Hours of service (HOS) regulations are changing. We’ve seen a number of new regulations within the last year, most notably the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate. These changes are going to have a huge impact on your daily operations. Are you prepared to stay compliant? We recently held a webinar on Tackling HOS with BigRoad to walk you through everything you need to know to ensure you’re compliant. Watch the webinar below to learn more:
How BigRoad Can Help
We have had a lot of questions about how to get ready for the ELD mandate. The first step on your path to ELD compliance is to get your fleet comfortable with using electronic logs. We invite you to start a free 30-day trial with BigRoad to see how we can help you!
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Questions & Answers
Q. Is California going to adopt the rule in the near future?
A. ELD mandate rules apply across the United States. When it comes to FMCSA guidelines, the majority of states will opt to follow the main rule set. However, some states do have state (intrastate) specific rules. As a driver, it’s important to know the rules for the jurisdiction you’re driving in.
Q. If a driver delivers more than 1 delivery in the same town or city, can they log as on-duty, not driving and log it as a local delivery?
A. If the driver is driving over the 100 air-mile radius and then does a delivery, picks something up, and delivers again – no. You would not be able to log as a local delivery as your total day would be outside of the 100 air-mile radius. You would need to maintain as a OTR driver.
Q. How does all of this apply to school buses?
A. School buses typically fall under the passenger-carrier regulations. Passenger-carrier vehicles are required to follow the ELD mandate. However, there are a number of variables here – how many days is the driver driving, how far are the trips, etc. You would likely fall under the short-haul (100 air-mile radius) exemption depending on your daily mileage.
Q. Does BigRoad support the Alberta provincial hours of service?
A. BigRoad supports the majority of major cycles in Canada and the United States. You can set your cycle under the Settings tab in the BigRoad Mobile App. You can also add any exemptions, including short-haul and intrastate, that you’re eligible for.
Q. 2 of my owner-operators have trucks older than year 2000 and 2 of my owner-operators have trucks newer than year 2000. Am I able to get ELDs for the newer trucks and not the older ones? Will I still be compliant or does the entire fleet need to be running ELDs?
A. Exemptions for ELDs are at a per driver or per truck level, not at the fleet level. You’re two older are eligible for the model year exemption and do not require an ELD. These drivers will need to maintain paper or electronic logs only. The two newer trucks will need to run an ELD.
Q. Do drivers have the ability to switch between non-CDL short-haul exemption and full logging within the BigRoad Mobile App? Will all the necessary logging be done?
A. Within the BigRoad Mobile App you have the ability to select short-haul exemptions (non-CDL or CDL) within the rule sets. You can easily switch between exemptions to full logging – you just need to select the correct rule set for what you need to do. The app automatically adjust based on your settings.
Q. How will the ELD mandate impact driveaway-towaway operations?
A. Drivers involved in driveaway-towaway operations where the vehicle being driven is part of the shipment are exempt from the ELD mandate. These drivers still need to follow HOS rules and maintain paper or electronic logs.
Q. Are ELDs mandatory for our 550 International truck that we use about 8 times a year to haul the drill right to the site and back?
A. There are a number of variables here – the age of the truck, the distance you’re travelling, and how frequently you’re making this trip. You may be eligible for a number of ELD mandate exemptions. If the truck is older than model year 2000, you’re driving within a 100 air-mile radius, or you’re driving less than 8 days within a consecutive 30 day period – you don’t need to run an ELD.
Q. I have 5 drivers that have CDL and 5 the do not. Most of our trucks are older than model year 2000. I have to equip the newer 2000 year+ vehicles, but continue to do logs for every driver in every commercial truck regardless of ELD or not?
A. Correct – you will need to equip your newer 2000 year+ vehicles with ELDs unless they are eligible for an exemption. You do not need to equip trucks that are 1999 and under with an ELD. Drivers using these trucks will still need to follow HOS rules and maintain logs by paper or a electronic logging app like the BigRoad Mobile App.
Q. Where can I buy BigRoad?
A. If you’re ready to get started now, reach out to our sales team by calling 1-888-305-8777 ext. 2 or emailing [email protected]. You can also start a free 30-day no-obligation trial of the BigRoad Web App to see if it’s right for you. Visit bigroad.com/get-started to sign-up. You can also download the BigRoad Mobile App for free by visiting the Google Play Store of Apple App Store from your device and searching for BigRoad.
Q. If you have ELD equipment, can it be used with the BigRoad Mobile App?
A. No – you cannot use non-BigRoad equipment with the BigRoad Mobile App. The BigRoad Mobile App was built to be paired with our DashLink solution. There are no hardware fees for DashLink, just your monthly subscription fee.
Q. Are printers required in trucks?
A. If you are using an electronic logbook only, like the BigRoad Mobile App, we recommend that you have a printer in your vehicle. Why? Inspectors have the right to ask you to produce printed logs. Although the majority of inspectors are comfortable with the electronic logs and will inspect them right on the device of your screen, you may encounter an inspector who insists on printed copies. If you cannot produce print logs, you may receive a violation.
If you’re using an engine-connected solution, like DashLink, you do not need a printer as information is automatically captured directly from the engine.
Q. If all of your trips will be under 100 miles, will an ELD still be required?
A. You would qualify for the 100 air-mile radius exemption if all trips are under 100 air-miles. There is a difference between a trip of 100 miles and 100 mile-air radius. It is not the amount of miles, it is the air-mile radius outside of your home terminal.
Q. Are all states participating in the ELD mandate?
A. The ELD mandate applies to the United States as a whole. However, some states may have their own intrastate rules that impact ELD mandate rules. As a driver, it’s important to be aware of the rules within the specific jurisdiction you’re driving within.
