Electronic Log Devices So Far so Good

In December of 2017 the United States Department of Transportation mandated that all commercial trucks must use electronic logs (ELDs) replacing the paper method. As a prime carrier into and out of the USA, Taylor Moving implemented these devices into our vehicles with a great deal of trepidation. So far our fears seem to be misplaced.

Our experience with ELDs so far has been positive.

The technology is fairly simple to use and our drivers seem to be adjusting well. We were fearful that it would be too strict as far as stop and start times but it actually has worked in reverse, our teams now tend to plot where they will stop in the day much more efficiently using the map features.

The technology has also prompted us to be more proactive in tracking our drivers. We connect twice a day with each out of area van foreman to make sure he is able to get the job done in the time allowed,without being over his mandated hours of service. This has seemed to enhance our customer experience as sometimes due to things our of our control (severe weather/traffic closures etc) we are able to relay to the clients delays well in advance.

The technology has also allowed us to do much better record keeping for our government reporting and has eased the burden from our drivers from having to fill in paper logs each day.

It truly is a digital world and like most new technologies what is scary at first becomes a powerful tool over time helping to justify the large upfront costs to implement.

The ELD mandate will soon be in effect for Canada in 2019 as well.