The ELD order has changed the transportation industry since drivers abandoned paper records for electronic recording devices (ELD) after December 2017.
Although TDRs may cause some confusion among operators at first, they also provide opportunities to improve safety and efficiency.
Table of Contents
ELD – A Detailed Guide
An ELD is a technology that automatically records a driver’s driving time and other characteristics from hours-of-service (HOS) records.
ELD allows convenient and accurate HOS registration. An ELD continuously monitors a vehicle’s engine to record data such as whether the engine is running, the car is running, the total number of kilometres travelled, and how long the engine has been running.
Car manufacturers and drivers should choose DCE certified and registered on the FMCSA website as other devices may not be compatible.
1. ELD Compliance
The ELD rule applies to shippers and drivers who are required to keep service records (RODS). Drivers, with the exception of the time card, who do not use paper RODs, must not use ELD.
ELD allows the following drivers to keep paper RODS –
- Drivers who keep RODS for only eight days during any 30 days.
- Driveaway-towaway drivers, if the driven vehicle is part of the cargo or the transported vehicle is a motor home or recreational vehicle trailer.
- Drivers of automobiles manufactured before the year 2000.
2. Retention Of Supporting Documents By Motor Carriers
Motor carriers must keep at least eight supporting documents for every 24 hours that a driver is on service.
Drivers need to submit RODS and all supporting credentials to the motor carrier not later than thirteen days after collecting them.
3. ELD And Real-time Tracking Of (CMVs)
CMVs generally do not require real-time monitoring in ELD. However, a car transporter can use the technology to track their CMVs (commercial motor vehicles) in real-time for business purposes.
An automotive company may use this information as long as it does not harass or violate federal motor carrier safety regulations (FMCSR).
4. ELD Record Editing
The driver and authorized transport personnel can make limited changes to an ELD record to correct errors or include the missing information.
All edits must include an annotation to justify the reason for the edit. The driver must corroborate that the carrier edit made is correct and resubmit the records.
If the driver does not re-certify his/her RODS, it shows up in the ELD record. The ELD preserves the authentic, unedited document, along with the edits.
Solution For Fleets With ELD Compliance
After delving into the primary insights about ELD, here is a detailed guide on how fleet management solutions can aid fleet managers to utilize the ELD data to help them –
Minimize Fuel Usage
According to ATRI, fuel constitutes about 24 per cent of operational costs. There are numerous ways to use fleet ELD data to reduce fuel usage; however, idle time is one of the most prominent opportunities.
A heavy truck uses about 8 gallons of fuel for every hour of wasted idle operation. Each year, the average freighter remains inactive for approximately 1,800 hours. The minimum translates into an annual cost of $ 4,464 per truck over a diesel value of $ 3.10.
An ELD can track the time each driver spends idling and determine the amount of fuel used. So you have access to accurate downtime data for each driver and can increase it accordingly.
Avoid Collisions
Beyond the task of getting drivers home to safety, there is a significant financial impact that can frustrate a business. No matter how careful your drivers are, the risk of an accident is always high.
ELDs can monitor hard braking, hard acceleration and cornering events for every driver in their fleet. This data can help you calculate a safety rating as part of the driver score sheet.
With this data, you can configure your training efforts to target riskier drivers. You can also encourage your safer drivers to make sure they stay with your business.
By mastering dangerous driving behaviours, you can use less fuel. For example, a heavy truck uses 20% more fuel at 65 mph than at 55 mph.
Inhibit Vehicle Breakdowns
Beyond the part replacements, you need to pay for a tow truck and external mechanics every time your fleet automobile breaks down.
Unprecedented breakdowns can upset key customers and cause you to lose business. Fleet risk management is an integral part of the business.
Some ELDs regularly monitor your fleet for fault codes and classify them in easy-to-interpret reports.
With this information you can:
- Provide personnel with a list of vehicle problems to resolve any disqualification from an appointment.
- Plan a trip if the truck is near a dealership where you can get a discount.
- Make sure vehicles with critical problems are immediately brought to service to avoid accidents.
- Save time and money by eliminating the need for in-service diagnostics.
Some ELDs may provide data on the utilization rates of cars, trailers or other high-value properties.
A specific vehicle or group can filter this data usage. Groups are even stronger because they allow you to view usage data for multiple key functions.
With this data, you can identify which assets are less useful and use them to generate more revenue or sell them in sad times.
Avoid Detention Time
Downtime could cost transportation companies $ 3 billion a year or more, according to FMCSA. An additional 15-minute restraint period could increase the accident rate by 6.2%. Uncertainty makes imprisonment a difficult challenge. With ELD data, managers now have access to the average residence hours for the delivery window of various facilities.
You can use this ELD data to determine what to expect in a facility before taking a load. Some ELD data providers will provide you with a simple report detailing the time your driver spends in a facility. With this data, you can collect payment fees effectively and efficiently.
Final Words
ELDs are not mere compliance devices as they provide a wealth of operational data to help carriers operate more profitably.
As this article mentions above the benefits of ELDs, it becomes paramount for you to pick the right ELD provider.
Using ELD data to your advantage can help your business thrive in the long run and digitize operations that were otherwise run on traditional methods.
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