Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/845079
July 2017 | Overdrive | 39 and email transfer, Kelley says. "As a last resort, we may look at the graph grid." Missouri, however, is the outlier. Outside of that state, as noted Maj. Todd Armstrong of the Illinois State Police, "Most roadside inspectors today already use this option [of reviewing the display] when looking at any form of electronic hours of service allowed in today's regulations." Some other states also noted varying degrees of likely significant reliance on display and/or print options at roadside, particularly if no obvious issues with hours regulations compliance are noted. Maj. Jay Thompson of the Arkansas Highway Police expressed a measure of uncertainty as to the full extent of display reliance, but speculated "officers will review the actual grid on the device and only transmit a copy if and when violations are discovered." Similarly, Idaho representatives remain fairly unsure about just how everything will play out, but Capt. Tim Horn says that "the majority of the time [officers] will be reviewing the screen … of the device the driver is using." Detailed email, fax or other transfers the officer can print likely will be requested "if the trooper sees a discrepancy that he needs to investigate." Printout The market for purely local-transfer devices is small at this point, with Continental's VDO RoadLog the most prominent among them. RoadLog is the only device with a built-in printer, though it also offers logs on its display. It comes with no follow-on costs after purchase but for the printer's high-heat paper – $10 a roll, good for about two roadside inspections. Many owner-operators are gravitating to the base RoadLog version given the lack of a cellular connection opened up within it. For those for whom both infor- mation security and personal privacy is a concern, choosing RoadLog also could satisfy worries about overreliance of handling an operator's ELD, in many cases also a personal smartphone. "It's been an important thing for those owner-operators that want their privacy," says Jeff Waterstreet, company sales manager. Also given the questions around rollout of the data-transfer software, Waterstreet says, "We've taken the angle that troopers over the next few years are going to really love the built-in printer." That point is underscored by the rela- tively small number of states planning to support local-transfer options. The ability to print with other ELDs via peripheral devices may be useful for others. Any ELD that began its life as a computer-assisted log book should contain that ability. As BigRoad's Davies says, though FMCSA has offered guid- ance on accepting digital signatures of daily logs via those log book programs, that same guidance still stresses that drivers need to be able to print today if using such a program. Many ELD systems based on smartphones or tablet apps fall in the category of "bring your own device." But because they rely on cellular and Bluetooth connections, BYOD systems can be more prone to con- nectivity problems. The DC Transport all-owner-operator small fleet experienced problems with J.J. Keller's Encompass ELD paired with opera- tors' smartphones, as reported in April. The problems were with dropped Blue- tooth connections en route. This causes unassigned-driving events to mount for back-office system operators responsible for reconciling multiple driver accounts, not to mention presenting issues of log currency for drivers during roadside inspections. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hosted ELD provider companies in Washington, D.C., in May to discuss implementation of the mandate and requirements placed on providers regarding self-certification. FMCSA special- ist Danielle Smith noted another issue with BYOD-type ELDs. Specifically, she addressed the situa- tion of a similar dropped connection in any ELD that pairs software on an opera- tor's phone with an engine-connected de- vice over the air via cellular connection. The use of such a "cloud ELD," as the Geotab company calls its device, could be limited for operators whose routes take them through areas with spotty to nonexistent cell coverage. Be aware of such limitations before investing in any ELD solution, and keep a paper log handy for serious or prolonged malfunctions. WEAK LINKS CAN HAMPER APP-BASED ELDS In the ELD mandate's appendix, FMCSA provides this illustration to show the format of the wealth of data it expected the backup display and/or print methods to present to roadside officers in lieu of a data-transfer option. Another illustration adds duty status changes, including times and locations.