Frequently Asked Questions

Drivers that are using an AOBRD never need to print logs as long as the device meets the requirements found in §395.15.

Drivers that are using ELDs may need to print their logs if the driver cannot provide the logs to a roadside inspector via one of the transfer methods and the device does not have a display the officer can view outside of the vehicle. As long as the ELD device has a display that can be "brought to the officer," printing is not required.

There are numerous benefits to using electronic logs :

• First and foremost, electronic logs can greatly simplify compliance by eliminating the need for paper logs. Drivers and carriers see significant time savings from going paperless.
• Some of the most common logging violations can be eliminated. Virtually all “form and manner” log violations go away, drivers always know where they stand on compliance, and drivers always have a current log. Alerts will tell driver when they are approaching an hours-of-service limit.
• Besides making compliance easier, electronic logs make auditing easier and faster. The systems typically come with automated auditing built in.
• Roadside inspections can be easier and quicker.
• Scheduling and dispatch become easier because office personnel know the location of the vehicles and how much time drivers have available.
• Location, engine use, speed, and other data captured by the devices can prove valuable during litigation or other legal proceedings, potentially protecting both the driver and company.

If an AOBRD fails, the driver must:

• Note the failure of the device;
• Reconstruct his/her logs for the current day and the previous 7 days, less any days for which the driver has records; and
• Continue to prepare a handwritten log until the device is working again.

If an ELD fails, the driver must:

• Note the failure of the device;
• Reconstruct his/her logs for the current day and the previous 7 days, less any days for which the driver has records;
• Continue to prepare a handwritten log until the device is working again; and
• Notify the carrier in writing within 24 hours of the failure.

Yes, records from Global Positioning Systems (GPS) may be subject to audit by the FMCSA (whether those systems are a part of an e-log system or not). Such records are considered "supporting documents" for hours-of-service compliance, and must be maintained by the motor carrier for six months. The FMCSA may use GPS records to verify the information contained on drivers' logs, even if the company does not do so.

A driver using an ELD must also carry:

• A user's manual for operating the ELD;
• An instruction sheet with step-by-steps instructions for transferring hours-of-service records to an authorized safety official;
• An instruction sheet on reporting ELD malfunctions and recordkeeping procedures during ELD malfunctions; and
• A supply of paper grid graphs to record driver duty status and related information for at least 8 days, in case of ELD malfunction.

A driver using an AOBRD must also carry:

• An instruction sheet with step-by-steps instructions for displaying the hours-of-service records to an authorized safety official; and
• A supply of paper grid graphs to record driver duty status and related information for the remainder of the driver's present trip, in case of AOBRD malfunction.

Harassment is an action taken based on information from an ELD or other technology used in combination with an ELD, that the carrier knew (or should have known) would result in a driver violating the Hours of Service Rules or a situation where the driver is operating while ill or fatigued.

An ELD, or Electronic Logging Device, is a tablet computer used to record driver hours of service (HOS). It replaces paper driver logs and other systems including Automatic On-Board Recording Device (AOBRD) or Electronic On-Board Recorder (EOBR).

As a full-function instrument, an ELD automatically records both driver and vehicle data. It records and transmits the driver’s HOS, engine and vehicle data, information the driver inputs, and more.

Basically, everyone who currently uses a paper log or AOBRD will need to replace that system with an ELD. This includes:

• Interstate CMV drivers currently required to keep RODS (record of duty status)
• Vehicles that weigh more than 10,001 pounds
• Vehicles with placarded hazmat loads
• Vehicles carrying more than 8 or 15 passengers (depending on vehicle class)

There are a few exemptions. They are:

• Drivers who operate within a 100-air-mile radius, who may continue to use timecards
• Non-CDL freight drivers who operate within a 150-air-mile radius
• “Drive away, tow away” operators

Recordkeeping with paper RODS is permitted for no more than eight days within any 30-day period.

ELD rules became law February 16, 2016. The compliance date, the day when use of ELDs in the described applications becomes mandatory, is December 18, 2017.

For vehicles equipped with an AORBD, these must be upgraded or replaced to meet full ELD status by December 16, 2019.

Interest groups have filed challenges related to this concern more than once since the mandate was first proposed. On every occasion the legality of the ELD rule have been affirmed, based on the multiple safeguards protecting drivers and fleets.

An ELD is a recording and transmitting device. It does not control the vehicle systems. The driver remains in charge.

Event data recording comprises:

• Engine power-up and shutdown
• Driver login/logout
• Duty status changes
• Personal use or yard moves
• Certification of driver’s daily record
• 60-minute intervals when the vehicle is in motion
• Malfunctions, diagnostic events

ELD technology collects the same driver data that is currently monitored and recorded with paper logs. A muting function, limits on geographical tracking and other measures allow the driver to maintain a separation between duty hours and off-duty time.

While there are various intrastate rules and Canadian rules that vary from north to south, the basic US Federal requirements are that you can operate 8 days for 70 hours or 7 days for 60 hours. The driver may drive 11 hours per day and on duty for a total of 14 hours per day. A driver must take a 30-minute rest break after 8 continuous hours of driving. A driver must be off duty for 10 continuous hours between working shifts, but these shifts can start at any time of day. To restart the 70 hour or 60-hour clock, the driver must be off duty for 34 continuous hours. Our app supports all these variations and warns drivers when they must change their duty status. The app will not allow drivers to log on if they do not have eligible hours.

