Since the enforcement of the ELD Mandate, it has been a hot topic of conversation across businesses as some comply with this automation, while some debate whether it is best for their supply chain.


The ELD mandate, combined with the emergence of sophisticated mobile fleet management software, is driving fleet owners towards modernization.

Using technology in place of the traditional paperwork has eased the pain points that a majority of fleet owners as-well-as employees experience daily.

Impact Of ELDs On The Supply Chain

Here are five ways of how supply chains have reported benefits since the enforcement of the ELD mandate -
1. Enhanced Accuracy And Vehicle Diagnostics
Before ELDs, fleet managers kept records of service in a logbook. This traditional pen-and-paper method did not guarantee accurate information as it left room for miscommunication.

With ELDs, the information truckers can instantly deliver the data fed into the system to a record-keeping facility or database or become accessible to the Department of Transportation Authorities.

This improved process safeguards the authenticity of the information entered into the system and catches mistakes or miscalculations swiftly compared to human supervision.

Considering an ELD is connected automatically to the diagnostic port of automobiles, it enables the device to monitor fault codes actively.

As a result, you are always a step ahead of any vehicle maintenance issues with real-time alerts and comprehensive reports.

You get real-time alerts whenever your ELD detects a fault code, with the added benefit of identifying recurring issues with historical fault code reports.

You can take precautionary measures at the right time, leading to greater efficiency and productivity.

2. Detailed Operation And Cost Reduction
Management that has their fleets installed with full-service ELD routes have substantially significant intelligence on their fleet operations than they had with the traditional pen-and-paper logbook.

This new insight provides you with more knowledge of how well your operations are functioning and the areas that might use some improvements.

You can easily plan maintenance for automobiles with real-time data available about the health of your vehicle.

You also gain a better understanding of how traffic is upsetting the routes of your trucks, and what innovation you can come up with to avoid disruptions.

You even receive insights on fuel consumption by various trucks and how to allocate them more effectively by minimizing fuel consumption.

Human calculations are susceptible to errors, and paper driver logs are the best place to witness their imperfection in action.

Committing errors such as recording the time wrongly or entering an invalid location while filling paper-logs can lead to repercussions such as rising CSA scores and fines.

ELDs have automated HOS logs, DVIRs, and IFTA fuel tax reporting, eliminating paperwork, as-well-as the errors that came along.

ELDs have not only eradicated errors while recording driver hours but also included the precision of automation.

The FMCSA estimates the ELDs to save over $1.6 billion every year from paperwork savings alone.

They also indicate that carriers might save in additional ways with reduced fuel costs, lessened truck downtime, and reduced total crash rates.

Here’s a breakdown of the findings concluded from a Regulatory Impact Analysis by FMCSA.

Estimated paperwork savings per driver each year -
  • Driver Filling RODS - $487
  • Driver Submitting RODS - $56
  • Elimination of paper driver logbooks - 42
  • Clerk Filling Rods - $120
  • Total - $705 each year in paperwork savings.

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3. Downtime For Drivers And Safety
With traditional logbooks, there were numerous tricks available to cut breaks shorter. ELDs dispose of this possibility and ensure that drivers receive an adequate amount of rest between routes.

Fatigued drivers are vulnerable to automobile accidents, which can risk his/her life and damage your fleet and cargo.

You need to ensure that your drivers are registering their hours through an ELD to protect them from ending up in such bleak situations, but rather make the roads safer for everyone who drives.

Safety is an enormous factor that has led to implementing the ELD mandate. Drivers will be less fatigued while driving and provide more accurate logs in their Hours of Service (HOS) via this mandate.

An analysis conducted by the FMCSA concludes that ELDs can prevent about 20 fatal accidents and 434 injuries each year because of augmented driver security and minimized fatigue.

4. Convenient IFTA Calculation
Fleets need to file IFTA reports at the end of each quarter. This process can be time-consuming and tiresome for those employed in administrative departments.

ELDs deal with this problem by automating the calculation process. Automation can save thousands of dollars by relieving some administrative pressure as-well-as operational expenses.

IFTA reports automated by ELDs also eradicate the possibility of disagreements or errors, remarkably enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of the reports altogether.
5. Greater Profits
ELDs directly leads to much higher profits via better route management, reinforced accuracy in time logs, immaculate vehicle monitoring, computerized IFTA reports, and a cutback in fuel waste.

ELDs can notify the driver if he has left his automobile in idle, which can significantly cut down fuel usage and save companies some serious money at the end of each year.

Despite these aspects seeming like minor pieces of the grander supply chain puzzle when observed separately, a contraction in the cost and boost in the efficiency of each of these increases profits for businesses.

The lack of administrative burden mitigates operational costs. Decreased liabilities and higher insurance rates positively impact the balance sheet.

With proper driver management, fleets can also improve the driver retention rate as job satisfaction escalates.

With better route management, idle-time tracking, automobile fault-code monitoring, automated IFTA calculation, as-well-as reduced fuel wastage, fleets can considerably scale down the cost of operations, which translates into commendable profits.

Final Words

Even though most fleets consider ELDs only as a solution to FMCSA’s ELD mandate compliance, the benefits they offer are hard to overlook.

ELDs can help fleets streamline their activities, step up productivity, expand profits, and delve into new business opportunities by becoming more efficient.

With the information that ELDs capture, the fleet companies can expand at a much brisker pace.

Choosing the right telematics provider to provide you with ELDs for your fleet is paramount, as it would be a game-changer in determining the progress rate of your firm.