Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/893962
34 | Overdrive | October 2017 A s efforts to derail the electronic logging device mandate continue to fail, more owner-operators and small fleet owners are considering their options. With the mandate's Dec. 18 enforcement date only two months away, software and hardware providers old and new are trying to set them- selves apart. For the owner-operator who's certain to be part of the industry for a long time and who wants simplicity at a low price, the devices available without a monthly subscrip- tion fee can be a good match. As of press time, five pro- viders offered either a dedi- cated-unit or BYOD (bring your own device) ELD for a onetime purchase price. For the four BYOD devices here, freeware installed on a phone or tablet supports the engine plug-in for full in-cab and/ or back-office functionality. For the one dedicated unit provider, Continental's VDO RoadLog is supported via laptop software and a USB- based data transfer device for updates. Prices overall have contin- ued to fall. What might be the most affordable device, One20's provocatively named F-ELD, is available for $170 and even less for owner-oper- ators eligible for discounts. If results of a 2016 Comdata survey are any indi- cation, the F-ELD and other generally low-cost ELDs are about to see a surge in orders. Cost was identified as the top selection criteria of a third of all respondents. Cost was a factor for Utah- based Wade Spencer, owner- operator of a four-truck fleet of Freightliner Cascadias outfitted with Blue Ink Technology's BIT ELD. The BIT electronic control mod- ule plug-in device is available for $295, ordered directly through the company's website. Free smartphone/ tablet apps available for both Android and iOS devices pro- vide the driver interface. For his reefer fleet, Spencer invested in four BITs for his own 2015 Cascadia, the truck of his Utah-based partner- owner and two operated by drivers in Ohio. To serve the company's principal shipper account, Spencer and the partner load out of Utah and meet the company's other two Ohio-based drivers in Morris, Illinois, to swap loaded reefers with the oth- ers' empties. Adding ELDs was just another expense to be minimized. Spencer says his biggest issue with another BYOD ELD product he tried, BigRoad, was its monthly fee. BigRoad charges $25 per truck for full ELD service. In the crowded ELD market, a few companies set themselves apart with systems requiring no monthly fee. BY TODD DILLS THE SHIFT THE SHIFT LOW-COST OPTIONS In the crowded ELD market, a few companies set themselves The right price Longtime GPS device maker Garmin recently became just the fifth ELD provider out of more than 50 to offer a device that's operable without a direct ongoing monthly service fee. Garmin's eLog device, shown in the hand in this picture of a demo unit, retails for $250 and can pair with Android- and iOS-powered devices, as well as devices in Garmin's dezl line of GPS navigation devices. Todd Dills