IoT Aggregator- Service Provider - Principal Gurtam VAR Partner

Month: October 2020

5 Easy Steps to prepare you for the Canadian ELD Mandate

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If you are Canadian logistics company, you might be aware that the Canadian ELD (Electronic Logging Device) mandate will come into effect on June 12, 2021. Some might think it’s too early to start preparing the Canadian ELD mandate now. This article will help you understand why you need to start today.

In this blog, we dive into the Canadian ELD mandate rules and 5 easy steps to prepare for the Canadian ELD mandate.

Check our blog about the USA ELD mandate and HOS regulation changes.

What is the Canadian ELD Mandate?

Electronic logging device (ELD) is used to electronically keep a driver’s Record of Duty Status (RODS) and all drivers are required to use an ELD to document their compliance with HOS rules.

On April 11, 2019, the CCMTA published the formal Canadian ELD rule. ELD Mandate in Canada comes into effect on June 21, 2021. The Canadian ELD standard is very similar to the USA based FMCSA that came into effect in December 2017. The biggest difference is third party certification which ensures all ELD providers are compliant, their service works and meets all criteria.
 

An ELD is a hardware device which connects to the truck’s engine control module (ECM). It enables you to track HOS (hours of service) compliance, which is mandated for both drivers and trucking companies to track driving hours, and off-duty time, to increase safety and keep drivers safe.

All trucking companies need to transition from paper logs to electronic logs that will record data related to the vehicle, and driver activity, so you can monitor all the data with any internet connected device, such as mobile devices, and tablets.

The following is the Canadian ELD mandate effective date;

Canadian ELD mandate effective date

How it works?

ELD is based on a smartphone app which connects to a Bluetooth-enabled CANbus reader, or a GPS device, and accepts RPM, odometer, VIN and other data directly from the truck’s on-board computer.

The ELD app permanently displays the remaining time of “on-duty” and “driving” status, so that drivers are always in full control, ensuring compliance. Drivers quickly generate their electronic logbook right on the mobile device to display in case of a roadside inspection.

Office workers who manage compliance can then get access to the HOS web app and monitor all drivers’ actual statuses. Easily allowing the back office to clearly see if anybody is out of compliance or close to violating the rules and take proactive and preventive measures.

What are the benefits of implementing ELD?

Using ELDs brings your business huge benefits. It helps drivers increase safety and your business saves time and money. It enables you to utilize resources effectively and optimize scheduling with powerful tools. Fully compliant ELD solutions are simple, easy to use, and provide excellent back office Management tools.

Why ELD? Other than compliance and mandate?

  • Increases safety
    • Reduced vehicle accidents
  • Reduces operating costs
  • Saves time
    • Put hours back in your employee’s day
  • Eliminates human error
  • Proactive central management
  • Excellent back office management services
    • Eliminate paperwork

Here is a video explaining an ELD and its benefits provided by CTA(Canadian Trucking Alliance).

5 steps: How to prepare yourself for the Canadian ELD mandate

5 Simple Getting Started Steps – Help implementing ELD in your Fleet

1. Research & Review

Researching new rules is critically important to comprehend the changes and prepare to adapt yourself to the new rules.

Check materials provided to you by CCMTA and Transport Canada

2. Don’t wait, find your ELD provider today

It’s never too early to prepare for the upcoming Canadian ELD. Geoff Wood, CTA’s senior vice-president also encourages carriers to implement ELDs as soon as possible.

Astreon ELD is a fully certified ELD solution published on the FMCSA website under “Apollo ELD”. Our solution enables carriers to be fully compliant with the mandate while staying adaptable with client needs and requests. This is the easy to use, fully functional ELD solution for your business.

3. Start with a small group of drivers

Training your staff in advance is advantageous to make ELD rules work efficiently in your workplace.

Start slowly and get your driver’s used to digital logging.

4. Roll out ELD across your entire Fleet

It takes time getting driver’s used to Electronic Logging.  Don’t wait for the mandate and avoid growing pains that may cost your business thousands of dollars down the road

5. ELD’s save money, it’s proven

Monitor data provided by Electronic Logging and understand how an ELD helps your business become more profitable.

Are you ready for the Canadian ELD mandate?

For more information about ELD, visit our ELD page.

Contact us today for more information, pricing, and specific case studies.

Tel: +1 (800) 647-4730

Email: sales@astreon.com

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October Monthly Update

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What’s new in October

Good day Astreon clients and partners! This monthly newsletter covers plenty of updates, so make sure not to miss out. Many features and companion apps have been enhanced to help drive more benefits to you and your fleet.