Our app supports all of the Canadian Federal rules and Canadian drivers must be ELD compliant when they cross the border to the US. An ELD mandate will be coming shortly in Canada as well. There are very specific HOS rules in Canada already. South of 60 Degrees Latitude Canadian drivers have two choices and can switch between them. Cycle 1 allows 70 hours On Duty in 7 days and requires 24 consecutive hours off. Maximum Drive time per day is 13 hours and Maximum On Duty Time is 14 hours. This must be followed by 8 consecutive hours of Off Duty Time. Total Off Duty Time each day must be 10 Hours but the non-consecutive off duty time must come in at least 30 minute periods. A Cycle reset can occur with 36 consecutive hours off duty.

Cycle 2 allows 120 Hours On Duty time in 14 Days. The driver is limited to 70 hours On Duty without a period of 24 consecutive hours off duty. The Cycle 2 reset time is 72 consecutive hours Off Duty. A driver can switch to Cycle 2 after 36 consecutive hours off duty. To Switch from Cycle 2 to Cycle 1 requires 72 consecutive hours Off Duty. Driving north of Latitude 60 Degrees N allows 15 hours of Driving time and 18 Hours of On Duty time followed by 8 consecutive hours of Off Duty time.

For those Canadian drivers not following the Federal rules specific driving rules for each of the major provinces is planned and in the works.

The engine bus monitor supports these features but they are not required for ELD.

Per FMCSA regulation, the app runs continually on the tablet.

Our app does not lock down the phone.

No, the Engine Bus monitor can only connect to one device at a time. Co-Driving is done by logging both users into the ELD solution on the same tablet/phone which is connected to the ECM.

The VIN number must be manually inputted in during the setup process of the app. It is also polled on a regular basis by the app.

It is the driver’s right to decline to drive a vehicle he deems unsafe. The federal mandate includes an “anti-discrimination clause” that says that the carrier cannot force a driver to use an unsafe vehicle or drive more than the Federal allowance of hours of service.

Per FMCSA regulation, the GPS signal is truncated so that it can’t give a precise address location to protect the driver’s privacy. The notation will be a distance and a compass direction (like NNE) to the nearest city with a population of 5000 or more.

No, we support pdf sent via email, encrypted files via email, USB or Bluetooth. There is no way to fax a file in the encrypted form required by FMCSA

No, a distance and a compass direction like SE or NNE is also required.

Yes. Check your 9 pin Deutsch connector to be sure that the center key is the correct size. The engine bus monitors should have the correct cables available to you.

Personal Conveyance and Yard Moves are supported by the app but must be allowed by the Fleet manager. Yard Moves and Personal Conveyance time is allowable on a per account/per driver basis. When a driver chooses Yard Moves, the time in that event is calculated as Off Duty time. When they are finished and ready to go back on the road, they can simply end Yard Moves.

Yes

Waiting at Well Site is an off-duty status allowed under the oilfield and construction exemptions in the 8 day 70 hour Federal rules. It adds a fifth line to the grid chart that our app supports.

Yes, for certain events. The ELD solution can give audible alerts for the connection and disconnection of a device, for upcoming violation possibilites, and other such events. The mandate states that the ELD solution has to be able to be muted completely during Sleeper events. The application has a setting to mute all sounds to handle this and other scenarios. This allows a driver to mute all ELD sounds but keep the ringing of a phone call for example.

On the home screen the driver may switch to On Duty ND after the lock screen is gone or there will be an automatic transition to On Duty Not Driving after 6 minute not moving even if the vehicle is idling by FMCSA regulation. The driver can them manually transition to Sleeper or Off Duty from the home screen. The location this manual transition is made is recorded with a direction and distance to the nearest town of population 5,000 or more.

Miles or KM is user selectable

Per FMCSA the 5 MPH threshold is not adjustable. The driver may select Yard Moves, if allowed by the fleet manager, and the Off Duty time is recorded on the grid chart with a dotted Amber line. Events such as Personal Use, Yard Moves and Off Road are also recorded in the driver’s history list. However, only the Personal Use and Yard Moves are displayed on the grid chart as an Amber color line to be visually different to the other event status. A dashed line represents the Personal Use event and a dotted line represents the Yard Moves event.

Yes

It depends on the severity of the event. If the application simply did not get a required parameter for a status event, then a Data Diagnostic event will display with a ‘D’ in the notification bar of the application. The driver may continue to use the ELD solution with only a Data Diagnostic event. If the event is more serious, or the diagnostics are repeatedly occurring, a Data Malfunction will be recorded. Malfunctions need to be checked out immediately by the drivers. Some Malfunctions can be cleared by the driver depending on whether they can correct the problem, and some will require the driver to switch to paper logs until the ELD can be brought back into compliance.

On the home screen, there will be an automatic transition to On Duty Not Driving after 6 minutes not moving even if the vehicle is idling per FMCSA regulation. The driver can them manually transition to Sleeper or Off Duty from the home screen. The location this manual transition is made is recorded with a direction and distance to the nearest town of population 5,000 or more.

If you have a connected tablet doing nothing but updating driver logs back to the server every 5 minutes, we think the data consumption per month would be around 500 Mb. FMCSA does not require this data to be uploaded in real time, however. The driver could synchronize his tablet on Wi Fi at the terminal in the morning and at the truck stop at night to log off the app.