ELD (electronic logging device)

The ELD mandate replaced paper logbooks with a device that records engine hours, motion and miles and produces the driver’s record of duty status. Roadside inspectors read the log from the device; carriers manage hours from the back office. The rule took full effect at the end of 2017, with older automatic recorders grandfathered until the end of 2019.

For tracking, an ELD is a GPS unit that is always on and never forgets to share its location. Visibility platforms connect to the ELD providers and, with the carrier’s authorization, forward positions to the broker or shipper for the duration of a load. Where it works, it is the best tracking there is: no driver action, updates every few minutes, and a record that settles detention arguments.

Where it does not work is the long tail of carriers a brokerage actually uses on the spot market. The connection requires the carrier to sign up, authorize each broker, and keep the assignment of trucks to loads current. A one-truck carrier hauling for twenty brokers a month rarely maintains that, so the broker falls back to calling the driver, or to sending the driver a link that shares the phone’s location instead. Most tracking programs end up using all three, in that order of preference.