eRODS and ELD Solutions For Your Fleet

If you have a fleet, you’ve probably heard about electronic logging devices (ELDs) and Electronic Record of Duty Status (eRODS), but why do you need them? According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), “Electronic Record of Duty Status (eRODS) software is used by safety officials to locate, open, and review output files transferred from a compliant ELD.” As eRODS software is used by public safety officials to locate, open, and review ELD output files, this topic remains steadily relevant to many fleet professionals. All eRODS are used to view a driver’s Hours of Service (HOS) records and can be sent only to the FMCSA, so regulatory compliance remains critical. For these reasons, we want to highlight several of the main takeaways you need to know about eRODS and ELD solutions as well as the best ELD devices you can use.

Drivers are being asked to transfer eRODS for the current day and the previous seven days. They should be aware that an inspector may ask for eRODS transfer and ELD malfunction instruction cards, an ELD user manual, and produce a minimum of 8-days’ worth of new RODS graph-grids, which can be electronic. If a driver is asked to transfer logs (eRODS), they should use a web service and steer clear of email, as email is not as quick or reliable.

Remember, you can help your drivers be proactive with eRODS. They should take time to learn to avoid being caught off guard during any enforcement stops. An excellent way to ensure this is to remind drivers of how to transfer eRODS during their training.

When you hear the word “audit,” you may feel stressed and unsure of what to expect. Fortunately, there are clearly defined ways you can always remain prepared.

One way is to ensure driver logs are HOS-accurate, and any required edits have been timely proposed and accepted by the driver. Additionally, staying current with unidentified driving events is critical. The host component of the ELD allows you to furnish up to 6-months of eRODS driver logs to the safety inspector. Also, inspectors may request additional, related reports, including unassigned driver logs, personal conveyance, potential violation, and malfunction reports, which are all accessible through the host component of the ELD.

Contrary to what some people think, ELDs are not increasing speeding violations — they are playing a decisive role in lowering total roadside violations.

To further qualify this, driving over 8 hours without a 30-minute break was ranked #5 as the most common roadside violation in 2016. Today, in line with the U.S. ELD Mandate, this violation has now moved to the #18 spot.

If you’re interested in learning more about eRODS and ELD devices, we’d be happy to talk with you about the solutions we offer at Omnitracs. If you want to start preventing violations before they occur with customizable alerts and coordinate communication between the field and office while on the go, explore our Omnitracs One platform