Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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technology in focus: LOW-COST EOBRS A new point of entry Looming EOBR rule prompts vendors to offer new mobile technology BY AARON HUFF Small fleets and owner- operators will want a simple low- cost system. nspection officers permit drivers to use any number of elec- tronic devices to record logbook information. Today, if an offi- cer questions the accuracy of the device, the driver always can revert back to paper logs. Not too long in the future, however, driv- ers not using certified electronic onboard recorders will be placed out of service. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is expected to issue a proposed rule in March 2013 to mandate EOBR use by an esti- mated 3.4 million drivers. The agency then likely will issue a final rule in October 2013 to comply with the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) highway bill signed into law last July. The Oc- tober 2013 deadline is to allow time for public comment and review by the White House for the rule to become law in January 2014. Technology companies vigorously are creating new products target- ing the large number of small fleets and independent contractors that will be looking for a simple low-cost EOBR system to comply with the law. I PeopleNet's EOBR bundle includes an onboard computer, LCD display and eDriver Logs application. and is compatible with most Android smart- phones, tablets and laptops. Fleets get the Encompass E-Logs online reporting service for $3 per month with upgrade options to capture a range of driver performance metrics. PeopleNet does not plan to offer an EOBR The Android option Qualcomm Enterprise Services soon will release an Android platform that will run the same hours-of-service, messaging, workflow, safety and performance moni- toring applications as the company's pres- ent MCP; the difference is that consumer-style Android devices can be used for the display unit. Applications on the devices will sync with a stationary "black box" in the vehicle. The Android platform likely will be used by fleets of 25 trucks or less, says Norm Ellis, QES vice president of sales and marketing. Larger fleets will continue to prefer more durable vehicle-mounted displays to run their enterprise applications, Ellis says. Rand McNally recently announced an HD 100 platform compatible with Android tablets and the company's IntelliRoute TND 720 truck GPS device. Rand McNally plans to make the new platform available in April 2013. The HD 100's HOS recorder plugs into a truck's onboard diag- nostics port and records the truck's GPS position along with vehicle- specific information such as engine diagnostics and driving behavior. The recorder syncs with mobile devices in the vehicle through Wi-Fi and has a CDMA wireless modem that connects to a Web-based fleet management system. J.J. Keller & Associates offers a standalone system for EOBR and electronic driver vehicle inspection reports. The recorder costs $199 32 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2012 system compatible with consumer devices. Its current Blu and Tablet platforms are designed for enterprise applications such as messaging, driver safety, compliance and performance manage- ment. The company offers a no-money-down EOBR bundle for $48 per month that includes an onboard computer, LCD display and eDriver Logs application. Beyond compliance In addition to offering a low-cost EOBR ap- plication, some technology companies include a full fleet management platform that runs on the latest consumer devices, tablets and wireless networks. XRS, formerly known as Xata, will release a new version of its mobile fleet management sys- tem in March 2013. The new XRS system will be compatible with dozens of Android smartphones and tablets with no upfront hardware costs or long-term contracts. To implement XRS, a fleet or driver simply plugs a small relay device into the vehicle's diag- nostics port and downloads the XRS mobile app to a smartphone or tablet. The mobile app in- cludes training and self-help tools so that drivers and vehicles can stay on the road as fleets bring new HOS and other applications online. TeleTrac's introductory EOBR package includes