Category: Blog

More Mythbusters

Last time, we saw the Mythbuster team test the myth of if a coin-drop from a tall building could kill a pedestrian. This week, we look at a common traffic myth: do “weavers” save time?

Let’s face it. Almost all of us had to (or wanted to) rush to a destination. Some of us try to save time on the road by weaving into the least crowded lanes, much to the annoyance of neighboring vehicles.

Does this save time?

If you missed Part 1 of ELD Myths and Facts, check it out here.
Now let’s look at Part 2 of common ELD myths. 

Only Big Fleets Will Be Affected

In fall 2016, small and large business fleets answered an ELD implementation survey. The survey found that 81% of large fleets implemented ELDs while 33% of small fleets implemented ELDs.

The Reality

The mandate oversees any drivers who fill out Duty of Records for 8+ days over the month. This means that any business that falls within these guidelines, regardless of owning 1 truck or 1000 trucks, need to comply. This, however, doesn’t have to be viewed in a negative light.

Here’s a real life example. Ronnie Sellers is a business owner of a 3-truck operation. He was way ahead of compliance mandates and installed ELDs in 2011. He is satisfied with his decision and commented that he “would not run paper logs”.

The ELD Rule Will Never Go Into Effect

Some people insist that the ELD mandate will be overturned. The mandate is heavily opposed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA). The OOIDA filed several appeals to a few courts and sent a petition to the Supreme Court.

In fact, in 2011, the OOIDA successfully challenged the mandate and delayed it. If it was thrown out before, does this mean that businesses should wait out to the last minute?

The Reality

Since 2011, the FMCSA addressed concerns and released its final ruling. In October 2016, the appeals courts sided with the FMCSA and rejected the OOIDA’s appeal. The appeals court ruled that ELDs are in the best interest for public safety and for law enforcement.

The last challenge opposing the mandate was the OOIDA’s petition to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decides to only hear a handful of cases out of thousands of appellants. In June 2017, the Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal and ended OOIDA’s challenge options.

The Cost of ELDs are so High That it Will Close Businesses

Truckers criticize ELDS as a cash grab. They fear that they will need to pay thousands of dollars for hardware and will need to pay heavy monthly fees. No one likes expensive bills, just like this angry driver and his traffic fine.

The Reality

Compliance does not have to break the bank or require tens of thousands of pennies. There are cost-effective ELD compliance solutions available.

For example, instead of spending thousands of dollars to re-wire trucks, businesses can explore options such as plug-and-play devices. These devices are a fraction of the cost of hardwired solutions and can be self-installed to reduce start-up fees.

Also, many businesses have found that ELDs provided benefits that outweigh costs. In a survey, respondents found that ELDs decreased log violations by 84% and helped control customer expectations for job times.

As well, these companies reported other benefits such as improved monitoring and usage of drivers, driver convenience, and a decrease in operating costs.

Join us next time for our trilogy finale as we share one last Mythbusters clip and tackle a final set of myths. 

Sources:
MH&L: ELD Implementation Differs Between Large and Small Fleets
Trucks.com: Truckers Grapple with Switch to Electronic Logs
Supply Chain Dive: Courts Uphold ELD Mandate
Overdrive: Supreme Court Rejects ELD Appeal, Ending OOIDA’s Challenge Options
Logistics Viewoiunts: ELD Survey: The Data, the Facts,
and How ELDs Affect Carriers

Mythbusters

Mythbusters is one of my favourite Discovery Channel series. In this show, common myths are supported or “busted” through scientific experiments.

In one episode, the hosts tested the myth that a coin-drop from a tall building could kill a pedestrian walking at the ground level. This thought dropped on my head (pun intended) a few times as I live in Toronto and occasionally walk by our CN Tower.

What did the Mythbuster crew find out?

The halfway point of 2017 is fast approaching. For businesses who are impacted by the ELD mandate and are not yet compliant, research is important. There are a lot of myths being thrown around.

Here is Part 1 to these myths.

Myth: The Mandate Will Drive Owner/Operators Out of Business.

Owner/operators are understandably concerned and upset over the change. After running trucks for many years, it is annoying to change operations.

Other than the cost of buying devices, owner/operators are concerned about running on the regulated 11 hours. For some drivers, they were used to driving unreported overtime hours. A lot of these drivers are being paid by mileage and feel that there would not be enough money if they drive under regulated hours.

The Reality: ELDs Save Time & Money

Dave, a popular YouTuber, explains that it is true a lot of drivers are used to working 14-15 hours. However, when ELDs force these drivers to drive 11 hours, Dave is optimistic that shippers and companies will realize that their loads are going to take longer. He points out that truckers would then see an adjustment in their pay rate.

Also, many drivers changed their opinion about ELDs once they experienced time and money savings. The biggest saving came from spending more time driving and less time drawing lines, calculating hours, and filing reports with paper logs. Another saving came from eliminating errors – sometimes from honest mistakes – which could cost in fines of up to $10K.

