# How does WorkSkedge track equipment hours and odometer readings?

> Each asset has a tracking mode — hours, km, miles, a custom unit, or none. Readings can be posted at any time, and the difference between checkout and check-in readings is what gets billed.

- Product: WorkSkedge
- Section: Equipment & Assets
- Canonical: https://workskedge.com/help/equipment/track-hours-odometer-and-usage-readings
- Updated: 2026-09-01T00:49:52.019049+00:00
- Keywords: equipment hours, odometer tracking, tracking mode, meter reading, equipment usage, hour meter

Every asset carries a **tracking mode**: the unit its meter is counted in. That single setting decides what a reading means and how a check-in works out the quantity to bill.

## Tracking modes

| Mode | Use it for | Reading unit |
|---|---|---|
| `hours` | Heavy equipment on an hour meter | Decimal hours |
| `km` | Vehicles on a kilometre odometer | Decimal kilometres |
| `miles` | Vehicles on a mile odometer | Decimal miles |
| `none` | Anything with no meter | Not tracked |

The mode is a free-form unit of 1-40 characters, so beyond the common values you can use whatever your fleet app measures in — `cycles`, `revolutions`, `flights`, `pallets`. It is stored lowercased. The reserved value `none` switches meter capture off at checkout and check-in.

## What readings are used for

- **Current reading** on the asset — the latest known meter value.
- **Reading at checkout / check-in** — the pair a billable quantity is calculated from.
- **Reading at service** — the meter value recorded on a service record, which is how hour-based maintenance intervals are tracked.

Readings can be posted at any time, not only at checkout and check-in, and each one can carry its own timestamp so you can backdate a meter photo taken in the field.

## Notes and limits

- With tracking mode `none`, a check-in bills a quantity of 1 rather than a meter difference.
- If no reading was captured at checkout, there is nothing to subtract from and the billed usage will not reflect real hours.
- Readings are decimal, so 7.5 hours or 12.4 km are fine.
- Changing an asset's tracking mode does not convert historical readings — they stay in the unit they were captured in.

## Related articles

- [Check equipment out to a work order and bill the usage](/help/equipment/check-equipment-out-to-a-work-order-and-bill-usage)
- [Equipment safety, maintenance and repair records](/help/equipment/equipment-safety-maintenance-and-repair-records)
- [How does equipment tracking work in WorkSkedge?](/help/equipment/how-equipment-tracking-works-in-workskedge)

## FAQ

### Which tracking modes are supported?

hours, km and miles are the common ones, none switches meter capture off, and any short custom unit such as cycles, revolutions or pallets is accepted verbatim.

### Can I record a reading outside a checkout?

Yes. Readings can be posted at any time and can carry their own timestamp, so a meter photo taken this morning can be recorded this afternoon with the right time.

### What happens if the tracking mode is none?

Meter capture is skipped at checkout and check-in, and each check-in bills a quantity of 1.

### Are fractional readings allowed?

Yes, readings are decimal — 1250.5 hours is valid.

### Can I change an asset's tracking mode later?

The mode can be updated on the asset, but existing readings keep the unit they were captured in, so avoid switching units mid-life on a machine you bill from.