Astreon Main Portal Updates

https://app.astreon.com

VIN Decoder Update

With a recent update to the VIN decoder within the “Profile” tab of a unit’s settings, you will now get even more fields populated automatically with essential vehicle information.

VIN Decoder Update

New Feedback Tool

In the Dashboard view (within the Monitoring section) as well as when selecting the new “Vector” map options within the map button, a Feedback Button has been added to collect feedback from end users regarding these relatively new features. This will help the development team collect information from users that are working with these features on a day to day which will help to better improve future updates and enhancements with these features.

 

Feedback Tool

NimBus

Mileage for rides in reports

We added a Mileage column to all types of reports. The column shows the mileage of the unit track from the first to the last stop. The column shows 0 (zero) if a bus does not visit any stops or is parked for the period.

NimBus

Hecterra

Grouping in reports

You can now group data in reports by

  • Unit
  • Field
  • Driver
  • Operation
  • Crop

Grouping in reports

With this new grouping capability, reports are easily generated, plus get relevant information quickly.

Please note that grouping is not set by default, so users need to set grouping criteria before generating a report.

 

Fuel Sensor Prioritization

You can now prioritize the order of fuel sensors if several similar sensors were installed on your vehicle or asset.  Traditionally values from multiple fuel sensors in a unit were summed up, as a result it was difficult to get detailed and more granular fuel sensor data.

By setting the priority of fuel sensors, you can obtain the exact value of the fuel spent from the specific fuel sensor.

Fuel Sensor Prioritization

Fleetrun

Sending notifications to private Telegram channels

Notifications used to be sent to only public Telegram channels, now you are able to send notifications to private Telegram channels as well.

 

Unit Cost for a specified time period

A new calculation function has been added. You are now able to calculate unit maintenance cost per KM/Mile for a specific time period and not just entire lifetime. You can specify the required period you want to calculate from the calendar.

Unit Cost for a specified time period

The total cost of unit maintenance for the selected period is divided by its actual mileage for the same period. The cost of the selected period is displayed on the right in the calendar.

 

Displaying the average cost of several units in a report

You can now obtain the average cost of several units in a report. The following options have been added to the reports tab in the user interface, within the report type field.

  • By fleet cost per 1 km
  • By unit cost per 1 km

Displaying the average cost of several units in a report

This report gives you a comprehensive overview to analyze which month was profitable, when there were losses, for instance due to car breakdowns or other factors, for the required period (for example, for a month).

 

Unit mileage since operation start

In the unit profile, you can specify the mileage value since the vehicle started its operation. This value is the actual mileage of the unit. It is needed to calculate the average unit cost correctly.

Unit mileage since operation start

Logistics

Custom Fields column added in reports

The new custom fields have been added as a column in unit reports. After you activate this option, the table displays all columns with custom fields for the selected report period. Now the custom fields are displayed both in report tables in Astreon hosting and logistics reports.

Custom Fields

In addition, the new custom fields will be displayed in the exported file, both .xlsx, and .pdf.

Please note that the custom fields column group is available only for the report with detailization since only orders have custom fields. Without detailization, there will be empty columns in your reports.

Required custom fields

Last month, we introduced the new custom fields feature. Custom fields can help you do in-depth analysis by creating custom fields with additional details. You can add and remove these custom fields. You can edit these values at the planning stage in active and planned routes.

These fields are in a separate field in the order creation/modification dialog box.

Custom fields
Custom fields in the order creation / edit dialog

 

Custom fields
Custom fields in the order table

 

This month, the functionality of creating required fields in the settings on the custom fields tab has also been added. From the setting, you can create and name custom fields. The field names you added in the settings will be displayed by default in the order creating dialog and the order table. In addition, each custom field name and its value are distributed in separate columns, which allows you to change each column’s order in the table and sort information by column.

custom field

Contact us today!

If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us.

Tel: +1 (800) 647-4730

Email: sales@astreon.com

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Temperature check kiosks save us from COVID-19?

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Canada is now in a tough situation again as the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing. Each province has been urged to take quick action to contain spread. Especially Ontario continues to see increasing number of COVID-19 cases. In response to the spike, as of Sept. 26, 2020, new requirement has been taken effect, which is mandatory pre-entry COVID screening to all of workers and essential visitors, like contract, delivery and maintenance workers.

