Commercial drivers are legally required to use an electronic logging device app to record their hours of service. With over 700 devices on the market, choosing an electronic logbook can be a daunting process. While compliance is of utmost importance, there are a variety of other factors to consider when choosing the right hours of service ELD app.
For example, if your drivers don’t like the ELD phone app or find it difficult to use, they may not use it properly, which puts your trucking operation at risk for noncompliance. Carriers should do some research before committing to an ELD logbook app and compare alternatives to decide on the best option for their business’s needs.
HOS247 Offers a Top-Rated ELD App
HOS247 ratings on Android and iOS app stores illustrate the quality of our innovative electronic logbook. Ease of use, dependability, and superior customer support are just a few of the benefits of using a HOS247 ELD app, according to reviews on online platforms.
HOS247 has made it a point to provide clients with an hours of service ELD app designed to perform reliably and in compliance. Our team is known for being trustworthy and remaining engaged with the customer, as shown in many of the user reviews. Our customers mention these advantages of HOS247 as some of the most important and most appreciated:
- Top-rated customer support. Our team of experts is ready to assist you every day of the week in English, Spanish, Russian, and Polish.
- User friendly. The installation of the HOS247 hardware is fast and straightforward and the app can be downloaded and ready to record HOS after only a couple minutes. You can have your elog in place and get things up and running in no time.
- Flexible options. HOS247 plans can be scaled up or down as the customer needs. We also offer a two week tryout period so that the users can get familiar with the product. If you wish to return the equipment after this time, you will receive a full refund. Also, HOS247 requires no commitments on behalf of customers so you do not need to sign a contract.
- Extra features. GPS Tracking, IFTA mileage calculations, and vehicle diagnostics are available with the electronic logbook.
Are Elog Apps FMCSA-Compliant?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration states that an electronic logbook is a device that is physically connected to the engine of the vehicle. Once connected, it should record hours of service information and records of duty status. The device records the information, while the ELD logbook app serves as a tool to help drivers, fleet managers and roadside inspectors access the information gathered.
Since the hours of service ELD app is simply installed on the driver’s phone or tablet, it is not not FMCSA-compliant by itself. However, it becomes compliant when it syncs up to the elog system and pairs up with the hardware of a registered elogbook.
Should Truckers Choose Android or iOS Apps to Run ELD Software?
Whether CMV drivers should choose an Android or iOS ELD app is a popular question. Keep in mind, however, that the online log book app itself doesn’t have to be compliant. Therefore, it is the actual elog solution that drivers should be more concerned with. If the device that’s connected to the vehicle isn’t compliant, then neither the Android nor iOS app that displays its data will be any good.
Overall, whether or not Android or iOS is “better” is all up to driver preference. That’s why HOS247 offers both Android and iOS apps for drivers. This is a testament to our commitment to driver satisfaction. There’s no reason a driver should have to purchase a new smartphone or tablet and try to learn a new operating system if their current device works just fine.
Like HOS247, any respectable electronic logbook provider should offer apps for both operating systems with driver convenience in mind.
ELD Logbook Apps Must Support the Updated Version of the HOS Rules
Elog providers need to constantly have their fingers on the pulse of changing regulations. If a device purchased five years ago hasn’t been updated, drivers could very well be facing noncompliance and being put out of service.
HOS247 has been providing reliable electronic logging devices and an online log book app since before the elog mandate was officially passed. We have also kept up with changing regulations so drivers and fleet managers aren’t caught off guard. Part of that has been making sure HOS247 Android and iOS apps support the most recent version of the HOS rules.
Before defining the most current HOS rules, it is important to define what “hours of service” are in the eyes of the FMCSA. In short, HOS rules specify the maximum amount of time drivers are permitted to be on duty. Ultimately, these rules are intended to increase driver safety by making sure they’re taking sufficient rest periods, which in turn ensures that they’re more alert when driving.
The four provisions that changed include:
- The short-haul exception. The old short-haul exception stated that drivers could travel no more than 100 air miles from their home terminal and complete their shift within 12 consecutive hours. The new HOS rules expand the short-haul exception to a distance of 150 air miles and shifts of 14 consecutive hours.
- Adverse driving conditions exception. Before the updates to the HOS rules, drivers could only extend their driving limit, not their on-duty limit, by two hours if they encountered unexpected delays due to traffic or adverse weather. Now, drivers can extend both their on-duty and driving limits by two hours.
- 30-minute break requirement. Prior to the HOS revisions, drivers were required to take a 30-minute break within their first eight hours of on-duty time. Now, drivers can take their break within their first eight hours of driving time. They can also allow a 30-minute period of on-duty time to qualify as the break, providing they weren’t driving during that time.
- Sleeper berth provision. The old sleeper berth provision allowed drivers to split their off-duty period into what was considered “an 8/2 split” in order to satisfy the 10-hour minimum off-duty requirement. One off-duty period had to be eight hours while the other had to be two hours, with the two-hour period counting against their total 14-hour driving window. Now, drivers can meet their 10-hour off-duty requirement by spending at least seven hours of that period in the berth, with a minimum off-duty period of at least two hours spent inside or outside the berth. As long as they total 10 hours, neither period counts against their 14-hour driving window.
About HOS Rules
Drivers who are subject to HOS regulations are required to limit the amount of time they spend driving or on duty. According to the FMCSA, the HOS rules apply to most CMV drivers involved in interstate commerce driving a vehicle that fits any of the following descriptions:
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) or a gross combination weight rating (GCWR) of 10,001 pounds or more.
- Is used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) without driver compensation.
- Is used to transport nine or more passengers (including the driver) with driver compensation.
- Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity that requires the use of placards.
Even if a driver is not required by law to follow the HOS rules, they should still consider using them as a guide to keep themselves and other drivers safe on the road; using a registered ELD can help significantly while also boosting productivity.
Why Are HOS Rules Enforced?
Driver fatigue has been a huge problem ever since highways were created and commerce relied on drivers to transport goods across the country. When drivers were spending hours behind the wheel without breaks, it led to fatigue, which caused a high number of accidents. The federal government is obliged to keep roads safe for travel, and HOS rules are part of its efforts to get there.
Commercial truck drivers have been maintaining RODS as part of HOS requirements since 1937. The rules have simply been revised throughout the years to keep up with new technology and to better address driver safety.
Who Enforces HOS Rules?
While the FMCSA creates HOS rules, it is the states’ departments of transportation that enforce them. This is typically done at weigh stations and when drivers are pulled over for inspections. The FMCSA also conducts a Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) program used to monitor CMV operators’ compliance with highway safety regulations. If a driver has any HOS violations, it negatively affects their CSA score.
HOS violations are a serious danger to public safety in the eyes of the FMCSA. As such, the agency may enforce corrective measures and even penalize the driver and their carrier. Such corrective measures can include a written warning, an official investigation, a fine, or even loss of their commercial driving certification.
The Importance of Technology in HOS Compliance
As technology continues to improve, it becomes easier and easier to comply with HOS regulations and the elog mandate. For that reason, there is no excuse not to use apps for accurate HOS recordkeeping. Using a top-rated hours of service ELD app ensures compliance, safety, productivity and more for profitable trucking operations.
I’ve co-founded, built and managed several transportation-related businesses. Now, I’m a founder and CEO of HOS247 – an AI Transportation Platform for trucking companies, freight brokers and other logistics operations. We are transitioning old-style operations to technology-advanced logistics entities and help them to grow their businesses. ELDs (electronic logging devices), fleet tracking and management 2.0 combined with AI-powered dispatch tools.
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