Ways electronic logging devices (ELDs) can improve efficiency

September 21, 2020 Casey Nighbor

For the past couple of years, article after article has featured the infamous electronic logging devices (ELDs) and their impacts. Few articles have explained how ELD data can help fleets make operational changes to improve efficiency. ELDs provide important information, ranging from potential HOS violations to route problems.

Here are three ways your fleet can use ELD data to improve your operations.

1. Pinpoint route problems

Inefficient routes can cause delays, resulting in late deliveries and poor customer service. ELDs offer GPS tracking, giving carriers better insight on where drivers are located, and why that location is affecting their shipments.

By instructing drivers to annotate their routes on their ELDs, managers can learn which routes have more traffic than others, or which routes are being impacted by weather, road closures and construction. Having this insight can help with route planning, allowing carriers to improve their route efficiency and ensure timely deliveries.

2. Staff drivers appropriately

One of the main benefits of ELDs is their ability to collect HOS information. This helps fleet managers ensure drivers aren’t driving more, or less, than they should be.

To help increase productivity and profitability, fleets can keep trucks moving by rotating through drivers who are other being underutilized. Fleets can also learn when and where they may need more drivers. By sharing this information with a driving staffing partner, fleets can improve their recruiting processes.

3. Reduce paperwork and save time

A big advantage of using ELDs is a reduction of paperwork. This saves the driver time by not having to record their information on paper and it’s tracked for them. Once you’ve converted to an electronic log, it’s difficult to go back to keeping paper logs because they are so much more time consuming comparatively.

ELDs are here to stay, and as fleets and drivers begin to embrace them, the benefits will become more apparent. For help implementing and navigating ELD information, rely on industry partners like Centerline. Sharing information is the best way to create a customized staffing plan for your fleet.

Want to stay up to date with trucking regulations? Check out our regulations resource center.

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