Opinion: Mobile Is Critical for ELDs
This Opinion piece appears in the March 24 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
By Jay Coughlan
Chairman and CEO
XRS Corp.
After much anticipation, on March 13 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released its proposal that interstate truck drivers be required to use electronic logging devices. As the ELD mandate enters a 60-day period for public comment, there is a renewed urgency for commercial carriers to consider how mobile trucking intelligence can help make compliance simple, efficient, effective and affordable.
As trucking scrambles to provide ELDs for the more than 3 million commercial truck drivers on the road — up from an estimated 500,000 ELDs in use today — we must think of innovative ways to leverage accessible, easy-to-use and inexpensive technology. That’s why smart phones, tablets and rugged handhelds — all widely available and commonly used — may be an ideal fit.
It’s easy to see the effects mobile devices already have had across the United States:
• According to CTIA: The Wireless Association, 326 million devices are active in the United States. That’s more devices than people.
• There are cell towers covering nearly every corner of the United States — more than 301,000 sending solid signals from major wireless carriers.
• More than 90% of drivers are equipped with some sort of personal mobility device, and more than half of that group use smart phones.
• 100 billion mobile app store downloads were made worldwide in 2013, according to information technology research and advisory company Gartner Inc.
Trucking is squarely positioned at the epicenter of a mobile revolution, with carriers and private fleets experiencing mobile, social, cloud and information technology convergences. Yes, those are “buzzwords,” but they represent foundational changes that can be leveraged for competitive advantage.
As these forces combine and interact, new service models will be born, costs will be eliminated and compliance can become automated.
Take the driver vehicle inspection report: With a smart phone, tablet or rugged handheld, drivers can quickly and accurately perform a DVIR, checking off inspection items on their mobile device as they walk around the cab.
A driver can take pictures of potential issues, and shop personnel can receive instant notification of items needing attention. Paperwork is reduced, the truck is properly maintained and more safe trucks are on the road, thanks to the phones drivers already have in their hands.
Using that same mobile device, drivers can create FMCSA-compliant driver logs. By connecting to the engine through a data relay (as required by Code of Federal Regulations 395.2, hours of service), devices running driver-log applications can be leveraged to:
• Turn a tablet or smart phone into a complete trucking intelligence solution.
• Give fleets instant access to available hours and allow them to be dispatched seamlessly and safely.
• Provide insights into fuel, idling time, shifting patterns and cruise usage that become critical factors for making decisions and improving performance.
Outside the cab, the same mobile device can be used to get more out of the technology investment, with apps for proof of delivery, scanning, signature capture, routing and truck-based navigation. A single device can connect dispatchers, drivers and owners to critical data and give drivers a stronger connection to home.
Mobile devices change how carriers can buy an ELD, eliminating the hardware costs FMCSA estimates at $1,650 per truck. It doesn’t require three hours of installation time or drilling holes in a brand-new truck. It doesn’t have to be a device drivers dislike.
A mobile phone enabled with the proper connection to the truck can be a tool a driver actually wants and likes to use, increasing adoption and compliance.
Drivers can leverage the technology they are familiar with using at home, with the comforts of dragging, pinch and zoom, and larger touch screens. It’s no wonder why traditional onboard computer vendors are scrambling to adapt phones and tablets to comply with the forthcoming mandate.
Of course, it is imperative for fleets to have a policy regarding the use of mobile phones while driving, and increasingly, we see a zero-usage policy enforced.
Smart application vendors lock down their apps while the vehicle is in motion. Other technologies allow for a complete lockdown, giving drivers access only to the apps carriers find vital while driving, such as electronic logs and other safety enhancements, displays of the hours a driver has left until the next mandated break or the amount of on-duty time left. It can be the safety mode of truck-specific navigation systems that disallows driver interactivity while on the road.
We all agree that a mobile device shouldn’t be used by a driver while a truck is in motion. But mobile technology is neither a passing trend nor a simple “either/or” proposition. It is today’s reality. Like a truck on the road, mobile intelligence has powerful momentum that will improve almost every aspect of the industry.
Based in Eden Prairie, Minn., XRS Corp. provides mobile trucking intelligence and delivers software solutions to the trucking industry to help maintain regulatory compliance and reduce operating costs.
