by Caterpillar. You must
have administrative rights in order to install the software. If you do not, or are unsure, contact your IT
department. You must also have an active connection to the Internet. If you are behind a corporate
firewall, you may have to contact your IT department to make sure you have access to
catstb.compinnovations.com. This web service handles the validation of your license to use the
software. If your firewall blocks access to this site, your license cannot be verified and FPC will not
run.

Launching FPC the first time

The first time you launch FPC, there is a good chance that a newer version will be available. If so, that
will automatically be downloaded and installed before you can run.
The section below describes the process of registering your computer to run FPC.

Security
Starting with Version 4, There is a new security feature in FPC. This was necessary to give Caterpillar
the ability to control who has access to the software. Users will acquire a license from Caterpillar
allowing them to run FPC on a specified number of computers. Each computer the program is to run on
must be registered and authorized.
When you run FPC for the first time, the software will attempt to contact a web service that will
perform this authorization. You will be asked to input your user information and the license number
that was supplied with your copy of FPC. If the web service cannot be contacted or the license number
does not match one on file, the program will exit. When the following dialog appears, enter all
information and click "Submit Unlock Request".

Once you have successfully submitted this information, your computer will be registered on a
provisional basis, pending verification. The verification process will normally take one to three
business days. During this time, FPC will only run if it is able to contact the web service. Once your
authorization request has been verified however, the software will not require you to be connected to
the Internet to run.
This procedure must be run on each computer where you wish to run FPC, but under ordinary
circumstances it will only need to be done once. If you wish to change computers, contact the
Caterpillar help line and ask them to un-register the old one.

Registration Suspension
A facility exists that allows a user to suspend the FPC registration on a specific computer. This permits
the user to switch between home and office or laptop and desktop computers on a single license. The
function is accessed from the Help/Support Info dialog. It is available only when the computer is
connected to an active Internet connection.

When this feature is activated, the computer will no longer count against the number of seats allowed
on the user's license. When he tries to run FPC again on this computer, he will be asked if he wants to
reinstate the registration. If he clicks Yes, and there is a seat available, the registration will be
activated. This way a single seat can be shared among several computers as long as only one is active
at any given time.
Automatic Updates
From time to time, new versions are released of all software. This may be because bugs have been
discovered and repaired, or because new features have been added. Each time you run FPC, if you are
connected to the Internet, it will check to see if you are running the most recent version. If not, you
will be given the choice to download and install the new one. Since you may not want to do so right
away you will have the option of continuing to use the previous version for a time. However, you will
eventually be required to install the current version.
When FPC has determined that there is a newer version available a message box will be displayed
asking if you want to download and install it. If you agree, you will be asked for a location to save the
install file. This could be on your desktop or in a temporary folder somewhere. Once the file has
downloaded, FPC will exit and the installation of the new version will begin.

Program Startup
When FPC is launched the following dialog box is displayed giving the user the opportunity to specify
startup options. There are two choices -- create a new study, or open an existing study.

Select the appropriate button and click "OK". Check the box below if you want FPC to automatically
perform the selected action every time it launches. If you check this box, the startup dialog will not be
shown in the future. You can go to the Preferences dialog to change this setting.
Preferences
The Preferences dialog allows the user to set program options, mostly default settings to be used when
a new study file is created.

Units of Measure: Determines whether new studies will be created using English or Metric units of
measure. After the study is created this setting can be changed on the Project Screen.
Display Production by: Determines whether new studies will be created displaying production in
Weight (Tons/Mtons) or Volume (CY/CM). After the study is created this setting can be changed on
the Project Screen.
Decimal Format: Determines whether new studies will be created using U.S. (12,345.00) or
European (12.345,00) decimal format. After the study is created this setting can be changed on the
Project Screen.
On Startup: Specifies the action FPC will take on program startup.
Use Auto-save: If this box is checked FPC will periodically save the file while it is being worked
on. When this option is on, you will be asked to specify a file name when creating a study.
Allow Operator Efficiency by Value: Ordinarily FPC calculates a default operator efficiency for
each fleet/course combination based on the total length of the haul road. Some users however prefer to
specify a fixed value for this. If this box is checked, an input field will be available on the Project
screen where this fixed value can be entered.
Currency Symbol: Specifies the default currency symbol used on screens and reports. After the
study is created this setting can be changed on the Project Screen.
Default Bunching: Specifies the bunching setting that will be used when first creating a fleet/course
combination. This setting can be changed on the Project screen for an entire study, or on the Cycle
Times screen for an individual fleet/course combination.
Program Language: To change program languages, make the appropriate selection here, then re-start
the program. It will then be displayed in the selected language.
2. Creating a Study
Let's walk through the process of creating a new study.

