As a fleet owner, there are few things more important than the safety of your drivers and the efficiency of your operations. The right fleet compliance solution should fulfil the technical compliance requirements needed to operate your fleet, while also having tools and data to help you operate your business better.

With the ELD mandate in full effect throughout the United States and Canada, choosing the right ELD is one of the most important decisions fleet owners need to make right now. With so many ELDs on the market to choose from, how can you make sure you choose the right one? We’re here to help!

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What to consider

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Here are a few things owners should consider when deciding which ELD to purchase for their fleet: 

1. Optimize for compliance

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Whether you operate in the United States, Canada, or both, you’ll want to make sure your ELD is registered and approved. 

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If operating within the United States, check the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Registered ELD list to ensure that the ELD provider you’re choosing is certified by the manufacturer. If you’re operating within Canada, ELD devices need to be approved by Transport Canada.

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If your fleet operates cross-border, you’ll want to ensure the ELD you choose is approved in the United States, and is working towards their Canadian certification or already approved. Partnering with ELDs like Geotab will save you from having to change providers to run cross border shipments or end up expanding your business operations to other countries in the future.

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2. Driver safety

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Another important goal of the ELD mandate is ensuring road safety for your drivers. While this is top of mind for most fleet owners, finding an ELD solution that accurately manages and reports the Hours of Service (HOS) of your drivers is non-negotiable. Not only will this help you mitigate the risk of Hours of Service violations, but it will give you real-time visibility into driver logs to make better dispatching decisions.  

With a complete compliance solution like Geotab, you can go even deeper with customizable safety trending reports that let you know how your fleet is performing over time, and get instant driver accident notifications sent to your phone and email. 

3. Maximize your investment

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‍When choosing an ELD for your fleet, you’ll want to look for a provider that offers more than just an ELD. A complete fleet management solution should not only integrate with the other software you use to run your business, but also give you tools to optimize your fleet and better serve your customers as you grow.

Choosing a comprehensive fleet management solution provider like Geotab that also integrates with a TMS like Rose Rocket, lets you see driver and truck locations from your ELD and outstanding pickups and deliveries from your TMS in one system. You can also keep track of driver Hours of Service, so you can see how many hours your drivers have in their shift and plan loads accordingly.

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Choosing the right ELD for your fleet is a big decision that you want to get right on your first try.  With these considerations in mind, you’re equipped to choose a fleet compliance solution that promotes the safety of your fleet and drivers, makes your business operations better, and most importantly, works.

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Want to speak to an expert?

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If you’re looking for further guidance on what ELD to choose, Advantage Asset Tracking, a trusted Geotab ELD partner, can answer all your ELD questions and help your fleet become compliant. To easily get in touch with Advantage Asset Tracking, you can reach out to them here and one of their team members would be happy to answer any further questions you have about Geotab ELDs. 

Check out the Rose Rocket TMS software for further information about the Rose Rocket TMS and ELD integrations.

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