Many of our customers have questions about how the ELD mandate will impact them. We held a customer-focused webinar on July 27, 2017 to help you prepare for the transition!
Webinar Recap – Watch The Recording!
Check out the recap to learn more about what to expect when transitioning to electronic logging devices (ELDs). During this webinar, we covered:
- The basics of the ELD mandate
- AOBRDs and the ‘grandfathered’ clause
- Some of the benefits of switching to and ELD
- Tips for getting your drivers on board with the ELD mandate
Click the image below to access a recording of our What to Expect When Transitioning to an ELD webinar that was held on July 27, 2017:
Questions & Answers
Q: Do we have to run paper logs and electronic logs simultaneously?
A: The ELD mandate does require that you keep 7 days worth of blank paper logs (4 days if you’re in Canada) in your vehicle to track your hours if you have issues with your ELD when a DOT officer pulls you over. You don’t have to run them simultaneously though – you only need to fill out the paper logs if your ELD stops working when you’re pulled over for an inspection and need to provide logs.
Q: We have some drivers that run mostly local, but occasionally go outside of the 100/150 air mile radius. How do they keep track of their hours?
A: What you’re going to want to do is figure out a solution that makes logging as uncomplicated as possible. Based on the information you gave us, it looks like you do sometimes qualify for the short haul ELD exemption, which states that if your drivers are driving under a 100 air mile radius, they are exempt from the ELD mandate.
What you need to be careful with is ensuring that you’re not going outside of this exemption. So for example, those times when your drivers are driving further than a 100 air mile radius….they will need to run an ELD. In cases like yours, most people just opt to go with an ELD to make it easier rather than having to do some time card, some eLog, some ELD. That way, your drivers have access to an ELD when they need it, and access to BigRoad’s Mobile App for eLogs when they don’t require an ELD. It’s all about what will make things easier for your drivers on a daily basis as well as for reporting.
Q: Does everyone in the office need admin rights to track drivers?
A: The short answer is no! If you give someone Dispatcher status, they can track your drivers. However, they can’t edit anything.
If someone in the office needs to be able to edit things (like driver info, truck info), they will need Admin status. This will allow them to track drivers AND edit the account.
Q: Does the device switch between US 7/80 and Canada 7/70 cycles automatically?
A: No the switch doesn’t happen automatically. You can change the cycle manually on either the daily log or your profile. If you change it in your profile, this will become your new cycle automatically going forwards. If you change it on your daily log, it will just change the cycle for that daily log. To change your daily log’s cycle: hit daily logs, click edit, click edit logs (you’ll be on today’s log), hit edit. Then scroll down and change the cycle for the day.
Q: How does the app work for team driving? Especially with regard to mileage and pre-trip/post-trip inspection?
A: Great questions! A lot of customers ask about team driving. Just so you know, we do have a great document describing how to use the team driving function on our BigRoad website. You can find it here. But, I’ll also give you quick overview:
Basically make sure that only one of you is signed in at a time. Whoever is riding in the passenger seat needs to be signed out – whoever is driving signs in. For your pre and post trip inspections: when you sign in and connect to DashLink, do your pre trip inspection. Before you sign out, do your post trip. The second driver will follow this exact same process when they start to drive. Because each driver is logged into their own account each time they drive, their mileage is calculated separately.
Q: If a truck has an MFG date prior to the date required for compliance, do we still need to switch to an ELD? Ie: a truck that is a 2000 model with an MFG date of 10/99?
A: This sounds like you’re talking about a glider kit, where the body is newer and the engine is older. If the body falls within the ELD mandate required years, you will need to run an ELD. You can check by looking at your truck’s VIN number. Once you have these details, feel free to reach out to our support team. You can email them at [email protected] or give them a call at 1-888-305-8777 ext. If you send them more details about your vehicle they can let you know if the BigRoad solution can support you!
Q: Does your system have IFTA?
A: We do, yes. BigRoad’s DashLink ELD has state by state and province by province mileage reporting that is very easy to use.
Q: How do we know if our DashLink is AOBRD or ELD? And when will BigRoad be releasing the ELD version? When you do, will our drivers need additional training?
A: Right now, all of our DashLinks are running as AOBRDs. You can run it as an AOBRD until December 2019, giving you 2 additional years to get used to connected logging and that extra ability to edit, until your hands are fully tied. So we recommend letting DashLink continue to run as an AOBRD until December 2019. Going with an AOBRD is really the smartest thing you can do – why make it more difficult than it needs to be right away? When you’re ready to transition to an ELD, it’s a simple software download to the DashLink device and you won’t be required to switch out any hardware at all, making it really easy for you. No additional training will be required, because nothing will change from your end.
Q: Will the BigRoad phone app be enough or will the DashLink also be necessary in order to achieve ELD compliance?
A: As part of the ELD mandate, you are required to run an engine-connected device. This means the BigRoad phone app is not enough to be compliant. You will also require the BigRoad DashLink, which is an engine-connected device that is certified by the FMCSA as a compliant solution.
How BigRoad Can Help
Want to get an AOBRD now take advantage of 2 additional years of flexibility? Let BigRoad help! Our DashLink ELD runs as an AOBRD until you install a simple software update to transition to an ELD. Request a demo to see how easy DashLink is to use!
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