Navigation
Once you have selected the option to create a new study, a window containing a blank study file will be
displayed. But before starting to input data, take a look at the panel in the left-hand portion of the
screen. This is the navigation panel. There are four main categories here -- “Input”, “Production and
Cost”, “Slide Show”, and “Machine Database”. Clicking on any of these will open an explorer-style
tree containing links to the actual program screens. When the program first opens, it will display the
Project Screen.

The Project Screen

Use this screen to enter data pertaining to how the study as a whole is calculated.
Job Name Short name describing the job or project described in the study
Description Additional information you may want to remember about this study.
Prepared For Customer for whom you are creating this study.
Prepared By The person creating the study
Study Date Date the study was created
Fuel Cost Cost of fuel per gallon or liter, depending on the setting of the “Units of
Measure” variable
Units of Measure Controls whether the program inputs and results will be in English or
Metric units.
Production Measured By Should the results of production calculations be displayed as weight (tons
or metric tons) or volume (cubic yards/meters)
Currency Symbol The currency symbol the program should display on screens and reports.
Default Inputs The variables in the section are the defaults that will be copied to each
Fleet/Course combination when it is created. If you wish, you will be able
to change them on a case by case basis.
Scheduled Hours First select a time period (Year, Month, Week or Shift) then specify how
many hours are ordinarily scheduled in that time period.
Bunching An inefficiency factor relating to the amount of lost production from
machines interfering with each other. The choices are None, Minimum,
Average, Maximum, and Manual. Manual only applies when the fleet has
a dump defined. This will be discussed in greater detail later.
Operator Efficiency By Operator Efficiency is a derating factor accounting production loss from
machine operators and other components on the cycle not working at
100% efficiency. Unless you specify otherwise, FPC will calculate this
value from the haul distance – the longer the haul the more efficient it is
likely to be. However some people prefer to enter a simple percentage to
be used regardless of haul distance. This option will only be displayed
when the "Allow Operator Efficiency by Value" box is checked in the
Preferences dialog.
Creating a Fleet
Click on the “Fleets” entry in the tree. It opens up and since we have not yet created any fleets, the
only choice available is the “Manage Fleets” screen.

This is the screen you will use to add, delete and change the order of fleets in your study. Click on Add
and the following window will be displayed.

Select a Hauler
Select the machine you want to insert into your fleet and click OK.
Data on the machine you selected will now be displayed. Notice that there now an additional entry
under “Fleets” in the Navigation Panel. Your fleet is simply called “New Fleet”. Change this to
something more descriptive, then take a look at the data and see if any of it needs to be changed.
Notice that hourly cost and availability are both zero, so enter something reasonable there. If there will
be more that one hauler in your fleet change the Quantity.

Quantity The quantity of this hauler in this fleet.

Machine Code A Caterpillar-defined identifier for this machine.
Identifier A User-defined identifier for this machine
Tire Size Text description of the tire size. Although you can change this manually,
it is usually entered when you select a tire from the Tire window (see
below).
Tire Type Text Description of the Tire Type. This is usually selected from the Tire
window.
Speed Correction The value for this field is selected from the Tire window. Most of the
time this value should be 1.0, but different size tires can affect the speed
of the truck. A value over 1 increases speed, under 1 decreases speed.
Propulsion Correction Derating factor for engine performance based on altitude and fuel
quality. If there is no derating needed, leave this value at 1.0. If you
want to derate performance enter a value less than 1.
Retarding Correction Derating factor for retarder performance based on altitude, temperature
and barometric pressure. A value of 1 means no derating.
Empty Weight Weight of the truck without payload.
TMPH Limit Ton-Mile per Hour limit. This is a rating of tire durability based on
weight and haul distance. Usually this value comes from the TMPH
window (see below).
Payload Index Rated load for this truck based on tire capacity and truck weight.
Body Volume Volume of the truck body
Hourly Cost Owning and Operating cost per scheduled hour. If the truck you have
selected contains fuel data, do not include fuel cost. This will be added
based on calculated fuel consumption and the unit cost of fuel you
entered on the Project Screen.
Availability Percentage of the time the truck is scheduled for work that it is
mechanically available.
Hauler Popups
Notice that several fields have a “...” in the column to the right of the data. This indicates that a popup
is available to enter more detailed information.

