Blue Ink Tech Blog

Personal conveyance can be helpful when used correctly, from finding a safe haven or getting a bite to eat. It is important to your hours of service records that you properly log your time. However, your carrier may wonder what the limits are and if you have a say in it when it comes to your policies. Being able to use personal conveyance is an ELD requirement that you should know about.

ELDs or "electronic logging devices" are devices that are required for most commercial motor vehicle drivers to keep their records of duty status (RODS) electronically for their hours-of-service (HOS) logbooks. The FMCSA published the ELD mandate back in December 2017 with strict guidelines on how electronic logging devices have operate in order to be certified for industry use. This guide will help you understand what ELD providers must do under the ELD mandate to be compliant with the FMCSA.

At Blue Ink Tech we talk to thousands of carriers and drivers about their needs to help run a better business. One situation that comes up frequently in discussions is the use of ELD apps for their logbooks without a connected device to retrieve data from the vehicle.

There isn't much worse than not getting value out of something you've paid for and are required by law to have. When the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate was implemented it left truck drivers with few options and even fewer ways to deal with it. Selecting the wrong ELD provider is one of the main problems with ELD.

An ELD provider should keep the driver's best interest a priority. Those priorities include making sure their ELD is easy-to-use, there's a knowledgeable support team ready for any questions they have, and there are no hidden or extra costs to any services provided.  

There are a number of reasons carriers and drivers are ready to switch ELD providers. Some of those top stresses include:

1. Equipment malfunctions and failures

2. Poor customer service

3. Costly and lengthy contracts

So what should you do when you’re ready to drop your provider and get a better one?

First things first, plan ahead at least 60-90 days. You want to make sure that you have plenty of time to vet new ELDs before you existing contact is going to end so you can easily make the transition.

Ralph wants to get home to his family as soon as possible, but he has hundreds of miles to go and needs to figure out how to avoid a 34-hour reset so he's not stuck in his truck unable to move.