ELD recommendations please

The signal is only for data transmission. It'll still print

 

Rank,buy the VDO.
Make a picture book for your oldtimer so he knows easely what he needs to do. (Keep it simple)

 

Did you see the picture of the VDO 8 day inspection report I posted up?
That is what is required for a roadside inspection.
I have a VDO solo and I don’t have any internet connection capabilities.
When you put it in inspection mode it prints directly from the box on the dash to the paper tape like I posted a picture of.
VDO also makes a unit that is enhanced with a cellular connection capability (YOU DONT WANT THAT UNIT)
You want the solo with no cellular connection.
If you want to know more of how it works and my experience with VDO pm me and I will respond with a cell number.
I will say this I believe the VDO solo is hands down the best option for us old school dinosaurs..

 

Isn't that the 8 day report that was 15' long?

 

I believe you are able to shut off the connectivity on the enhanced unit.

 

Hell, even my tablet that runs my ELD, I keep WiFi and mobile data turned off. Bluetooth is on so it can connect with the plug, and location services is on because the ELD needs that info. I wouldn't want a system that required connectivity and would chew through my data plan or potentially fail to function when I'm in a dead zone.

I had looked at the VDO system, but didn't care for the price or the difficulty in actually getting my hands on the device. Also, the paper is thermal...and my truck doesn't have AC. How hot can that paper get before it just turns black and is ruined? I've lost receipts like that before...especially if I leave them locked up in the truck in the middle of the day.

The Garmin is available at truck stops everywhere, costs less than 1/3 of the VDO, and functions as well as I'd expect from anything electronic. They could've been more forthright with the details pertaining to exactly what the officer needs in order to transfer data during an inspection...would've saved time & trouble at the roadside...but beyond that, I've been as happy as one could reasonably expect a stubborn old tightwad like me to be who doesn't like to change from proven reliable methods to new flawed and quirky technology.

 

That’s it imagine getting an audit and having the dot man say “ boy I need to see your last six months of logs”
You would hand him 169 ft of rolled up paper and say “ yes sir here it is” lol.
At the end of the day you are totally compliant with the VDO printed log tapes so no worries.
It has proven to me to actually work in my favor.
When you bundle up 15 ft of paper logs the officer usually spends about a minute looking at it and then decides he’s got a lot of better things to do then to read thru the whole 15 ft.
Also the printer is a thermal printer so it only prints a black in color so it’s not like he could look quick for a red mark if there was a violation.
I never have any violations anyway but the 15 ft tape makes me smile and chuckle inside when I hand it to them.

 

So many advantages. That was awesome to see, by the way. I usually bundle the logs by month, even THAT would be ridiculously long. I'm just waiting to play in the system on the office side since I will be the one training everyone on it. Hopefully it is as user friendly as it sounds.