Trucking companies currently face some real headwinds. An uncertain economy, the need to retain good drivers, and increasing fuel costs can all make for some difficulties. Succeeding in these conditions depends on maximizing the efficiency of your fleet operations while also pleasing your drivers. Fortunately, improving efficiency and productivity while benefiting drivers is easier than expected.
A simple, easy-to-use ELD inside the cab saves drivers time, and when part of a larger telematics solution that provides ready integration to the major TMS solutions, dispatchers save time too. Information flows between your team on the road and in the office, and everyone is happy.
Download Benefiting from Automated Workflows
1. Aid Driver Retention by Letting Them Enjoy the Drive
With drivers in short supply, it pays to keep a simple truism in mind. Happy drivers tend to stay, while unhappy ones leave for other opportunities. Helping your drivers feel valued makes them more likely to stick around. By giving them the right tools for the job, such as an advanced ELD solution that simplifies all their tasks related to logging and more, you can show you appreciate them and value their time.
It’s also well known that driver satisfaction is related to their compensation, which is directly linked to the miles they travel. Therefore, it makes sense to use an in-cab solution that can precisely— and automatically—log their driving time, versus the time the truck is stopped not just for mandatory breaks, but also for activities and circumstances such as:
- Loading and unloading
- Inspections and weighing
- Mechanical issues and breakdowns
- Detention at a drop-off location
This level of detail helps carriers address and minimize avoidable non-driving time, which drivers will greatly appreciate. For example, the first step in reducing detention time at drop-off locations is knowing where it tends to occur, to notify such customers of a truck arriving soon (thanks to geofencing) so they can prepare for reception.
An advanced ELD such as ISAAC’s also provides instant and ongoing communication and feedback. For example, dispatchers can easily communicate with individual drivers through an easy-to-use messaging system. However, with distracted driving being a top safety concern in the trucking industry, it’s important to choose an ELD solution that addresses that challenge. For safety reasons, emergency messages can be read aloud to the driver on ISAAC’s tablet when the truck is moving, so they can keep their eyes on the road. The screen otherwise remains locked when the truck is in motion.
2. Reap the Benefits of Focused, Customizable Workflows
User-friendly ELDs paired with telematics solutions provide intuitive screens with prompts that support established workflows. Instead of requiring drivers to remember which action to perform next, innovative technology can provide prompts that take them directly to the next task in the workflow. Besides making things easier for the drivers, the prompts reduce the risk of missing any steps in the workflow or submitting incomplete reports, not to mention the number of clicks that it saves drivers.
3. Simplify Compliance
Between the US and Canadian federal governments and individual states and provinces, there is quite a collection of compliance regulations to untangle. While staying in compliance with all that is not an option, it doesn’t have to be a hassle.
With an ELD solution that supports US and Canadian federal, state and provincial rules, it’s easy to ensure regulatory compliance. Drivers will be notified in real time when approaching HOS limits, so they can plan their stops accordingly. They can select to display the dashboard based on the regulations of their current location and even switch to get an advance view on the remaining hours available in the state or country they are heading to. These features, and several others greatly simplify compliance!
4. Reinforce Safety Measures
ELDs that are based on an advanced telemetry system can go far beyond logging service hours and have a positive impact on driver safety and reduce accidents and incidents.
For example, real-time notifications about hard driving maneuvers shown on the device inside the cab help drivers change their driving behavior, which lowers the risk of accidents. Also, an advanced system that includes dashcams can provide video footage of critical events to coach drivers on avoiding risky behavior to improve safety. And speaking of coaching, a system that includes an in-cab driver coaching feature, while primarily designed to promote eco-driving and lower fuel consumption, has the side benefit of encouraging safer driving.
Learn More About Advanced ELD Benefits
Download ISAAC’s new white paper, Benefiting from Automated Workflows, for a brief but thorough explanation of the ways an advanced ELD can better address the needs of trucking companies and drivers.
About the author
Melanie Simard
Director Compliance, Client Service & Technical Support, ISAAC Instruments
Melanie Simard is Director of Compliance, Client Service & Technical Support at ISAAC. She brings these three groups together to ensure ISAAC clients receive best-in-class service and support, and to demystify all questions relating to regulatory compliance. She is passionate about this last subject, and well attuned to the kind of support ISAAC users need, as she was on that side of the equation before joining ISAAC. With over 20 years in the trucking industry, her field experience as a driver, dispatcher, compliance manager—not to mention an ISAAC user—the trucking DNA she brings to the table is a valuable asset to both ISAAC and its clients.
