Do you drive a semi-truck, manage a fleet of semi-trucks, or run a business that relies daily on an in-house fleet of semi-trucks for package deliveries?
Then it is time for you to start using Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
What are ELDs?
We will explore the answer to the above question along with a host of other aspects associated with ELDs such as its benefits and the data types recorded by ELDs.
Here goes.
What’s an ELD?
ELDs or Electronic Logging Devices are devices designed to be installed onboard commercial vehicles like semi-trucks.
What types of data does an ELD record?
ELDs record the following types of data.
- Number of driving hours
- Vehicle location data (real-time GPS data)
- Total miles traveled by a semi-truck
- Average fuel efficiency of the semi-truck
- Average engine speed of the semi-truck (RPM)
- Number of hours the engine has been turned on
- Instances of harsh braking
- Instances of rapid acceleration
Why semi-truck drivers and fleet managers should make ELD usage mandatory?
Telematics solutions like Electronic Logging Devices offer semi-truck drivers as well as fleet managers quite a few benefits such as the ones mentioned below.
Semi-trucks and semi-truck fleets can easily comply with federal norms with ELDs
Semi-truck drivers and semi-truck fleet managers must comply with federal norms. For instance, a semi-truck driver cannot drive a commercial vehicle at a stretch for more than eleven hours. Now tracking the number of hours a driver is putting behind the wheel of a semi-truck is hard when done manually. However, using an affordable fleet tracking system with a real-time fleet tracking feature is quite easy. In short, the challenges of fleet management can be mitigated to some extent using telematics solutions like Electronic Logging Devices.
ELDs streamline daily operations
Running and managing a fleet or semi-trucks alongside running a business is not an easy task. However, the process can be streamlined by implementing ELDs and related paperless fleet management solutions. Electronic Logging Devices work more or less like OBD fleet trackers. Hence, it is natural for ELDs to eradicate the need to maintain paper-based records and the manual accumulation of pertinent fleet-related data.
Semi-truck/semi-truck fleet running costs go down
Running a business is a costly affair. However, running a business with an in-house fleet of semi-trucks is costlier. The reason is simple. Semi-truck preventative maintenance is pretty expensive. As semi-trucks undergo a lot of unintentional abuse, without preventative maintenance, vehicles may break down in the middle of delivery runs. Without connected vehicle solutions such as ELDs and GPS trackers for fleets, fleet managers would have to individually ask drivers if the semi-truck assigned to them has any electromechanical issues and needs servicing. This is a time as well as a resource-consuming task. When a semi-truck is not maintained on time, it would break down often and would need repairs as well as part replacements. Additionally, the semi-truck will not remain an asset but will become a liability.
With the help of ELDs and fleet trackers, the cost of running semi-trucks and semi-truck fleets goes down by a significant margin. Furthermore, fleet drivers and businesses that rely on semi-trucks can get additional benefits like fleet route optimization. Fleet route optimization ensures that not a single drop of fuel is wasted. It means that ELDs and associated vehicle telematics solutions help businesses reduce their fleet running costs by several folds!
Telematics solutions such as ELDs expedite vehicle inspections
Whether you are the owner of a semi-truck or a trucking company, you would have to agree that vehicle inspections are expensive and resource-consuming. Add semi-truck maintenance to the mix and you end up with a vehicle that will not be available at least for a day! When a semi-truck is taken off the roads for inspection or preventative maintenance, it automatically becomes a liability. Downtime for a semi-truck owner or a trucking company is a major issue that cannot be solved using traditional methods of fleet management. However, with the help of fleet telematics solutions, activities like booking inspection sessions, recording pertinent vehicle DTC data, etc. can be automated. And we all know that any automated process is more efficient and fast compared to its manual counterpart. The obvious benefit associated with using ELDs is that semi-truck downtime will be in the past. Intriguing, isn’t it?