What Is a Repair Order (RO) in a Truck Repair Shop?

Short answer: A repair order, or RO, is the document a repair shop opens for each vehicle visit to record the customer's concern, the authorized work, the technician's findings, and the parts and labor used. It becomes the basis for the invoice and for the vehicle's maintenance history. Many shops use repair order and work order to mean the same thing.

What a repair order contains

A complete repair order usually includes:

Customer and billing contact, and any purchase order number.
Vehicle identification: unit number, VIN, mileage or engine hours.
The customer's concern for each job.
The estimate and a record of the customer's authorization.
Technician findings, written as complaint, cause and correction. See 3 Cs.
Parts with part numbers and quantities, labor time, and fees.
Technician time punches and notes, and photos where useful.

Why authorization matters

Some states set legal requirements. In California, for example, the Bureau of Automotive Repair says an automotive repair dealer must give the customer an estimate and obtain and record the customer's authorization before beginning repairs, and that a work order must contain the authorized estimate, the repairs requested and authorized, and the odometer reading. Check whether rules like these apply to your shop and the vehicles you service.

Repair orders and fleet records

Motor carriers must keep maintenance records for their vehicles under 49 CFR 396.3, including a record of inspection, repairs and maintenance. A clear repair order from your shop helps the fleet meet that requirement, which is one reason fleets prefer vendors whose paperwork is complete. See how long to keep truck maintenance records.

Repair order versus invoice

The repair order tracks the work while it is in progress. The invoice is the final bill created from it when the work is complete. In most shop software, the invoice is generated from the closed repair order.

Questions

Is a repair order the same as a work order?

In most shops, yes. Some shops use work order for the internal job document and repair order for the customer-facing record.

Does a customer have to authorize a repair order?

Getting authorization is best practice everywhere, and some states, such as California, require a recorded authorization before repairs begin.