The immense popularity of Android and Apple smartphones and tablets has led many truckload carriers to deploy mobile applications that drivers can run on those consumer devices.

While first-time adopters will need to install ELDs in their trucks by Dec. 18, fleets using e-log systems categorized as auto­matic onboard recording devices, or ­AOBRDs, get a two-year extension. But if you can wait, why change now?

A growing number of technology vendors have been flooding the market with new electronic logging device products in advance of the federal ELD mandate that takes effect Dec. 18.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has said that by preventing crashes, electronic stability control will save lives, prevent property damage and reduce congestion.

New Classes 7-8 tractors sold on or after Aug. 1 must be equipped with electronic stability control, which means that more fleets will need a greater understanding of the technology.

The mobile device revolution, started by the release of the first Apple iPhone 10 years ago this summer, has transformed the way fleets communicate with their drivers. For many years, fleet telematics relied solely on proprietary, fixed-mount units in the cab to serve as driver interfaces, but today many telematics vendors offer fleets the ability to communicate with their drivers through mobile devices, ranging from personal smartphones to proprietary tablets that can be easily removed from the cab.

INDIANAPOLIS — Diesel fuel dominates the commercial truck world today and will continue to do so in the near future, but greenhouse gas regulations will force the industry to use it more efficiently and eventually could push fleets toward other, cleaner fuels, industry executives said here at the Green Truck Summit.

Trailers purchased by fleets in 2018 must comply with Phase 2 of the greenhouse-gas rule from the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but there will be a menu of equipment options for achieving compliance.