ELD compliance due date

I am not associated with either of these devices, just saying so the mods don't cut me off for advertising. For just basic mandate compliance Blue Ink is releasing a plug and play device with no monthly fee that serms to be decent. VDO Roadlog is also a no monthly fee device but it is expensive and out dated technology.

Ask me again next week, once my contract is signed I will have more recommendations.

 

Yes. Its the jj keller system. A little box with a gps and recording device plugs into the data port and connects via blue tooth to a tablet or smart phone. Really simple system and cheap. The box has a built in battery and method of recording for xx hours in case a driver decides to unplug it.

 

How about a system that's hard wired instead of Bluetooth? Does anyone know what type of device does say Prime inc and some of the bigger guys run.

 

Omnitracs(used to be qualcomm), Rand McNally, Peoplenet...

They are all going to have a learning curve, usually takes me a couple of weeks to run into most of the situations that would involve editing. They are great at doing splits, as long as you log the 8 in the sleeper.

 

For a complete system look at One View by Pedigree Technologies, it is a purpose built tablet that is hardwired into the truck, can communicate with most TMS and also automates back office functions like maintenence reporting, IFTA, weight distance, etc.

 

Most of them run a full blown qualcomm system. Peoplenet is another commonly used one.

 

Verizon recently acquired three ELD providers to target fleet sizes from mega to o/o. I can't remember two of them off the top of my head but I know the mid-range solution is Fleetmatics. I've read reviews that were less-than-stellar with regard to customer support, however that was during the company's growth phase. I had a salesperson in here giving me a demo of the system and the backend appeared to be polished and easy to navigate. You provide your own Android device to communicate with the Fleetmatics-provided EOBRD.

Garmin sells some products that (at the time) they claimed were all compliant with the ELD mandate. This was at Mid-America last April so things may have changed. One of the devices I saw that may the be lower cost of entry is a little blue gadget that plugs into your diagnostic port and communicated with your Android device via Bluetooth.

There are so many ELD vendors that have popped up lately it's insane, everyone wants to cash in on this. The number one thing I have learned in the past two years of researching and demoing these products is that some companies are completely off the mark when it comes to knowing what is required by law. We are a heavy haul outfit and I am genuinely surprised if an ELD vendor is aware that we have an exception to the 30-minute break. It has been that few.

Omnitracs and Peoplenet are basically the two behemoths in the industry. I've had my hands on the Omnitracs units and have spent some time digging through the backend portal. Nothing spectacular here, but it works and does not have a steep learning curve.

I recently came across an O/O with Mercer who was absolutely in love with his Omnitracs unit. Actually, every driver I have had participate in one of our ELD pilot programs has lightened up to them significantly. The real work is figuring out how to make it work with your business depending on the type of hauling you do. I suggest any fleet owner or o/o get ahead of the curve well before December if you want to enjoy continued, uninterrupted success.

I'm running a pilot program right now with a vendor that I suspect we will be going with. Very happy so far with both the hardware and software solution they provide as well as my limited interactions with their technical staff after 1 week into our pilot. I'm keeping my mouth shut about that one for now but can talk more at the end of May.

 

Either way works. We've been using it on the tablet without the Bluetooth connection device. At first we were using Fleet Complete, which was a joke, although it did connect to the trucks with a Bluetooth device. After I read comments on here, convinced my boss to try Big Road, he played with the desktop manager version and I ran the log on my ELD tablet. Three weeks back, we stopped using Fleet Complete totally and switched to Big Road. He ordered the Bluetooth units, which plug-in inside the dash, and has been slowly installing them on all the trucks. I think mine is the only one it's not installed on yet, although that will change next week as my truck will be down for PM on a day I'm off, so the unit will be installed.

The part that sucks, Fleet Complete bought up Big Road recently and merged the two companies. Big Road will be the ELD side of the company, Fleet Complete will focus on the tracking side.

 

So much B.S. in this it's not even funny!

 

While maybe not all of what he said is true, I do believe there will be heavy scrutiny on paper logging trucks. It's not going to be "business as usual" for you guys.