Omnitracs, Samsung Offer Integrated ELD Ahead of Mandate
Omnitracs and Samsung Electronics America have developed a joint electronic logging system to help trucking firms meet the requirements of the upcoming ELD mandate.
The companies’ integrated ELD combines Omnitracs’ XRS fleet-management software with Samsung’s mobile devices and data security software.
The federal ELD mandate, which goes into effect Dec. 18, will require most interstate carriers to use e-logs instead of paper logbooks to record drivers’ hours of service.
Omnitracs CEO John Graham said the partnership with Samsung enables the companies to provide carriers with a fully integrated ELD system that’s easy to install and comes with strong data security.
The partnership also will leverage Samsung’s distribution model, he added. The Omnitracs-Samsung joint ELD, available now, will be distributed through resellers such as Clutch Solutions.
The ELD’s software runs on a Samsung smartphone or tablet and incorporates the device maker’s security software platform, Samsung Knox.
Graham cited an “expanding conversation” about cybersecurity in transportation, starting with shorthaul and local-delivery operations, but increasingly extending to longhaul trucking as ELDs permeate the industry.
Besides ELD compliance, the combined system provides driver performance analytics, including fuel usage, drive time, speed, driving behavior, driver vehicle-inspection reporting and trip data to improve safety and efficiency.
It also doubles as a mobile device for recreational use during drivers’ off-duty hours.
Ted Brodheim, vice president of the vertical and B2B mobile division at Samsung Electronics America, said the ability to switch between on- and off-duty modes on the same device can help fleets address one of the biggest issues facing the industry — driver recruiting and retention.
“It really does help companies, particularly as they need to attract millennials into the workforce,” he said.
With the Omnitracs XRS platform on the Samsung Galaxy Tab E device, drivers at Rocha Transportation are saving 15-20 minutes of administrative time per day, “increasing driver productivity and satisfaction,” said Zach Dirksen, the fleet’s corporate treasurer.
Rocha also has reduced hardware costs by about 70% through improved fleet and device management, he said.