Optimizing Hauler Quantities

In some cases you may not want to specify a fixed hauler quantity for a fleet. You may be calculating
the fleet against several different courses of different lengths so different hauler quantities will be
required. FPC has the ability to calculate hauler quantities on a course-by-course basis. Click on the
button to the right on the Quantity input box. The dialog displayed below will appear. You can
optimize quantities for either production or cost. If you select production, enter an amount of
incremental production required. Haulers will be added to the fleet until adding another one would
result in less that that amount of additional production. That is the quantity that will be used.
Tire Type

Use this window to select from the list of tires available for this hauler. Speed correction and payload
index will be calculated based on tire selected.

Propulsion Correction
Enter a factor for altitude and one for fuel quality and the program will calculate total propulsion
correction factor.
TMPH Limit

Enter a TMPH limit for front, rear, and trailer (if applicable) tires.
Retarding Correction
The popup next to the retarding correction field contains the correction factor itself as well as a number
of retarding settings reflecting enhanced retarding features on newer machines.

Previous trucks would retard only at the top speed in any particular gear. If there was not enough
retarding capacity at that speed, the operator would have to shift down a gear and run at the top speed
in that gear. Newer trucks however have a mechanic-adjustable retarding engine speed. It is possible
to set the truck to retard at a lower RPM setting so that in the right circumstances it will be able to
retard in the higher gear and increase retarding speed. This would still be a fixed (discrete) setting.
Enter the RPM value you want to use in the “Actual ARC Speed” box. This value must be in the range
specified by the Min and Max fields. If there is no data in these fields, the truck is not equipped for this
option.
Other trucks have a non-discrete retarding option. This allows the operator to change retarding engine
speed while the truck is operating. If the truck is so-equipped, you will be able to choose between
discrete and non-discrete modes. If non-discrete is selected FPC will calculate the optimum RPM
value to use to allow maximum ground speed.
Hourly Cost
This window contains a calculator that will help you determine the hourly cost of operating a machine.
There is a page for Owning Costs and one for Operating Costs. Using this calculator is optional. You
may prefer to simply enter a dollar amount on the main screen.
Select a Loader
Click on the “Select Loader” button and you will see the following window.

Find the loader you want to use and click OK. Data for that loader will be retrieved from the database
and displayed on the screen.
Loader Data
Again, enter Hourly Cost and Availability figures. You may also adjust capacity and cycle time values
if you wish. These are values that will be used as defaults when each Fleet/Course combination is
created and first calculated. If you want to change any of these values for a specific Fleet/Course do it
on the “Cycle Times” screen.
Specifying a Dump
If the production of your Fleet is limited by the capacity of the Dump/Crusher/Hopper you are using,
Go to the Dump screen to enter the parameters.

Passing Allowed This box is checked by default. Uncheck it if you want to use the dump
as a limiting factor on production
Quantity Quantity of crushers, hoppers or whatever.
Name Dump Name
Description
Total Production Production in tons per scheduled hour.
Hourly Cost Cost per scheduled hour to operate the dump
Availability Percentage of scheduled hours the dump is mechanically available for
work.
Other Haulers If the dump is used by haulers from multiple fleets, check this box so its
production capacity can be reduced accordingly. If this box is not
checked, the following fields will not be available for input.
Quantity of trucks Number of trucks from other fleets using the dump.
Avg Payload Average payload in tons of the trucks from other fleets
Potential Cycle Time Total average potential cycle time of trucks from other fleets
Rimpull Graph screen

This screen displays the rimpull data of your hauler in a graphical format.
Retarding Graph screen
This screen displays the retarding data of your hauler in graphical format. Use the “Select Curve”
button to display the different curves, or select “All” to display all curves on the same display.
Creating a Course
Click on the “Haul Roads” entry and then select “Manage Haul Roads”. This screen works very much
like the “Manage Fleets” screen discussed earlier.