The new requirement is an amendment to Ontario Regulation 364/20, the “Rules for Areas in Stage 3”, which is a regulation under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020.

 

Who is eligible?

According to the workplace screening tool guidance issued by Ministry of Health, this new mandatory screening applies to the following people;

  • Any workers: staff (e.g., workers) and is intended to include students, contractors or volunteers that conduct business or related activities where applicable and appropriate.
  • Essential visitors entering the work environment: individuals providing a service in the establishment who are not employees or patrons of the establishment (e.g., delivery, maintenance, contract workers).

Exclusive;

  • Patrons entering a workplace (e.g., customers entering a grocery store, restaurant, bar or other food or drink establishment).
  • Emergency services or other first responders entering a workplace for emergency purposes.

 

When do you have to do the screening questions?

Screening should occur before or when a worker enters the workplace at the beginning of their day or shift, or when an essential visitor arrives.

But the question is “Do you think it is enough procedure to prevent COVID-19 from your workplace?”

 

Advanced technology helps you secure COVID-19 free work environment

Many business owners are anxious about reopening or keeping valuable customers and employees safe. Especially owners in service industries have been receiving huge impacts since the new measures of shutdown of the indoor activities, such as dining, and gyms have been implemented from Oct 10th.  In order to prepare yourself for any changes, business owners need to have solid prevention strategy that they can enforce social distancing and identify people who have high temperature. Taking screening questions might not be enough since respondents might not know their temperature. People don’t check their temperature unless they have significant symptoms and some people don’t have symptoms like others have and it might take time for them to realize that they were infected. In this case, it is extremely difficult to prevent spread of COVID-19 at your workplace.

 

How can we identify whether they have fever or not?

What you need is temperature monitoring tools, like thermal detectors to have a secured prevention solution. There are many tools but the more features it has, the less possibility you expose your customers and employees to the risks.

The minimum features your temperature tool must have would be;

  • Human Body Temperature Detection / with ability to detect wearing the mask
  • Human Detection / Higher accuracy

Those are must-have features to detect someone who has a fever and they can prevent you from spreading COVID-19. However, depending on which industry you are in, your needs would be different, and you must have the adaptable temperature monitoring tool. For those of you, here is high level of A.I. thermal detector which is equipped with many features for variety of industrial use we offer.

 

If you are in service industries or think of installation at your workplace entrance, our A.I. thermal detector has the following advanced features;

  • Face ID Access Control / Variety of door access control
    • Support face recognition or door access control
  • Time Attendance System
    • Building the attendance and access-control plan for registered staff.
  • Wear mask recognition
    • Support face recognition with face mask, recognition rate >95%
  • Wide detection Range3 m ~ 1.2 m forehead body temperature detection
    • 5 m~ 2 m face recognition
  • Customizable multi-language
    • English, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean
  • And more+
Howen Fever Screening System Implemented in US Hospitals
A.I. Thermal detector

Applicable industries & locations

  • Transit
  • Security
  • Airports
  • Schools
  • Hospitals
  • Offices
  • Store entrance
  • Shopping mall entrance
office entrance
Shopping mall
school-buses

Astreon A.I. Thermal Detector

Astreon A.I. Thermal Detector is equipped with many features. If you consider an installation of temperature check kiosks, please contact us for any questions!

You can also learn the details about A.I. Thermal Detector on our website.

 

Get a quote today!

Tel: +1 (800) 647-4730

Email: sales@astreon.com

FMCSA released Educational tool for HOS (ETHOS)

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The last week, we introduced that new HOS regulation had been published and 4 key changes to HOS regulations. Even though there are only 4 major differences, there might be many employers or drivers who have difficulty in understanding new rules. For those of them living in USA, here is great news.

FMCSA released Educational tool for Hour of service (ETHOS) and they offer updates and current information about HOS that went into effect on September 29, 2020 on their website.

HOS tool

Source: FMCSA screenshot

The tool helps carriers and drivers better understand the HOS regulations. When drivers and carriers enter their duty statuses into the web-based log, potential violations of the following rules will be identified by ETHOS:

  • 11-hour driving limit (property) or 10-hour driving limit (passenger)
  • 14-hour driving window (property) or 15-hour on-duty limit (passenger)
  • 30-minute break (property)
  • Sleeper berth provision

 

FMCSA also offers a downloadable file about the pre-populated examples.

By leveraging those useful tool and documentations, you will be able to have clear vision about the HOS new regulation changes and apply it to your business immediately.

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