Deploy Smartphone & Tablet ELDs with Mobility Management Solution

What is ELD?

The electronic logging device (ELD) rule intends to help create a safer work environment for drivers, and make it easier and faster to precisely track, manage, and share records of duty status (RODS) data. And in addition, saving a lot of paperwork. An ELD synchronizes with a vehicle engine to automatically record driving time, for easier, more accurate hours of service (HOS) recording. While all these in place, a monitoring device is highly needed to keep track of things and further analytics.

Can Smartphones or tablets be used as ELD?

The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) allows you to use a smartphone or other wireless device if the device meets the ELD rule’s technical specifications. So, yes, an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) can be on a smartphone if the device meets specifications and the device must be self-certified and registered with the FMCSA. This is because FMCSA does not want to burden the fleet/logistics/transportation companies with increased cost of mounting ELDs…

So, a smaller fleet company may choose to use smartphone or tablet ELDs to help reduce the start-up costs associated with some HOS compliance systems.

The fact is, in today’s time, smartphones are ubiquitous. Banks provide your account details and enable you to do transactions, healthcare services make it possible for you to track your health records and other infrastructure companies enables you to pay your bills. Along similar lines, the logistics/transportation industry is also being transformed by the smartphone revolution, whether it be routing, dispatching, shipping on-demand, or parking info.

With a smartphone-based ELD, drivers, as well as company, will always have their driving data at their fingertips. Their ELD app will accurately log all their time spent working both behind the wheel and outside the vehicle. Connection to the back office means that both drivers and company can monitor hours, and ensure driving limits aren’t exceeded.

With the adoption of smartphones or tablet ELDs, truck drivers find them easy to use. They will be overwhelmed with a solution that will free them from the vehicle and allow them the flexibility.

Can smartphone and tablets ELDs be remotely managed?

Yes, with the help of a SaaS Android Mobile Device Management Solution

Some of the main points on how it can power the smartphones and tablets ELDs…

1. By Lockdown of Android smartphones or tablet ELDs

The problem with smartphones and tablets, however, is that these smart devices aren’t built only for the purpose of ELD compliance. These are consumer devices that have multiple features to meet the expectations of the average population who want to use their phones for chats, photo sharing, and listening to music and watching video.

Fleet operators and companies provide company-owned Android devices to their vehicle drivers with SaaS ELD apps installed on it so that they can record their driving time. Now, when the company-owned Android devices are provided to the drivers, there are chances of misuse of the devices for playing games, streaming live videos, listening to live music, social media etc. This results in declining driver’s concentration and increased mobile data usage and hence, overall company cost.

So, what is the best course of action for someone who wants to use their smartphone or tablet as an ELD? The answer is to lockdown these ELDs with a cost-effective and efficient Kiosk Lockdown and Android Device Management Solution and prevents their misuse by restricting it usage and save on data costs.

2. With the help of Enterprise App store

Popular Android device management solutions like MobiLock Pro comes with Enterprise App store, which is an efficient platform to manage all the in-house developed or business app in one place. For e.g. ELD app or the other apps which are integrated to ELD apps like driver logbook app or any other fleet management apps can be uploaded in the Enterprise App Store and from there, the APKs can be remotely pushed on to the Android devices that are registered to the mobile device management solution. These APKs are automatically downloaded on the devices and the device user will be notified to install the application as well as some devices facilitate silent/automatic installations.

3. By Setting work perimeter virtually with Geofencing of ELDs

The geofencing feature is a highly useful which is provided by the  MDM solution with the help of GPS technology. Admin can set the virtual perimeter in which the trucks need to move if it goes beyond its set boundary, real-time alerts are sent to the admin and hence they come to know about the breach of a boundary.

4. With the help of Real-time Messengers

Real-time messengers are a boon for the drivers of vehicles and for admin as well. For admin, it is smart monitoring tool as it gives real-time notification of the driver’s activities on the smartphones or tablets. And for drivers, it is highly critical as they can communicate seamlessly with their ground staff.

5. Ensuring Battery Optimization

With the ELD mandate, the vehicle’s activity must be monitored around the clock. So, the smartphone and tablet ELD has to be on all the time, while the driver is one work.  As a result, battery will be consumed continuously during that time. Android mobile device management solution is built in such a way that it optimizes the battery usage. It also gives complete usage data to the admin on the central dashboard as well as a real-time status on messenger App, which also serves as a monitoring App. This gives the businesses better information about the status of the remote devices given to the drivers.

Conclusion

Most of the industries like logistics, banking, healthcare, hospitality etc, have already embraced mobility with the amalgamation of smartphones and cloud technology. Then, why not bring the Cloud to electronic logging devices and adding up to the efficiency of logistics and transportation operations? It also meets a humane purpose of safe driving and avoiding accidents.

The versatility of smart mobile devices is only going to increase. For your fleet too, you can use smartphone or tablets provided to the drivers for an ELD, but be sure to ensure its lockdown and restrict its usage Android Device Management Solution which is reliable, flexible, secure and cost-effective.