The missing link in electronic logging
Digital communication and the ELD mandate.
In recent years, one three-word phrase has become synonymous with the debate about the digital future of trucking: Electronic Logging Devices.
Starting in 2015, federal regulators moved to mandate use of the devices, better known as ELDs, for commercial drivers. The mandate, an evolution of existing Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs), is often pitched as a way to modernize paper logbooks and curtail overworking of drivers — a risk underscored by some 400,000 accidents in the industry each year — by more closely tracking hours on the road.
In the run up to an implementation deadline in December of last year, however, the ELD mandate has also created tension between carriers of different sizes and among drivers.
Large carriers tend to be supportive of the efficiency and liability benefits associated with more thorough electronic records, while smaller owner-operators argue that requirements are too onerous and expensive. Also in play are individual preferences about on-the-job employee tracking, which some driver advocates have compared to “big brother”-style surveillance.
For an idea of the opposing viewpoints in the ELD debate, just look at a recent exchange between Todd Spencer of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and Lane Kidd of the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, which was captured by the team at Truckinginfo.
“ELDs will effectively catch commercial drivers who ignore federal hours-of-service rules,” Kidd argued. “Paper log books are like a horse and buggy, while an ELD is a Maserati.”
Spencer, meanwhile, questioned whether the technology is really ready for prime time: “The only thing an ELD can do is tell if a vehicle is moving… The mandate and associated costs [are] not justified by improved efficiency or any credible safety data.”
Though the differences in opinion don’t look likely to be reconciled any time soon, the reality is that the ELD mandate is something carriers and drivers will continue to have to reckon with in realtime. It’s a process that ultimately stands to impact not just hyper-competitive driver recruiting and retention, but also freight rates and even end prices to consumers.
Already, industry firms like Zipline Logistics have noted shipping times beginning to increase on certain routes, including a 10 percent jump in transit days on routes between 750–1,000 miles in the first weeks after implementation.
The documentation gap
At the heart of skepticism about ELDs is how, exactly, the mandate will impact the day-today routines of drivers and the carriers that depend on them to make deliveries on time.
The catch: on-the-road connectivity and digital documentation capabilities are still evolving, making the ELD mandate in many ways a case of trying to lay the tracks while already driving the train.
As a connected logistics startup, we at LoadDocs know first hand about how transitioning from hard copy paper records to digital communication tools can be complicated by realities like spotty connectivity, user training on new technologies and integration between drivers and home offices.
Luckily, emerging technologies like more accurate document scanning, offline upload capabilities and other time-saving tactics can help avoid burning valuable hours of service on paperwork. Moving to rapid online communication tools instead of manually filling out, mailing, or faxing documents is an important way to cut time between load completion and driver payment.
Capturing and sending delivery and hours of service information is also just one part of the equation. Storing and indexing documents is crucial, since the mandate requires on-demand availability of a week’s worth of ELD data for law enforcement review. That includes metadata like driver name, time and status at a given moment. Under the current rules, carriers must also make this information available to drivers for at least six months.
Against this backdrop of broader technological evolution in document completion and processing, ELDs themselves also fit into a long line of hardware evolution.
Many fleets have used AOBRDs for years to help reduce paperwork — and they will be allowed to continue doing so through 2019, as long as the devices record the hours a driver is on the road and all changes in driver status. At the same time, various other types of ELDs, tablets, smartphones, and Electronic On-Board Recording Devices (EOBR) are being deployed to track more detailed data, like inspection reports, braking history and speed.
In total, five types of documents are currently covered under ELD requirements:
1. Documents that show the beginning and end points of a trip, including bills of lading, itineraries and delivery schedules
2. Dispatch records or trip records
3. On-the-road expense receipts
4. Fleet management system communication records
5. Payment documents, such as payroll records or settlement sheets
All of this information, along with additional data points like speed, can be important not just for compliance with the new ELD mandate, but also in the event of audits or cases seeking to determine accident liability.
Since the most common types of audit-triggering complaints against carriers stem from easily-tracked issues, like excess hours of service or requiring fatigued operators to keep driving, one argument for ELDs is that they could help reduce audit risk by more strictly controlling these variables.
To truly capture this value and additional efficiency gains, though, carriers will have to implement ELD procedures in a way that helps drivers take advantage of the full range of emerging digital communications tools.
