Since 2017, ELD’s have become a required piece of technology that all commercial motor vehicles need installed to ensure that they’re compliant with the law. These devices allow truckers and other logistical transporters to be tracked, log their progress and monitor how long a driver has been on the road. It’s this last reason why these devices have become standard – to ensure that no worker goes over the maximum hours of travel time. However, there’s also many other benefits why truckers should be using ELD’s.
When used properly, electronic logging devices can streamline operations, maximize productivity and reduce operational costs. Even fleets that don’t have to install these devices are opting to do so. Here are some reasons why:
Reduces Admin
An electronic logging device automatically tracks and records a vehicle’s movements through the use of GPS and thus takes away the need of performing manual paperwork. With an ELD, truckers don’t have to worry about manually recording their hours on the road or about saving those records and storing them safely. By using ELD, fleets can save a lot of time, cost and effort which can be put towards other aspects of the job.
Minimizes Fuel Wastage
An electronic logging device doesn’t just track the location of a driver and how long they’ve been driving for, but it can actually allow people to monitor the amount of time a truck has spent idling. With this insight, drivers who spend too much time doing things that waste fuel such as idling can be identified and then contacted to help them consciously reduce this happening. As a result, depending on the size of the fleet, logistical companies can save thousands of dollars annually by limiting excessive idling and reducing fuel wastage.
Monitor Vehicle Health
ELD’s automatically connect to a trucks diagnostic port, which allows both drivers and upper management to monitor fault codes within the vehicle, which can give them an accurate heads-up if there’s any issues that they need to fix.
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With this technology, companies can be one step ahead on maintenance issues due to the real-time alerts that are sent when a fault is detected. This information is also logged, meaning that drivers can look back and pick up on any recurring issues due to historical fault code reports. This knowledge can help boost efficiency and productivity.
Better Route Management
Due to the GPS capabilities, an entire fleet of trucks can be monitored and tracked, as their precise location can be accessed at any time. This encourages truckers to drive efficiently and to always take the best route to their destination. ELDs can also detect bad driving behaviors such as excessive acceleration, hard braking, and hard cornering, which is another way to encourage better performance. Furthermore, this knowledge can help operators plan the best routes for their job, which streamlines operations and makes the entire process far more productive. This technology isn’t just useful for logistical services but can also help taxi companies be more effective and pick up a higher volume of passengers.
Photos courtesy of istockphoto.com