Name Name of the course

Description Description
Passing Allowed When using a mixed fleet (containing more than one type of hauler)
are the faster trucks allowed to pass the slower ones, or do they have
to wait?
Loose Density Density of material after it is excavated.
Bank Density Density of material in the ground.
Quantity Amount of material to be excavated from this location
Intermittent Retarding By default FPC selects the retarding curve to use based on the total
Distance Calculation length of all the downhill segments. This is indicated by the
“Complete Cycle” option. In some cases however, there may be
sufficient non-retarding distance between retarding segments to allow
the retarder to cool down and recover capacity before getting to the
next one. In this case you may want to select “Individual Segment”
so the program will select the retarding curve for each segment based
on the length of that segment only.
Extended format If this is a course that has been imported from GPS data, this option
allows you to see some extra information from the GPS file. If you
 edit the elevation values in the extended section, segment grades will
be re-calculated to match.
Haul Segment Fields The following fields are repeated for each segment of your haul
profile.
Distance Length of the segment
Rolling Resistance Percent Rolling Resistance of the haul road surface
Grade Grade of the segment in percent
Speed Limit Safety speed limit for this segment. If this field is left blank, no
artificial speed limit will be imposed. Do not enter retarding speed
limits here unless the truck you are using does not contain retarding
data.
Description Any descriptive text you might find helpful
Stop Check this box if trucks need to come to a complete stop in the
middle of the haul. If you check this box, you should leave the
distance at 0. The segment will consist of the stop only with no travel
distance.
Stop Time If you selected “Stop”, enter the time in minutes that the truck will be
stopped.
Select Material Button Select from a list of pre-defined material types to populate Loose and
Bank density fields.
Insert Segment Button Highlight a row and click to insert a new segment above the
highlighted row.
Delete Segment Button Highlight a row and click to delete the highlighted row.
Mirror Haul Button After enter a haul profile, click to create a mirror image for the return.
Order of segments and grades will be reversed. Speed limits will not
be created in the mirror segment, so if any are needed, you must enter
them manually.

Importing Course Data

If you wish, you may create your course in Excel and import the data. There is a template showing the
correct format under "View/Import Templates". When the main course screen is displayed, a right-
click menu will be displayed allowing you to perform the import.

Creating a Course From GPS data

There are two methods of importing GPS data to create the course segments. When the main course
screen is displayed, a right click menu is available listing them.

Import GPS Data (Excel)

A format has been defined for creating an Excel file to import into FPC. There is a template for this
format in the "View/Import Templates" section of the main menu. If you have files in this format,
select this option.

Import GPS Data (Text)

This option was intended to supersede the Excel import. It uses the Waypoint file produced by the GPS
unit without the necessity of manipulating the data in Excel. A sample portion of the file format is
displayed below.

When you have selected the file, a window will be displayed giving you the following three options.
Select the appropriate one and click OK.

Select desired import option and click OK.

Calculating Rolling Resistance

One of the biggest areas of uncertainty in building a course in FPC is determining Rolling Resistance.
If this value is incorrect, the simulation will not give accurate results. FPC contains two screens
designed to help the user calculate Rolling Resistance on an existing course.
Both of these screens are designed to measure actual performance of a truck on the haul road and back-
calculate the rolling resistance so that simulated performance in FPC matches actual measured
performance.

Calc RR (Max Speed)

This screen allows the user to measure maximum steady state speed on a portion of the course and from
that calculate the appropriate RR. When you click on this selection, you will be asked to select a truck
from the FPC database. One that is done, the following is displayed.

Adjust vehicle weight, enter grade and steady state speed, and rolling resistance will be calculated.
You may then use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to copy the calculated value into either all
course segments or the ones you select. This calculation assumes that the measured speed is the truck's
maximum possible speed on that segment.

Calc RR (Max Acceleration)

The second screen is similar, but operates on slightly different data. Select a portion of the course by
checking the boxes in the left column. Enter a starting speed and an ending speed, then click the
"Calculate" button at the bottom. The calculated RR will be displayed. This calculation assumes that
the truck is accelerating through the entire selected portion of the course. If it reaches a steady state
speed you must select a shorter portion.
Select Screen
By default FPC creates a Fleet/Course for every possibly combination in the study. If you have five
fleets and five courses, twenty-five Fleet/Course combinations will be created unless you specify
differently. Uncheck any combinations you do not want to use.
The Select Screen is displayed as a matrix with either courses on top and fleets on the left, or vice-
versa. You can use the buttons at the top to switch between the two configurations. Screen captures of
the two configurations are displayed below.

