Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550385
August 2015 | Overdrive | 43 trucks will need some kind of electron- ic logging system. July polling of Overdrive readers shows only 14 percent of all readers are using a logging device that is com- pliant under the Code of Federal Reg- ulations section 395.15, meaning it is likely to meet requirements of an ELD mandate. The remaining 86 percent use paper logs or a log book app or software that is not 395.15-compliant. If the timeline remains as proposed last year, a grandfather clause in the rule will give owners already running with an AOBRD that is compliant under 395.15 an extra two years to do any necessary upgrades that may be required. Such upgrades, in a few instances, may include older systems' hardware. However, most compa- nies surveyed for this article were confident that upgrades to a system purchased today would be done via either software update or, in the case of BigRoad, a hardware update the company pledges to make without customer cost, if necessary. All of that will depend on what's in the final rule, which will include device specifications and requirements. Such unknowns aren't particularly daunting to owner-operators such as Muham- mad, who are less concerned with cost in the near term than with the long- term viability of any system. The current AOBRD market con- tains essentially two types of devices. One is those that stand alone, ded- icated to the truck in which they're installed. The other is "bring your own device" (BYOD) systems capable of pairing with software on operators' smartphones or tablets over the air via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or the cell network. Both types require a hard connec- tion to the engine's electronic control module. BYOD systems utilize existing hardware for the user interface. Truckstop.com was on the market early with its uDrove app, a smart- phone-based logging platform that also offers business tools for small fleets and owner-operators. The app runs on both iOS- and Android-powered devices. "We want [e-logs] to be secondary to what we offer with uDrove," says Thayne Boren, Truckstop.com mobile general manager. "We want to be a productiv- ity tool. Let's go ahead and send your proof-of-deliveries in faster for faster payment. Let's track business expenses." Engine diagnostics also are made possible with many AOBRD devices. Truck manufacturers also have begun partnering with e-logs/telematics providers to integrate hardware as standard equipment. Kurt Swihart, Kenworth's marketing director, says customers with new Kenworth Class 8 trucks equipped with the Paccar MX-13 engine and TruckTech+ still will need to add a display interface for the e-logs and register for PeopleNet's eDriver Logs system. MX-powered Peterbilts also are out- fitted with PeopleNet's engine-connec- Mandate poised to begin two-year countdown This timeline assumes publication of the final rule for an ELD mandate by Sept. 30, many observers expect. It would take effect in October, beginning a two-year period before compliance is manda- tory. For those running automatic onboard recording devices ahead of the rule's effective date, an extra two years are available, if necessary, to assess options as device and software makers conform their product to the new standard. "We're getting some people who are moving early," says Tom Cuthbertson, Omnitracs vice president. That includes some owner-operators buying the company's XRS "bring your own device" system, operable on Windows Mobile and Android devices. SEPTEMBER 2015 Expected publication of rule OCTOBER 2017 Compliance date OCTOBER 2019 Last permissible use of AOBRD Omnitracs The latest U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation projection shows a Sept. 30 release of the final rule that would require the vast majority of interstate carriers to use electronic logging devices. Tom Cuth- bertson, Omnitracs vice president, believes that date is reliable, given a prior projection had moved the date farther out, only to be followed by news that the rule had been sent for approvals to the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and that the original projected schedule was locked back in place. On July 30, the rule was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for a final review. Cuthbertson emphasizes elements of the proposal intended to address the potential for harassment that the Federal Motor Car- rier Safety Administration failed to take into account in its prior attempt to insti- tute an ELD mandate. The Owner-Operator Indepen- dent Drivers Association's legal challenges resulted in that rule being vacated. ELD systems must "allow drivers to do full edits of their logs and create annotations – they can extend drive time but not reduce drive time," Cuthbertson says. If a car- rier makes the edit, it must remain "in a pending state until the driver approves it. Drivers must be able to get direct access to their log information." They must be able to review it and "reject it if false." When a truck is driven for personal use outside the hours rules, mean- while, the device must be capable of extending the GPS accuracy to 10 miles or greater, in consideration of driver privacy. Regarding a potential legal challenge to the mandate, OOIDA is waiting to see what's in the final rule, says spokesperson Norita Taylor.