Blue Ink Tech Blog

A lot of people really hate ELDs. If you’re a driver, a dispatcher, or an administrator, that’s not news to you. Not everyone hates them, of course. A recent survey reported by FleetOwner found an industry split on whether ELDs are good or bad. 47% of respondents said yes, they’re good for the industry, 38% said no, and the remaining 15% were unsure.

So, what are some of the reasons for the hate, and how do they look after a full year of the mandate enforcement? Some drivers would tell you it’s about privacy. Others would tell you they just don’t want to deal with a computer in their truck. But for most drivers, at least the ones I’ve talked to, the issue seems to come down to how ELDs impact time management.

In a perfect world, every truck would be filled to capacity on every run. Shippers would always have a door open when drivers arrived, and trucks would be loaded quickly and evenly every time. You’d never have to worry about things like axle-weights, and the only bears in the woods would be looking for picnic baskets.