If you right-click on a column heading you will be able to check or uncheck the entire column at once.
Similarly, if you click on the row heading at the left you will be able to check or uncheck an entire row.
Clicking on the box at the upper left will allow you to check or uncheck the entire grid. Right-clicking
on any of the cells in the body of the grid will display detail on the particular Fleet/Course combination
represented by that cell.
Field-level Help

When you see a red marker in the corner of the prompt box, that means there is field-level help for that
variable. To see it, right-click on the prompt box. Here is the text for "Has Fuel Data".
Right-Click Menus

In the navigation panel you will see some items highlighted in green. This is an indicator that there is a
right-click menu associated with the item. Many program functions that pertain to a particular item are
accessed through these menus. There are two types. The first has a light green highlight, such as
“Fleets” in the example below.

These are always available. They pertain to all fleets and can be accessed at any time. The darker
highlight only appears when the item is selected. These are functions that apply to that particular item
(Fleet, course or whatever).
3. Production and Cost
Once you have created your fleet(s) and course(s) you can start looking at the results FPC produces.
Click on the “Production and Cost” button on the navigation panel. Open the Fleet/Course Results
item and you will see all the combinations you selected listed. Open a combination item and see the
display screens for that combination listed.

The first time you view a particular combination, you must go to the Cycle Times screen and enter a
Dump and Maneuver time. Until you do, no calculation is done and no results are displayed.

Export Data
FPC has a robust capability for exporting Production and Cost data to Excel. There is a dropdown
entry on the main menu at the top of the FPC screen labeled "Export Data". The first selection in this
dropdown is "Export Current Screen to Excel". This is active whenever the current screen is a data
display (not graphics). Selecting this option will create an Excel file and export the currently displayed
data.

The second selection is "Export Selected List to Excel". There is a screen in the "Input" section called
"Select for Excel Export". Here you will have the ability to select any or all of the Production and Cost
displays for export. When you click on the menu option, a new Excel file will be created with a page
for each Fleet/Course combination. All data selected for that combination will be exported.
Cycle Times Screen

There are two things you will ordinarily do the first time you view the Cycle Times screen. As stated
above, you must enter a Dump and Maneuver time before any calculations can be done. The second
usually is adjusting the System Passes per Hauler and/or the Loader Fill Factor. By default, FPC will
calculate the exact number of loader passes to get 100% of the trucks rated payload. This is generally a
fractional number. In most cases however, you will want to use a whole number of passes. Instead of
1.82 you might want to make it an even 2. If this overloads your truck you can reduce the Loader Fill
Factor to compensate.

Note that shaded fields are calculated and cannot be changed. Fields with white backgrounds are for
input.
Hauler Data
Load with Exchange Time in minutes to position the truck in the load area and load it. Based
on loader cycle data
Haul Time in minutes it takes the truck to travel from the load area to the dump
area.
Dump and Maneuver Enter the time in minutes it takes to position the truck in the dump area
 and dump it's load.
Return Time in minutes it takes the truck to travel from the dump area back to the
load area.
Potential Cycle Time Sum of the previous four fields. This represents the best case cycle time
with no waiting or inefficiencies.
Wait on Slow Hauler If the fleet consists of more than one kind of truck and no passing is
allowed, the faster trucks will have to reduce their speed to accommodate
the slower ones. This value represents the time in minutes added to each
cycle due to this factor.
Wait to Load If there are more haulers in the fleet than the loader can handle, each truck
will have to wait for the previous one to exit the loading area before it can
begin to load. This value represents the time in minutes added to each
cycle due to this factor.
Additional Bunching Multiple trucks running on the same course can interfere with each other
and cause inefficiencies and lost time in the cycle. This value represents
the time in minutes added to each cycle due to this factor. The time
calculated here is based on the setting in the “Bunching” variable below.
Wait to Dump If you have defined a dump for the fleet FPC will compare the capacity of
the dump with the capacity of the loader. If the dump has a lower capacity
than the loader and therefore restricts production more, a wait to dump
time will be calculated and used instead of wait to load. When using
“Manual” bunching this field will be an input of the time in minutes
waiting to enter the dump area. This subject will be discussed in greater
detail later.
TMPH Wait If the TMPH (Ton Mile Per Hour) limits for the tires are being exceeded it
may be necessary to add additional wait time to each cycle so that tires
will not overheat. FPC will calculate this time and display it here.
Total Cycle Time Total Time in minutes for each cycle with all wait times.
Bunching Bunching is the inefficiency caused by haulers getting in each others way
on the course. There are five bunching settings. MIN, MAX, and AVG
represent a calculated value based on fleet match. This inefficiency is
expressed by additional time being added to the cycle (See Additional
Bunching above). Set this field to NONE if you want to turn the feature
off, and not calculate an additional bunching inefficiency. Under any of
these settings, the Wait to Load and Wait to Dump values are calculated by
the software. The fifth setting, MANUAL, works differently. See the
section on Manual Bunching below.
Haul Start mph Ordinarily the hauler will come to a full stop at both the both the Load and
Haul End mph Dump areas. In this case both the Haul and Return portions of the course
Return Start mph start and end at 0 mph. Occasionally, something different is desired. If
Return End mph the hauler does not come to a full stop when loading or dumping, enter the
appropriate start and end speeds here.