Q. What are the differences between the BigRoad Mobile App and DashLink?
A. The BigRoad Mobile App is an electronic logbook application that drivers runs from their device (cell phone or tablet) to track their hours of service. The BigRoad Mobile all is not an engine-connected solution – the driver needs to manually enter their information. Electronic logbooks are the replacement for paper logs. With electronic logbooks, you need to have a printer in your truck.
DashLink is an engine-connected solution that connects to the engine of the vehicle to automatically record information. DashLink is paired with the BigRoad Mobile App to display information. With DashLink you do not require a printer in your vehicle.
Q. Can drivers still make their own corrections with DashLink?
A. Driver will be able to make their own corrections – but there will always be a carbon copy. Corrections are limited to on-duty, off-duty, and sleeper time with the drive time coming from the engine.
Q. Why does BigRoad show a warning for “on-duty, not driving” after 14 hours?
A. This can be confusing because if you’re still working after 14 hours of on-duty service you’re not technically in violation until you get behind the wheel of a vehicle and start driving. You’re seeing this message a warning to remind you that if you do get behind the wheel of a vehicle, you’ll be in violation. You’re not in violation yet, but you cannot drive until you’ve gone off-duty for at least 10 hours.
Q. Has BigRoad been certified by the FMCSA?
A. BigRoad is currently doing our due diligence to ensure that we comply with all of the requirements as outlined in the 500+ final ELD Rule. Once ready, we will complete the self certification process and be listed on the registered ELD list.
If you take a look now, you’ll notice that none of the key players within our space are listed yet. We recently published a blog that sheds more light on the certification process – read it here.
Our DashLink system is fully compliant with the current US (395.15) and Canadian (SOR-2005 313) AOBRD certification regulations. If you begin using DashLink today, you’ll be able to run the device until December 2019, allowing you to updated to our ELD when available and at a time that works for your fleet.
Q. How many different transponders are available?
A. DashLink is compatible with almost all vehicles currently required to run an ELD. The DashLink is connected to the engine via a 6 pin, 9 pin, OBD, or OBD-II connector.
Q. Is the ELD mandate just for the United States or Canada too?
A. The ELD mandate is a US mandate. However, it will impact Canadian drivers that are planning to drive in the United States as they will need to run an ELD to be in compliance with this law. Earlier this year the Canadian government announced announced that they plan on following the United States and implementing a similar ELD mandate for Canada. No additional information or timeline has been released.
Q. Is there a list of “approved” AOBRD manufacturers and devices?
A. There really isn’t an official list of AOBRD manufacturers – the registered device list applies to ELDs only. The majority of AOBRD manufacturers who meet the requirements to be considered a compliant AOBRD will list this on their individual websites.
Q. We park our trailer at the customer’s location and use our pickups to transport the crew to and from the jobsite. Does this affect the drive time?
A. This would be considered personal conveyance – no different than a group of people carpooling. However, if you’re driving between two job site, this would be considered on-duty time.
Q. If operating only in Ontario, do I require a printer in the truck to be legal or is faxing or emailing your logs okay?
A. Again, this is up to the discretion of the inspector. The majority of inspectors are perfectly fine with reviewing your logs on the actual device. However, if the inspector does insist on seeing a printed copy you will need to provide them so it’s a good idea to have a printer just incase.
Q. I start my day with a complete reset. I go from off-duty to sleeper. Do I have to stay in sleeper for a full 10 hours or can I start my drive time an hour early?
A. To clarify the scenario, you’ve taken a full reset after working a full day (14 hours on duty, 11 hours driving) and then went directly to sleeper. You don’t need to spend the full 10 hours in the sleeper but do need to either be in the sleeper or off-duty for the 10 hours. You cannot start the drive an hour early, you need to have a full 10 hour break.
Q. Has Ontario set a date for ELD?
A. No – there has been no date set or firm information given on a potential ELD mandate in Canada (or Ontario specifically). All we have been told is that Canada will likely follow the United States in implementing a mandate in the future.
Q. Is the current BigRoad system compliant to the ELD standards that go into effect on 12/18/2017? If the system is purchased at the current time, will a software update around the compliance date make the system ELD compliant? If software is not the issue, will new hardware need to be purchased?
A. DashLink is an ELD-ready solution, qualifying for compliant use until the December 2019 deadline, at which point you need to upgrade to an ELD. Our full ELD solution will be ready well before the December 2017 deadline. All of our hardware and software are field upgradeable, once our ELD is ready, you can update whenever you’re ready to do so. We upgrade everything for you at no additional cost.
Q. Is DashLink compatible with pickups?
A. Yes – DashLink is compatible with pickups. You will just need to request the correct connector to match your ECM port of your pick.
Q. Will rental vehicle be exempt from ELD?
A. No – rental vehicles are not exempt from the ELD mandate. You still need to follow HOS rules when operating these vehicles (just like today). However, rental companies may start offering ELDs with the vehicles. If you frequently operate rental vehicles, we recommend you use an ELD that easily portable, such as our DashLink solution.
Depending on how often you’re driving a rental vehicle and how far you’re driving, you may qualify for an exemption such as the 8 day/30 consecutive day or 100 air-mile radius exemption.
Q. What happens when I go back to Home Depot, I get out of the truck off-duty, and one of our yard people take the truck to reload or other duty (say into the shop for service and road test), how does that effect my ELD?
A. Looking at this as a more generic question of what happens when drivers switch between trucks when using an ELD? With BigRoad, you log in and out of the system and then connect with the DashLink in the truck. When the truck is being driven, you’re signed in as you and connected with your account. When someone else drives the truck, they login on their device and connect to the DashLink. The information then records to their account, not yours.