Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/687054
36 | Overdrive | June 2016 U nless the Owner-Opera- tor Independent Drivers Association's lawsuit derails the electronic logging device mandate, you'll need to use an ELD by Dec. 16, 2017, with some exceptions. Most notable is owning a truck with a 1999 or earlier model year, though there are others. Owner-operators leasing to large fl eets are most likely to use, if they don't already, systems selected by those fl eets. However, independents leased to smaller operations, moving frequently between leasing fl eets or operating with their own authority likely will have to choose their own. That's getting to be a complicated decision. Not only has the ELD market grown substantially in the months fol- lowing the release of the ELD fi nal rule, it's also not entirely clear whether certain products meet or will meet the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's compliance criteria, even when they're listed on the agency's own registry. When Overdrive surveyed the ELD mar- ket in August, a comparison chart showed specs and price points for 13 well-known devices made by 11 manufacturers. The updated online version of that chart cov- ers 26 devices from 23 providers. Until recently, one more, the InView e-log from load board stalwarts DAT, was also there. But shortly after its introduction, DAT Product Vice President Greg Sikes reported the company was pulling out of the ELD market. He cited "commoditi- zation" of the market, or the process by which a product or service becomes widely available, fairly easily interchangeable between brands and more aff ordable. Underscoring the pricing race was Truckstop.com's announcement that the cost of its current CFR 395.15-compli- ant uDrove e-log was slashed from $40 monthly to $25. That's in line with pricing off ered by a bevy of bring-your-own- device (BYOD) e-log systems pairing an engine connection with software on an operator's smartphone or tablet. BigRoad's DashLink system comes at $25 monthly, KeepTruckin at $20, J.J. Keller's Encom- pass below $20. Rand McNally in March introduced the ELD50, its monthly service charge expected to be $15. At least one lesser-known provider, Fleet Complete, off ers its e-log for a mere $7 monthly. However, it's not available for that standalone functionality as yet. "Currently, you would need the Fleet Complete system in addition, so this is an add-on," says company rep Roopa Shah. The base system is $29 a month. "In the future, it may be a standalone, and/or you can have a stripped-down basic version of the Fleet Complete system." That low add-on subscription price, nonetheless, could be a sign of where things could go. The only approved devices, accord- ing to the ELD fi nal rule, will be those listed in FMCSA's ELD device registry. Published in February, it listed only three projects at press time. The Ohio Trucking Association, in its comments on the ELD fi nal rule, objected to the device registration and certifi cation process as adopted because the registry lists only products self-certifi ed by the providers themselves. Since FMCSA has not actually approved the devices, OTA argued, it puts carriers at great risk if they inadvertently Picking an ELD Dealing with a crowded market and an uncertain government registry BY TODD DILLS Though FMCSA is not literally 'approving' the devices, it at least requires that providers supply a wealth of product information, reviewed by the agency, in order that observers can be reasonably certain a device complies. All of that information is available for each supplier on the device registry (FMCSA.DOT.gov/devices). As more devices are added, Overdrive will update its own comparison chart to reflect whether or not the device is included on the regis- try. Find a shortened version of that chart on page 38 and the full version via OverdriveOnline. com/2015eldchart. James Jaillet