Myth: The Government Has 24/7 Access to Driver Logs.

ELDs can track drivers in real-time and can issue alerts to drivers when rules are violated. Some drivers are concerned – will the government be able to access these records and be notified if there is a violation?

The Reality: Government Access to Logs will Remain the Same as Before

ELDs are not sent in real-time to the government. The data is saved and sent to a private portal. When does the government get access to these data?

The government would get access in the same situation as if paper logs are being used. Data can be requested in a roadside inspection or in a compliance audit.

Myth: ELDs Do Not Improve Safety.

The official explanation is that ELDs improve safety by preventing drivers from driving overtime and cuts accidents caused by fatigue. Some drivers are skeptical. They feel that ELDs would make driving less safe. If drivers are used to working longer hours, wouldn’t that mean drivers will now rush and cause accidents?

The Reality: ELDs WILL Improve Safety

Remember, rushing and speeding leads to more speeding tickets! The FMCSA studied that ELDs will prevent 1,844 crashes a year. One might ask, is there any truth to these studies? It’s best to look at a real example.

In Europe, there has been an ELD mandate since 2006. Europeans refer to ELDs as “tachographs” and have been doing fine for over a decade. In fact, the European Union is pleased enough with the results that it is planning to tighten ELD regulations.

 

Join us next time as we share more Mythbuster clips and tackle more ELD myths.

Also you can check out our complete guide to electronic logging devices.

 

The Tracy Morgan Story

Tracy Morgan is coming back! For those who are unfamiliar, Morgan is a legendary comedian who came from a tough childhood to making millions of people laugh. He appeared in movies, TV series, and Saturday Night Live.

Netflix recently advertised “Staying Alive”, Morgan’s first special in a few years.

A few years ago, in 2014, Morgan was involved in a serious accident. A truck driver was traveling at 65mph and was too slow to react to a construction zone speed of 45mph. The truck hit Morgan’s limo.

The impact caused a chain reaction. The crash sent Morgan into a 2-week coma, killed Morgan’s mentor, and affected a total of 21 people. How did this crash happen?

Investigators found that the truck driver had been awake for an astonishing 28 hours before the crash. They said that had the driver been alert and slowed his truck to the traffic limit, the crash would have been prevented.

 

Driver Fatigue

Unfortunately, fatigue is still a leading cause of crashes. In fact, worldwide, drowsy driving leads to a cost of $109 billion. In an average year, fatigue causes 328K crashes, 109K injuries, and 6400 deaths.

One recent effort to combat fatigue is the electronic logging (ELD) mandate. Starting in December 2017, the FMCSA is requiring ELDs for trucks operating in the US. A similar mandate is being finalized in Canada.

How does the ELD mandate combat driver fatigue? Traditionally, drivers record their driving hours on paper. These records, however, may be accidentally or even deliberately inaccurate. Electronic logs automatically record hours when trucks are running. This gets drowsy drivers off the road by alerting drivers when they need to stop.

Other than the ELD mandate, what are other ways for safety managers and drivers to stop fatigue?

 

1) Getting enough sleep.

People are recommended to get about 7-8 hours of sleep. Easier said than done! For some people, especially truckers, it is hard to keep a consistent schedule.

As an alternative, drivers might want to consider changing their sleeping schedule. A great way to squeeze in 7 or 8 hours is to consider taking short naps throughout the day. The National Sleep Foundation found that taking a 40-minute nap improved alertness by 100%.

Consider bringing music, earphones, sleep masks or whatever helps to fall asleep!

 

2) Don’t fall for diet traps.

 

Quick fixes such as fast food and coffee sound tempting. As Star War’s Admiral Ackbar would warn, “It’s a trap!”.

These foods lead to fatigue. Fast food is high in body fat and digesting this would take away the body’s energy. Coffee, although giving a short burst of energy, increases a chemical in our body that leads to tiredness throughout the rest of the day.

A handy guide was made by the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute to recommend healthier alternatives. For example, instead of instant noodles, why not try pasta?

 

Image Source: National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute

 

 

3) Exercise!

 

Research shows that regular, low-intensity exercise reduces fatigue by up to 65%. How can drivers get regular exercise while being on the road?

Dubbed as America’s fittest truck driver, Siphiwe Baleka shared a video about his 4-Minute Routine. He keeps active by anything from shadowboxing to lunges. These exercises do not require a gym, improves health, and keeps drivers awake on the road.

Can you keep up?

 

Sources:

CBC: Tracy Morgan Accident Review

Trucking Industry News: States Awarded Funds to Launch Drowsy Driving Campaign

National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute: Low Calories, Low Fat Food Alternatives

Switching from one ELD or telematics provider to another is not the easiest process. However, if you are having issues with your current provider, sticking with them simply because you are worried about making the jump isn’t good either. Once you’ve reached a decision, it’s important to ask the right questions to reduce the pain of switching and prevent any surprises. In this blog we will go over best practices when transitioning from one provider to another.