Loader Data
Model Loader Model
Quantity Quantity of loaders in this fleet
Bucket Capacity Rated Capacity (volume) of the selected bucket.
Loader Fill Factor Percentage of the rated capacity to use for production calculations
Loose Density Loose density of excavated material
Tons per Pass Weight of one load of material considering bucket capacity and fill factor
System Passes per Hauler Number of loader passes to load one truck. The program will initially
calculate a fractional value here. Usually you will want to replace it with
a whole number.
Hauler Payload Total weight of payload. Passes multiplied by Tons per Pass.
% of Max GVW Percentage of maximum gross vehicle weight as indicated by the selected
tire.
Hauler Volume Volume of the specified hauler payload.
% of Body Fill Percentage of the total truck body volume that is used by this payload.
Loader Cycle Time Time in minutes that it takes the loader to make one complete pass.
First Bucket Dump Since Hauler Exchange Time is generally greater than Loader Cycle Time,
the loader will usually have the first bucket ready to dump as soon as the
hauler is in position. This value represents the time it takes just to dump
that load. It is used as the time for the first loader cycle. All subsequent
cycles use the full cycle time.
Hauler Exchange Time The time in minutes that it takes for a fully loaded truck to exit the loading
area and an empty one to take it's place.
Manual Bunching
The manual bunching option is usually used when trying to make an FPC simulation match the actual
observed cycle times of an observed fleet. If a dump has been defined and manual bunching has been
selected, Wait to Dump and Wait to Load become inputs. If the Haul and Return travel times match
and loading time does also, there should be a 0 in the additional bunching field. If a nonzero value
appears there, it means that the total cycle time including the two wait times would exceed the capacity
of either the dump or the loader. If this is the case, then additional time is added to the cycle. If you
are working off of observed times, this should not happen. It is an indication that one or more of your
inputs are incorrect. Check them and make the necessary adjustments to get this value to zero.
Fleet Production Screen
The Fleet Production screen is divided into three sections.

Potential Production
The values in this section show how much production could be achieved by each component of the
fleet if it were operating at full capacity.

Actual Production

The values in this section represent the actual production rate when all components are operating
together. In this case the dump has the lowest capacity so it becomes the limiting factor for fleet
production.
Fleet Estimates

This section uses the production rate from above to calculate overall fleet production. Note that the
“Actual Production” rate is reduced by the Operator Efficiency factor to determine final fleet
production rate.
Haul / Return Screen

This screen displays a segment-by-segment breakdown of hauler performance on the course.

Distance Segment length entered on the Course Screen

Rolling Resistance Rolling Resistance percent entered on the Course Screen
Grade Percent Grade entered on the Course Screen
Speed Limit Safety speed limit optionally entered on the Course Screen
Retarding Speed If this is a segment that requires retarding an appropriate speed limit will
be calculated and displayed here.
Potential Speed Maximum speed the hauler could potentially achieve on the segment
Segment Max Highest speed actually achieved on the segment
End Speed Speed at the end of the segment
Cumulative Min Total time on the course at the end of the segment
Cumulative Fuel Total amount of fuel consumed on the course at the end of the segment
Segment Time Time in minutes the truck spends traveling the segment
Segment Fuel Amount of fuel consumed by the truck on the segment.
Average Fuel Rate Average fuel consumption rate for this segment
Tire Temp Screen
This screen displays tire temperature performance by this hauler on the course.

