Blue Ink Tech Blog

The ELD mandate was introduced in December 2017, requiring all commercial motor vehicles to keep their Hours of Service (HOS) logs electronically. This was a huge shift from the old way of keeping track of HOS logs using paper logbooks. Years into the ELD mandate, there is still some confusion on what it is, who is exempt, what is required to be collected, and what restrictions are placed on manufactures.

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.

With the trucking industry projected to grow through the rest of the decade¹, so will the need for secure and easy ways to manage them. 

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.