Eld on older trucks

There's an app that lets a computer hook up to the rod from the pedal to the pump?

 

Lol! Be nice

 

I am wondering if it does not need to see the throttle inputs to the mechanical pump? Maybe just a basic GPS feed of the truck's movements correlated to the app user tagging it with start/stop, and mileage inputs. But by allowing the user to populate all of the inputs (with the exception of GPS data points), would that make it susceptible to manipulation, much like paper logs are? An example, would be stopped for the night at a truckstop parking stall. Pull over to the pumps later while making the assertion that your status is on line one, fuel, and then return the truck to the parking stall to then later start the day 'officially' on line 3 or 4, thereby hiding the fact that a duty status was essentially skipped by turning off the phone or app for the movement back and forth to the pumps.

 

Ugh! I think you are way overthinking this and I’m really sorry; I just can’t follow your complicated thinking on this. Maybe some of the guys on here can.....

 

We have 10 O/Ops, a few of them have 2000 and older trucks. Guess what, they got an ELD too. No escaping this... And no, it does not record their actual logging, but it records their every move. If you are an independent, with an older truck, stick with paper and go make some money.

 

That's what I'm saying. Under the current rule, the box has to be connected to the engine (ECM) of the truck to be legal. Using an app isn't legal unless it can read information from the engine ECM.

Now this is not to say that they may change the rule later and allow a GPS-type app that gets its signal thru cell towers or whatever, but I can tell ya, us oilfield boys spend about as much time where there is no service as we do where there is.

 

Indeed, there are vast areas not covered by cell service, so I assume the app would have to rely on a GPS input to keep tabs on the truck's movement.

 

No way to track the old iron. There's no anti lock sensors, no speed sensors, there's a cable from the trans to the speedometer and I don't mean an electric cable. There's just not enough electronics on the truck for an app to pick up movement.

Only way I could see it working is to make every old truck owner not only have to have a smartphone but also install the app or whatever, but then to have to install some kind of mechanical device to pick up movement of a wheel or drive shaft or something. And then of course somehow be able to hard wire or Bluetooth it to the phone. But now you're really talkin some bucks.

 

Indeed, I am flummoxed as to how they could make this all work on an old truck and not leave it susceptible to manipulation by the app user. I think you are right, that a wheel speed sensor and a dongle that the phone picks up said wheel speeds would at the very least, be necessary.
The dongle would need to be smart enough to constantly record mileages covered too, so that a driver couldn't just collapse the app and then sneak up the road to a nearby shipper/receiver, make a delivery/load, and then sneak back to the truckstop, only then to re-activate the app and log duty status, hiding the trip up the road to the shipper/receiver.

 

To run it on a mechanical you would need a sensor to read rpms off the bell housing which most have a place for. You also would need a speed sensor reading the transmission out put yoke. I'm not sure how far back you have to go to find a cable only speedo. Back to early 80's I know were electric. I think you would need to run a 4 wire 2 connector speed sensor and put a 2nd tach sensor in the other hole. Most bell housings have two. Run the engine rpm and speed sensor to a 1 time purchase universal ecm that used the J1939 connector and uses the speed sensor on trans to detect any vehicle movement as well as how many miles driven. Naturally the odo part of the universal adapter needs to be able to be calibrated to your gear ratio and tire size. It could also track avg mph if they want. All the ELD really needs to read are those 2 things and in reality that wouldn't be so hard to to come up with or install.