Common ELD mistakes can be solved
The Rockwell Tripmaster is an iconic electronic tool that has been monitoring compliance with Health Standard (HS) rules since the early 1980s.
However, some truck drivers and fleets still haven't adapted to the technology, as evidenced by the U.S. mandated electronic logging devices (ELDs) in 2017, which have been difficult to certify for Canadian service due to a lack of third-party certification processes.
This has led to the need for a digital tracker to help people use the tools more effectively.
Canada's fleet safety compliance auditors have identified common mistakes made by truck drivers and fleets in the early days of ELDs.
These include not auditing or reviewing drivers' logs, not understanding HoS rules, failing to log in to the ELD, and maintenance staff not logging in.
This can lead to drivers mistakenly omit information from required fields.
It's not a driver management system
ELDs no longer need to monitor truck drivers' compliance with Hours-of-Service rules.
Kris Fulgham, a transportation compliance consultant with CayCan Safety Consulting, found that the ELD (Evidence-Based Logistics) is not a violation monitor, but rather a way to verify driver logs with physical records such as receipts, payroll records, and other physical records to corroborate their reports.
GPS is used to track locations to ensure that drivers are following safety regulations.
“If the alerts haven’t been set up properly on the back end, the right people might not see them.”
– Robert Desmarais, Hub International (Quebec)
The most important details of the phrases ELD, violation, Hub International, and Desmarais are that if the driver logs off-duty instead of driving, the ELD will miss all the hours that were falsely logged.
Companies that rely solely on the system to trigger alerts and warnings may not see the violations, and if there are inconsistencies, it is a violation.
Hub International (Quebec) states that if an alert is not detected, the right people might not see it, and fleets must still check that the driver has available hours before dispatching a load.
Unassigned Driving
The most important details of the phrases ELD, driving hours, duty status, deliberate move, and problem with unassigned driving are that drivers often lack an assigned driver, can be tempted to log off at the end of shifts, and may fail to accurately note a change of duty status.
This can lead to drivers and carriers being caught in a difficult situation, and it can be difficult to retroactively fix when one or more drivers who share the same truck fail to enter driving and off-duty/not-driving time.
“It’s like they just magically appear there [and] drive the truck for 20 minutes.”
– Kris Fulgham, CayCan Safety Consulting
Fruitgham suggests that managers should take a shotgun approach when assigning driving time, as the work was assigned to drivers in the midst of their days off.
He believes that the drivers are 150 kilometers away from the terminal, and that they just magically appear there and drive the truck for 20 minutes.
Yard Moves
Companies set up profiles to account for mechanics who drive a truck around a fleet yard or travel to an outside shop, but then assign all unidentified driving to that profile, which goes against Canada's technical standard.
Fulgham notes that every driver account must be a unique individual tied to a valid driver's licence, and that if a dummy account is created to handle unidentified driving, it is in violation.
He has yet to see how enforcement will handle the issue, as no regulator has put their toe in the pool to test the water and determine if they will care about that.
Incomplete or incorrect data
Fulgham's audits reveal thousands of mistakes in the "form and manner" category of ELDs, including the driver's first and last name, unit numbers, carrier name, and home terminal address.
He also states that fleets often use an abbreviated name for the company, or a "popular" name rather than the carrier's complete legal name, such as "JP Trans". Some operators with numbered company names have given their companies a "doing business as" (DBA) name, not the official company name.
Fulgham is aware of at least two ELD brands that will allow a trip to continue before all those fields are filled, and has informed the certifying body as well as Transport Canada. Both parties said they're looking into it.
Hours-of-service training
Fulgham and Desmarais have seen drivers logging into the Economic Driver's Life Cycle (ELD) without logging their full 10 hours off-duty, which is a permanent record of the error.
This can lead to drivers taking nine hours off over midnight instead of 10, resulting in a "double-dipping" period.
Relying on Alerts
Operations staff must be aware of the various scenarios where a lack of understanding around HOS can lead to drivers and fleets getting into trouble.
Drivers can rely on the ELD to give them alerts when they are close to the end of driving hours, but they must act on that advice. Dispatchers must reconfigure the trip to complete it legally if they are unaware of the situation.
ELD Malfunctions
EDL vendors and drivers need to have training about how to use their respective devices, even when an ELD malfunctions.
Desmarais notes that there is a procedure for that procedure and that the driver must report it. The company also needs to have several people on staff to handle the problems and others. It's still early days for ELD enforcement in Canada and there may be hiccups.
An auditor may be necessary to look at how the transition is managed. fees for the service will be lower than the costs that come after chalking up inadvertent violations.