Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
april 2018 | eld buyers' guide 3 A ll compliant electronic logging devices will share a common bond: ey can record data coming in from the system that controls the truck's engine and component parts. e final rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was specific in requiring synchronization with the electronic control mod- ule. at's one of the reasons the agency didn't require ELDs in trucks with model-year 1999 or older engines. e rule requires ELDs to automatically record date, time, location information, engine hours, vehicle miles and identification information for the driver, carrier and vehicle itself. Unless the driver is enabled for use of the vehicle in a "personal conveyance" mode outside of work hours, ELDs are required to record all of those elements "when the driver indicates a change of duty status or a change to a special driving category" such as a yard move, the rule states. When in motion, ELDs are required to record all of the information on an hourly basis at a minimum. Many ELDs are offered as part of systems built for detailed tracking pur- poses, useful to fleets and owner-operators for purposes such as automatic notification of arrival times. ose systems are capable of recording in a much more refined manner, and some may default to that. Providers may or may not have the ability to adjust the refinement. ough there are plenty of variations, two types of ELDs have emerged: In dedicated unit configurations, the device is supplied by the provider and is likely to remain in the truck. BYOD ("bring your own device") systems allow buyers to purchase their own hardware for the driver interface, such as an owner-operator using an app on a personal Android- or iOS-powered smartphone. A carrier may seek out a deal on tablets to dedicate to its power units and drivers. Dedicated units Most older forms of electronic logging devices, known as elec- tronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) or automatic onboard record- ing devices (AOBRDs), have been the dedicated-unit type. Two examples that have been available for years are Omnitracs' MCP series and PeopleNet's current products used by many drivers employed by or leased to larger carriers. Many of these units provide ELD functionality in a single device package tied directly to the ECM by a cable and plug. Like mobile phones, such units use connections to the cellular network and GPS functionality to deliver on the ELD rule's requirements for recording location, mileage and engine hours. Data storage occurs using a combination of the internet cloud, back-office servers and the device itself. A notable exception among devices available for years now exists in the base model of the Continental VDO RoadLog, which is limited to hours-of-service recording and inspec- tion-report functionality. With no connection to the cellular network with the device, fleets and owner-operators manage data storage via a USB-connected drive to transfer records to a laptop or other computer. Other dedicated devices may pair two pieces of hardware, bridging the gap between the traditional single-unit EOBR and the two-piece BYOD systems readily available today. In most cases, those devices are in evidence when a BYOD and a dedicated version exist from one manufacturer. While the J.J. Keller Encompass and Rand McNally HD100 systems How the two basic types of ELDs operate BY TODD DILLS ISE Fleet Services' eFleetSuite baseline compliance device is a dedicated unit with its own cellular data connection but without a lot of extra functionality beyond logs.