Shifting From AOBRD To ELD

Prior to the ELD mandate, most fleets used an Automatic On-Board Recording Device or AOBRD. This AOBRD is hardware device that can be directly connected to the vehicle’s engine and are used to document a driver’s Hours-of-Service, in compliance with DOT. According to FMCSA’s new mandate, fleets that use AOBRD have to ensure that the devices are updated with certified ELD providers by December 2019.

The reason why AOBRDs are required to be updated to ELDs is that the latter is more accurate and authentic, as there is very little driver intervention in editing the data. Here are a few points of differences that AOBRDs and ELDs have:

Point of Difference	ELD	AOBRD
Recording	* Time and Date * Engine Running Status and Hours * Number of Miles Driven * Location * Other Information like duty status, logging status, malfunctions, etc.	* Time and Date * Engine Running hours * Location * Duty Status * Duration of Drive * Number of miles driven
Location	* Location recorded automatically * Change in status of Duty * Period of breaks in during driving * Record of yard moves1 and authorized personal use2	* Location can be entered manually * Change in a Duty status
Accuracy	* For personal transport – 10 miles * For on duty – 1 mile	* Unknown
Record of Edits	* Time of edit * User credentials * Records cannot be changed but edited with annotations * DOT inspectors can check the edit history * Duration of driving cannot be edited	* Edit History not available * Driving time can be edited

1.Yard Moves: Driving within a customer’s yard, receiver’s facility, rail ramp, maritime terminal, or other similar location or facility.

2. Authorized Personal use: Off-duty time as allowed by the company and selected by the driver.

The modern ELDs offer a wide range of data – driver behavior on speeding, hard braking, fuel use, IFTA automation, vehicle inspection reports, and much more. The data and analysis reports generated by the ELD-compliant platforms reduce the paperwork, keep the fleet managers updated on the driver’s and the vehicle’s location in real-time, allow for the planning of a better route, and increase overall operational efficiency.

In light of the changes in the ELD mandate, Matrack Incorporation has designed a breakthrough piece of technology–MA-ELD Classic . It is FMSCA approved electronic logging device, with Bluetooth technology for uninterrupted connectivity. Some of its brilliant features include:

• Voice-activated status change
• Violation Notification
• Low fuel alerts
• HOS logs
• Real-time and Idle Time tracking
• Accident reporting
• Maintenance Check alerts

If your fleet is still using AOBRD, it is high time to update to an Electronic Logging Device. You will need time to train your employees for a successful transition, making sure that all the devices and applications are fully operational. Also, the sooner you have adopted ELD, the better chances are of you avoiding noncompliance or any other regulatory issue.

Visit MatrackInc.com today and join in with the thousands of others who save time, hassle, and money by investing in ELD-compliant devices.