Electronic Logging Devices: Mandating the Next Generation of Fleet Safety
“Thank a trucker—if you got it, they brought it.”
Perhaps you’ve heard this old saying, or perhaps, if you’ve driven the endless miles of America’s highways, you’ve seen it on a bumper sticker somewhere.
While perhaps a bit hyperbolic, it’s nonetheless catchy, and goes a long way toward illustrating an important point—the American trucking industry is ubiquitous. We all depend on truckers each and every day to deliver the dizzying array of goods that keep everyday life running.
But just how much freight are truckers responsible for delivering?
In 2023, nearly 13 billion tons of cargo were moved around the United States by truck—a staggering amount of goods being delivered everywhere from small businesses, to massive warehouse distribution centers.
To move all of that freight, there are some 2.9 million semi trucks registered in the United States, anchoring an industry that, in 2022, raked in $940.8 billion in gross freight revenue.
At the heart of this complex industry are, of course, the men and women behind the wheel. Excluding self-employed professionals, there are some 8.5 million individuals employed in jobs related to the trucking industry.
This network of truckers and their routes is the lifeblood of American commerce, connecting hubs such as international ports and important manufacturers to their clients and consumers everywhere.
Of course, professionals though they may be, all of these truckers need to eat, sleep, and take care of themselves while on the road, as the consequences for neglecting any of these can be disastrous.
In an industry where time is money, drivers have always been motivated to make it as far as possible, as fast as possible. This can lead to dangerous situatinos for tired drivers, as a fully-loaded semi truck will weigh tens of thousands of pounds and require careful attention to operate.
Regulating the Industry
With all of this in mind, the industry has been shaped over the years by those looking to make things safer.
As far back as 1935, regulators began to implement rules designed to protect truckers (and the drivers with whom they shared the road) from the dangers of exhaustion.
The advent of these rules meant that drivers were only allowed to work 12 hours within a 15-hour period, and were given strict guidelines on how frequently they needed to rest throughout their work days and weeks.
However, despite these rules, truckers relied for decades on paper logs that could be prone to inaccuracies, or manipulation by less-than-honest operators who might be focused more on their bottom line than on following safety regulations that hampered their business.
This all changed in 1988 with the introduction of much stricter, more detailed laws intended to regulate drivers’ hours of service (HOS), or the actual time they spent working behind the wheel.
As the U.S. economy exploded in size throughout the past century, so too did the trucking industry. With this growth came an increased scrutiny ono safety, and here the first truck monitoring device came into play.
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ELD’s Become Law
As far back in 1988, lawmakers began to mandate the use of the ELD’s predecessor, the Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD). These devices monitored the vehicle’s engine to determine a driver’s hours of service, but lacked some crucial safeguards against practices like secretive log editing.
AOBRDs represented a significant stride forward in trucking safety regulations, as they replaced handwritten logs with electronic records.
Everyone from employers to investigators and regulators could now see concrete data showing whether or not drivers were complying with the laws limiting hours of service—that is, if the logs were to be trusted.
Over the decades, new technologies made it easier and easier for operators to reliably and seamlessly capture data about hours of service, speed, and other crucial metrics relating to driver safety.
Satellite and cellular communications, for example, became more widespread, allowing truckers to transmit data in real-time. Eventually, a new device appeared on the market—ELDs, or electronic logging devices, as they are aptly named.
All About ELDs
ELDs are more complex than AOBRDs. By connecting directly to a vehicle’s engine, they monitor usage such that records cannot be falsified. In this way, they clearly show whether or not a driver has been complying with safety regulations on the road.
A well-equipped, functional ELD will display crucial information about the driver and their truck such as:
- Date, time, & location
- Engine hours
- Vehicle miles
- Driver identification
- User authentication
- Vehicle
- Motor carrier
With the use of GPS tracking to determine real-time location, speed, heading, and other data points, ELDs have provided investigators and operators alike with a crystal clear picture of a driver’s activities.
Speed, location, heading, and more can all be determined from this data, allowing investigators and anyone else a better look at just what was going on in the lead-up to any given incident involving a truck.
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A New Era of Driver Safety
On December 17, 2019, a new law went into effect. Now, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandated that trucks must now directly transmit engine data electronically to the Department of Transportation (DOT) thorough the use of an ELD.
In this way, AOBRDs were effectively rendered obsolete overnight.
Today, the use of complex electronic logging devices, monitoring software, and fleet safety devices have revolutionized the industry, and the millions of men and women responsible for hauling billions of dollars worth of cargo depend on these devices.
Any driver who is required to keep record of duty status logs (RODS) must have an active ELD equipped on their vehicle, capable of collecting data that can be presented to a safety official upon request.
In addition to general legal compliance, ELDs can help prove or disprove a driver’s compliance with the law. If called into question in a setting such as a lawsuit, concrete data will tell the true story.
Fleet Safety: Beyond ELDs
When paired with other fleet safety hardware, such as cameras that cover all angles of a truck’s exterior, drivers can rest assured that they will have an objective picture of any and all events that take place on the road around them.
In fact, VestigeView’s AI-powered dash cam systems work seamlessly alongside ELDs to provide this comprehensive protection, giving fleet managers a complete picture of their operations and safety profile.
There are a number of government-approved ELD vendors that truckers can choose from when it comes to either installing a new ELD in their truck, or replacing their old AOBRD since phased out by the new laws.
Their various features and functions might vary. Some ELDs can even be found on a smartphone or tablet, provided that their operating specifications meet federal requirements, while others are dedicated, standalone devices.
Their core purpose, however, is universal—to monitor drivers and their trucks, ensuring that they follow the crucial safety regulations protecting millions of Americans on our roads each day.
Our experts can help you understand how integrated technologies provide maximum protection for your drivers, vehicles, and business. Schedule a call to learn how VestigeView’s AI-powered dash cams can complement your ELD system and create a comprehensive safety solution for your fleet.
Vestige Fleet Multi-Cameras & GPS Tracking Features
Vestige Fleet Multi-Cameras & GPS Tracking Features
With Vestige, you can install up to eight HD dash cams on each vehicle. The cameras will be placed all around the vehicle, including one monitoring the driver’s actions, giving you a full view of everything that is happening.
Live Video Streaming
With our 4G LTE remote connection, you can access live high-quality video footage of everything the cameras capture. This integrated video solution lets you track performances easily and check for any unsafe driving behaviors that need improvement.
Cloud-based Video Portal
All video recordings will be retrievable from the cloud for 90 days. You have easy access to video clips for a post-incident analysis, making performance tracking more streamlined. You can also access additional video evidence for an accident in the portal, allowing you to protect your business from liability claims with video proof.
Automatic Video Uploads and Alerts
Vestige allows you to create notifications for vehicle accidents and other harsh driving events. You can get alerts within minutes of an unsafe event. The event video file will be uploaded to the cloud right away, allowing you to watch it anytime you want with on-demand video retrieval.