Hauler Payload Weight carried by the truck during the Haul portion of the course
Haul and Return Distance Total round trip distance for the course
Avg Haul Grade Average percent grade on the Haul portion of the course
Avg Return Grade Average percent grade on the return portion of the course
Total Hauler Miles for The total distance traveled by the hauler to move the amount of material
Course specified in the course
Total Hauler Cycles for The total number of round trips on this course the hauler must make to
Course move the specified amount of material
TMPH Limit Ton Mile per Hour limit specified in the Fleet screen. Keeping within
 this limit is meant to prevent tire overheating and premature failure.
Mean Tire Load The average amount of weight on a single tire over both the haul and
return portions of the course
Potential Hauler Cycle Shortest cycle time possible assuming no waiting
Time
Potential Avg Speed Average speed that would be achieved if the truck were operating at the
potential cycle time.
Potential TMPH Calculated TMPH value for each tire if the truck were operating at the
potential cycle time.
Pct of TMPH Limit Percent of maximum TMPH for each tire if the truck were operating at
potential cycle time
Operator Efficiency Efficiency factor either entered by the user or calculated by FPC
Effective Operator Operator efficiency reduced (if necessary) by the additional wait time
Efficiency added to the cycle time to prevent TMPH limits from being exceeded.
For example if the operator efficiency is 90%, but the truck exceeds
TMPH limits at that efficiency, FPC can calculate the amount of
additional wait time that should be added to the cycle to reduce TMPH
load to the limit. This value represents the overall efficiency factor
needed to make this happen.
Normal Hauler Cycle Time Actual calculated cycle time including the various wait times.
Normal Avg Speed Average speed achieved at the calculated normal cycle time.
Normal TMPH TMPH load generated under calculated normal conditions
Pct of TMPH Limit Percent of maximum TMPH load under calculated normal conditions
Recalculate TMPH Wait This button calculates or re-calculates the amount of additional wait time
needed in the cycle to prevent TMPH limits from being exceeded.
Cost Screen (Fleet/Course)
This screen displays a breakdown of costs for running this fleet on this course.
Fleet Size Screen
This screen allows the user to see what impact changing the number of haulers in the fleet would have
on production and cost. There are four different modes selected by the radio buttons in the upper right.

Annual
This display shows annual production rates at each of the selected hauler quantities

Efficiency
This display shows how the fleet efficiency is affected by changing the quantity of haulers.
Production
This display shows in graphical format how production is affected by changing the quantity of haulers

Cost
This display shows how Cost per Ton is affected by changing the quantity of haulers
Speed Graphs
This screen consists of three graphs detailing how the speed of the hauler varies over the course.
Options are selected using the radio buttons at the top of the screen.

Speed vs. Distance on Haul

Selecting this option plots hauler speed against distance traveled on the haul portion of the course only.
Speed vs. Time on Haul
Selecting this option plots hauler speed against travel time on the haul portion of the course only.
Speed vs. Time on LOAD, HAUL, DUMP, and RETURN

Selecting this option plots hauler speed against time for the entire haul cycle. This includes wait time
when the hauler is not moving at all.
Fuel Graphs

This page consists of three graphical displays showing fuel usage from different angles. Select
between the options using the radio buttons at the top of the screen.

Cumulative time and Fuel Consumed

This display plots both cumulative time on the course and cumulative fuel consumed against distance
traveled. The numbers on the left axis represent both gallons/liters for the fuel line and minutes for the
time line.
Cumulative Fuel Consumption for LOAD, HAUL, DUMP and RETURN

This display plots cumulative fuel used on the course against travel time.
Speed and Fuel Consumed for LOAD, HAUL, DUMP and RETURN

This display plots both cumulative fuel consumed and hauler speed against travel time. The numbers
on the left axis represent both mph/kph for the speed line and gallons/liters for the fuel line.
Fuel Screen
This screen displays the details of the fuel calculations for this hauler. It is divided into two sections.
The first shows a breakdown of fuel consumption on each portion of the haul cycle as well as overall
consumption rates.

The second shows fuel consumption totals for the fleet.

Cost Screen (Fleet)
Open the “Fleet Totals” item in the navigation bar and then the fleet. Click on “Cost” to see cost totals
for the fleet.

Cost Screen (Overall)

This screen shows overall costs for all machines on all selected fleet/course combinations. If the same
hauler or loader is used in more than one fleet, the totals will be rolled together in one entry.
Results Screen
This screen displays overall results of all selected fleet/course combinations in the study. The user can
select from a number of formats.

Sort First By
Use the radio buttons in this box to select whether you want to group your results by Fleet or by
Course. Subtotals will be calculated for whatever you select.

Sort Next By
Within the groupings defined under “Sort First”, there are three options controlling the order of items.
Use the radio buttons in this box to select.

