What is an ELD?
An Electronic Logging Device (ELD) is a device/technology solution that is used to record Hours of Service (HOS) in a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) based on FMCSA 2015 mandate.
What is the ELD Rule and who is impacted?
Barring some exceptions, a commercial carrier/driver who is required to use a paper log or AOBRD would be impacted by this rule.
Typical exceptions are:
- Drive away / tow away operations where the vehicle is the cargo
- Casual drivers who work 8 days or less in any rolling 30 day period
- Commercial drivers operating older trucks, with an engine manufactured 1999 or earlier
What is AOBRD?
Automatic Onboard Recording Device (AOBRD) is a device/technology used for HOS recording based on 1988 AOBRD Rule issued by FMCSA.
What is the implementation schedule?
By December 18, 2017:
All affected commercial carriers and drivers must install either ELD or AOBRD by this date.
During December 18, 2017 – December 16, 2019:
If an AOBRD device was installed prior to December 18, 2017 it may be used for HOS recording. All new installations must be ELD devices.
After December 16, 2019:
Only ELDs may be used for HOS.
What is the difference between AOBRD and ELD?
The key differences are summarized in the table below
| FEATURE | AOBRD | ELD |
|---|---|---|
| Integral Synchronization with CMV | Required, but not defined in detail | Integral synchronization with CMV, automatic capture from vehicle bus of various parameters |
| Location Recording | Manual or automated, at each change of duty status | Automatic recording every 60 min, when duty status changes, engine on/offs, etc. |
| Graph/Grid | N/A | Display or printout required |
| Clock Drift | N/A | Must be synchronized to UTC |
| Communication Methods | N/A | Telematics or Local Transfer |
| Tampering Resistance | Must be made tamperproof to the extent practical | Must not permit alteration of original information Needs to support data integrity |
| Sensor Failures, etc. | Must identify edited data and sensor failures | ELD must monitor compliance and record malfunctions and inconsistencies |
| Relevant Rule | FMCSA, 1988 AOBRD Rule | FMCSA, 2015 ELD Mandate |
What are the different types of HOS solutions and how do they compare?
| Type of Solution | Description | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| OBD/J1939 Dongle/Streamer + BYOD Tablet | A simple vehicle bus dongle device streams ECM data. This is typically transmitted by Bluetooth technology wirelessly to a tablet device the customer buys. The electronic logging application runs on a smartphone or tablet belonging to the customer/carrier/driver. |
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| Telematics blackbox connected via Bluetooth to Tablet | Telematics blackbox collects all ECM data and provides general GPS tracking functionality. ECM Data is streamed to tablet via Bluetooth. Tablet requires cellular data plan. |
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| Telematics blackbox connected via WiFi to Tablet | Telematics blackbox collects all ECM data and provides general GPS tracking functionality. The blackbox also acts as a WiFi hotspot for the tablet. |
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| Telematics blackbox connected via Physical wire to Rugged Tablet | Telematics blackbox collects all ECM data and provides general GPS tracking functionality. The blackbox is connected via some physical means (Serial, Ethernet) to a rugged tablet. Typically all power management of tabled handled by Telematics box. |
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Few things to consider when choosing an electronic HOS log solution
- Is this just a compliance only solution?
- Does it provide standard fleet management functionality?
- Does it provide fault codes, ECM data and other details for fleet maintenance?
- How is the ECM data transmitted to the tablet (Bluetooth, WiFI, Physical Wire -Serial/Ethernet)?
- What type of tablet is used (Consumer grade / rugged )?
- Does the tablet require a cellular data plan and who pays for that?
- What is your overall cost of the solution?
- Can this solution be used to manage a ‘mixed’ fleet – consisting of vehicles that require HOS and vehicles that do not?