Investing in telematics for your fleet can be a significant undertaking. Before the final decision is made regarding which telematics provider to choose, there are usually countless demos, meetings, negotiations, and approvals. Once the vendor is chosen, there are then a new set of tasks that need to begin: planning out a telematics strategy, ELD implementation, and most importantly – measuring results.

Why Make the Switch

Almost all customers who implement telematics goes through a similar process. For some, it’s smooth sailing, unfortunately for others, it can be a little more complex. Regardless of how the process goes, customers often stay with their existing telematics provider for a variety of reasons:

• Long-Term Contracts
• Comfort Level
• Capital Expenditures for Hardware
• Back-End Integration

With that being said, sometimes there are compelling reasons why fleets decide a change is necessary – even if it requires a little extra work. The decision to change providers is normally sparked by a few reasons: ongoing hardware costs, reliability, technology, security, or monthly fees.

When vetting out potential partners it’s crucial to take several factors into consideration to make the best decision. The top four criteria to evaluate are: technology, access to data, partnerships with third-party partners, and security.

Evaluating ELD Providers: What to Look For

From a technological perspective, changing telematics hardware and software is often one of the most difficult pills to swallow. Significant investment was already made obtaining the devices, installing and maintaining the devices, and the education internally on how to use the system. Switching from one provider to another requires removing the old devices, installing now ones, and retraining your staff on how to use the new system.

No telematics company can eliminate all the pain of switching providers – however, it’s important to choose someone who is willing to work with you to reduce this pain as much as possible.
Telematics companies today receive data from the devices they sold to the end user. Some of these devices are proprietary and only specific to the provider who sold them. Some other devices are off-the-shelf meaning they are capable of sending data to other sources other than the initial telematics providers software platform.

1. Third-Party Device Integration Speeds Up the Transition Process

Make sure to ask providers about third-party integration (meaning the ability to pull data from a third-party telematics device into their system). With this, customers will often be able to use their existing telematic hardware as they move to a new software solution. With third-party integration, the telematics provider is able to gather key data points from many different hardware platforms.

Examples of data gathered from telematics and third-party device integration:

• Longitute
• Latitude
• Date / Time
• Ignition Status (on/off)
• Speed
• Auxillary Relay Status for up-to 8 Relays
• Device Data
• Engine / Diagnostic Data

Even more data:

• Tow Detection
• Low Battery
• Battery Voltage
• Starter Tamper
• Power Tamper
• Trip Count
• Temperature
• GSM Signal Strength
• Loaded Voltage
• Battery Level
• Successful Uploads
• GPS Fix Attempts
• Failed Uploads
• GPS on Time

This feature allows fleets to transition immediately to the new provider’s system without high costs and confusion. Then over time, if the existing devices fail or new vehicles are purchased, updated hardware from their new provider can be purchased.

This will also allow your internal staff to transition to a single software interface right away – avoiding having to utilize two different systems at the same time.

2. Third-Party Software Partners

The ability to share your data with third-party vendors is critical for the majority of fleets. It could be a maintenance system, a TMS provider, a remote diagnostic system, IFTA reporting system, and the list goes on.

It’s important your new provider understands that all businesses are unique, meaning different integrations are ideal for different businesses. Many providers simply don’t offer these integrations or only provide their customers with in-house packages. Regardless of your existing platform, make sure your new platform has the necessary integrations to optimize your business.

Some telematics companies are moving toward an add-on based approach where customers are able to easily see what companies are integrated and additional information on the vendor. Many think this is the best approach; customers have the option to utilize the telematics providers software plus the third-party vendors to truly optimize their business and accomplish their goals.

Your new partner should have a well-rounded partner network offering benefits to everyone: the provider, the partners, and most importantly, the end customer.

3. Access to the Data

Unfortunately, many telematics providers charge a substantial amount for end users to access their data via APIs, or even worse, prevents them from accessing it all together. To avoid these issues with your future provider be sure to check out their API access and any limitations.

Expandability is a must. Ask for a copy of their Software Developer Kit (SDK). This will explain how you are able to pull raw data from your telematics system in order to be utilized in third party systems. Even if you do not see a need for it today – it’s a good option to have as your business continues to evolve and your needs may change.

4. Security

When shopping around many people forget to ask about security. How does your potential provider handle the security of the hardware? The transmission of data? And the data stored at the server? Simply ask for the provider to give you a copy of their security documentation to review to make sure you will be protected.

As technology continues to change at a rapid pace, asking the hard questions today can save you significant pain in the future.

Interesting about what’s best ELD Provider for you and your business in the long run? Click here to find out.

Check out our comprehesive guide to Canadian ELD Mandate 2019

Original Article:

Making the Jump: Switching ELD Providers by: Scott Sutarik, Business Development, OEM Sales Manager at Geotab