Display
Use the check boxes in this section to select what level of detail you want to display

TMPH Errors
If any of the fleet/course combinations listed contain TMPH errors this button will light up. Click on it
to display the details of the error(s).
Embedded CycleTimer

Each Fleet/Course combination in FPC can have two embedded Cycle Timer studies associated with it
-- one hauling study and one loading study. These studies are crested from within FPC and are stored
with the FPC file. To create a study, select the "Study Info" line in the appropriate category, then right-
click on the green bar. Select "Create CycleTimer Study".
Data from your selected fleet is imported and the study is created. You can now click on the "Time"
screen to do the timing.

Time Screen
The following functions are available.

Start/Stop Click on this button to begin your study. This will insert a time in the first field
and activate the "Register" button. Use "Register" record all subsequent times.
When you are done, click "Start/Stop" again to end timing.
Register After the start of timing is recorded by the "Start/Stop" button above, click
"Register" to record all times. Each click will insert a time in the next available
field.
Pause If timing is interrupted for any reason, click "Pause". The button label will
change to "Resume", and timing will pause. Click again when you are ready to
 resume timing.
Back Erases the most recent time registered.
New Truck Available on the loading study only. This indicated that a truck exchange is
taking place at this point. The truck ID and payload fields will be available for
input on this line. Hauler exchange time will be calculated based on the times
from this line.
Delay 1 Indicates that a delay occurred. A mark is placed in the appropriate spot in the
Delay 2 display.
Delay 3
Delete Truck Available in Loading study only. Deletes all loading cycles since the most recent
Cycle "New Truck" event.
Splits Screen
When you have finished timing, You can click on the "Splits" screen to see the calculated times on a
cycle-by-cycle basis.
Results Screen

The "Results" screen shows the overall results of the timed cycles. The measured values are compared
to the simulated values calculated by FPC. If you wish, you can click on "Transfer Measured Values to
FPC". This will insert the loader cycle time and fill factor values into your FPC study.
Fleet / Course Graphs
This screen allows the user to print a wide range of graphs.

To use this screen, first select either Fleets or Courses in the “Group Data By” box. In the example
above we selected “Fleets”, so there is a bar in the graph for each selected fleet. All selected courses
will be rolled together into this bar.
Next select which fleets and courses you want to include.
Finally select the value you want to graph. The graph you have defined will be displayed.
3. Slide Show
The FPC Slide Show capability allows you to select a series of displays from your study for
presentation to the customer. The show will be saved with the study file. You can print this show or
export it to PowerPoint.

Inserting a Slide into the the Show

To add a slide to the show, navigate to the screen you want to display and enter any parameters you
need to configure it how you want. Then go to the menu bar at the top of the program window and
select “Slide Show / Add to Slide Show”. The following window will appear.

FPC will create a default title for the slide that may or may not be what you want to use. If you want to
change it or add a comment, do so here then click OK to create the slide. Any configuration parameters
you have entered will be preserved, but the data will always be regenerated when the slide is displayed.
This means that if you change the data in your study you do not need to recreate the slide show. The
slide will automatically reflect the changed data.
Displaying the Slide Show
Once the slides have been created and added to the show, click on the “Slide Show” button to display
the list.

The slide titles will be listed under the “Slide Show” button in the navigation panel. Click on the title
to display the slide on the screen.

Printing the Slide Show

When the slide show is open in the navigation panel, the entire show will print when you click on
“File/Print”.

Exporting to PowerPoint
Under the “Slide Show” menu item at the top of the screen there are two options. You can either export
the entire show or the slide currently being displayed on the screen.

Changing the Order of Slides

To change the order of slides within the show, highlight the one you wish to move and press Ctrl-
UpArrow or Ctrl-DownArrow to move it.
4. User-Defined Machines
FPC allows users to create their own machines.

User-Database Templates
There are two Excel templates to help in the creation of user-defined haulers. Click on "View\Import
Templates", then select either the Truck Template or the Load and Carry Template. It will open in
Excel. Save under a different name and modify the data. To create a truck in the database, go to
"Machine Database/Haulers".
1. Right-click on "Haulers".
2. Select "Add Truck".
3. Enter a model name. At this point a truck will be created with no data.
4. Locate the new model name in the list and select it.
5. Once the page is open right-click on the model name and select "Import machine from Excel"
6. Locate the file containing your data. The machine will be imported.