ELD Mandate: What to Know about Moving to ELD-Compliant Devices

Food distributors need to have more stringent routing plans in place for deliveries, as data extracted from the ELD might make it more difficult for time- and temperature-sensitive operations to remain compliant. A real scenario is a load time- and temperature-sensitive load being stranded because the driver is out of hours, not only delaying it but also potentially putting the whole load at risk.

Choosing a Vendor

Do food distributors view the telematics mandate as a “necessary evil” and spend the least amount to meet compliance, or do they go “all-in” and realize the value of the data that the entire ecosystem provides to the operational bottom line?

Amid the overload of applications, hardware, and services available in the ever-changing telematics world, deciding on the range of system functionality and associated costs can be overwhelming. Pricing for hardware can range from free to several thousand dollars per truck, while functionality can range from basic GPS tracking to a fully integrated mobile asset management system. With options that include vendors, applications, features, and costs, where do fleets begin?

Fleet managers must look beyond ELD compliance and think strategically about the data they need to manage their food distributor’s compliance and performance, their drivers’ behaviors, and their vehicle lifecycles that will ultimately pay off in improved fuel economy, enhanced preventative maintenance, lower operating costs, and improved driver retention.

The hardware is just the first decision. Fleets must also choose a provider/partner that is there for the long haul, that can support the organization and fleet well into the future. A short-sighted decision to simply meet the ELD mandate without understanding the “actionable data potential” for greatly reducing operating costs is still ill advised. The incremental costs to acquire systems and services that provide additional data and applications to modernize the fleet are minimal, and the return on investment is substantial.

By attempting to minimize this step and focusing strictly on ELD compliance, fleets will find they have lost substantial operational savings and competitive advantage and will experience increased costs that could have been avoided with access to actionable decision-making data that can assist in optimizing the food distributor’s fleet performance.

What does a good partner/vendor look like?

1. 1. How long has the organization been providing fleet telematics? Fleets need a provider with a legacy of providing solid telematic technology and services. Telematics and transportation technology encompass a lifetime of lessons learned. These go beyond the technology and involve understanding how the technology impacts the operation of the fleet. No two fleets are the same.
   2. What does the organization’s technology roadmap look like? What is its strategy for the advancement of technology in the future, and how will that strategy impact the collection and interpretation of data? Remember, this is a long-term investment, and it is unwise for fleets to jump between providers frequently. The operational disruptions/costs alone will deplete any realized savings. Fleets also don’t want to lose any competitive edge due to their competitors’ actionable data strategies.
   3. How good is the organization at deployment and support services? It is important to find a partner that understands all complexities involved, from planning to execution, and is there to work with fleet management teams to overcome any unforeseen challenges.

Choosing the right business intelligence partner can help fleets interpret the abundance of data that’s collected by the AOBRD and ELD. Beyond this critical interpretation, the right partner offers its own technology resources that can help fleets make sense of data from many different platforms and sources—a difficult action when fleets try to make sense of data on their own. With the right partner selection, fleets can be compliant and obtain business intelligence and analytics, allowing them to maximize the value of the data they extract from each truck to create both operational and bottom-line financial efficiencies that provide significant return on the investment into the technology itself, as well as their partnership with the data purveyor.