The June 2022 deadline for ELD compliance in Canada has been pushed back to January 1st, 2023.
CCMTA (Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators) announced the full ELD enforcement extension on March 7, 2022.
The ELD mandate enforcement was originally scheduled for June 12, 2021, however, the enforcement was delayed by a year due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and other challenges related to certification.
With this current extension, the CCMTA decided to extend full ELD enforcement due to the small number of certified ELD providers. At the time of writing this article, there are 14 out of approximately 700 ELD providers certified on the Transport Canada website.
“Jurisdictions have been monitoring progress and determined that an extension of the transition period is required. This will allow sufficient time for the industry to purchase and install certified ELD devices, and conduct training to be compliant. Based on these factors, jurisdictions will continue to support the mandate through a period of education and awareness through to January 1, 2023.” – Announcement by CCMTA.
This extension will ensure that carriers can have sufficient time to purchase, install ELDs and educate drivers to comply with the ELD mandate rules.
What should carriers do during this period?
While we hope that the delay in full enforcement would allow carriers to have sufficient time to prepare for the ELD mandate, the fact is you need to get started as soon as possible.
ELD price increases are expected due to the shortage of certified ELDs providers in Canada, and ongoing supply chain shortages, causing device costs to go up. The following factors pressure ELD providers and end up causing price increases.
Lengthy process of ELD registration & Certification
Unlike the USA, Canada takes a more systematic approach to ELD certification. In Canada, ELDs can only be third-party certified and can not be self-certified. In the process, 3 independent certifying bodies work with manufacturers to test and approve their devices. See the image of the process with duration figures. It can take up to 1 year to get an ELD solution approved.
Certification costs
According to trucknews.com, ELD providers can submit only three models at a time, the certification fee is approximately $50,000 USD per device. This only includes 1 mobile OS (like Android or iOS). If an ELD provider wants to get both mobile operating systems approved for each device, then the cost doubles. Each year, 25% of the ELDs will have to be retested for which ELD providers will have to pay $12,000 to $25,000 per device model.
An answer to the question: What should carriers do during this period?
Get ready for ELD Compliance as soon as possible
Looking at the cost and the lengthy process, you can clearly see why so few providers are certified today, almost 1 year after the mandate has been implemented.
That being said, most or all ELD providers are expected to raise their rates by up to 40%. Essentially these high costs of certification and upkeep are being passed on to the consumer. If you already have an ELD today, there is a good chance it won’t get certified in Canada. If it does, expect a cost increase of your services along with it.
Astreon certified ELDs
Astreon has partnerships with fully certified ELD service providers in Canada and the USA, such as Apollo ELD (outlined in the link above), brought to you by Astreon, as well as Vistracks (in partnership with Omnitracs). These are industry-leading ELD products that are driver-friendly and well recognized in the USA and Canada.
In addition to certification, leverage our ELD solutions to provide continuity and risk mitigation for your business with HOS, IFTA reports, Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports, Engine Diagnostics, and many more powerful features.
Innovations in telematics and technology are continuously shaping the world for the better. There is nothing you cannot track and monitor from your mobile phone. Using GPS Tracking becomes a standard in private fleets. A school bus is one of the vehicles that benefit from the features of GPS Tracking.
With school transportation, the protection of children is the biggest priority for their schools and parents alike. Especially, children on the way to school via a school bus. These are concerns for parents in terms of safety, like whether the bus is in good operating condition, the bus takes a safe route, or a driver is following the proper route. GPS tracking takes care of these concerns and also adds a ton of operational benefits for school boards and private bus operators. GPS tracking will help improve fleet efficiency and provide safety for children.
Let’s dive into the features of GPS tracking and how schools and parents can benefit from it.
How does it work?
The school bus GPS tracking system allows the school and parents to gain visibility, safety and manage the GPS location of the school buses along with arrival and departure times at every stop along the route, including route optimization, route history, and schedule. Think of a parent who knows the Buses ETA to a stop and doesn’t have to wait in the cold with their child during inclement weather.
By connecting the GPS tracking system with fleet management software, the schools can monitor, track and manage all school buses to operate on time and safely. Parents, using a GPS Tracking app on their smartphone, can monitor and track the whereabouts of their children, the time and location they are picked up and dropped off, and which school bus they took.
Features of GPS tracking for school buses
Combination with fleet management software gives you full operational support;
Stops and ETA
Route adherence
Schedule management
Buses are visible to parents and school boards alike
Auto assignment of a bus to a route
Late, Early arrival notifications to parents and school boards
Detailed reporting
Real-time tracking on the map with scaling features
Benefits of using GPS tracking for school buses
The advancements in GPS tracking and cloud-based technology have made real-time tracking a necessary solution for schools today. A centralized GPS for school buses provides an opportunity for schools to keep an eye on the entire fleet that is in operation and for parents to only see the bus and ETA of their children’s route.
Let’s take a look at some benefits from everyone’s perspective, Schools and Parents.
Benefits for schools
Improve routing and scheduling
Instead of planning routes manually, the application helps you generate optimal travel routes more efficiently.
Based on service time commitments, route preferences, what kind of capacity the vehicle has, and traffic, the application provides planned routes with information on the estimated arrival time and mileage of each stop and route. Optimal routes will result in increasing commitment of operational schedule, increased customer & driver satisfaction, and cost savings.
Improve Fuel efficiency
Effective transportation management not only saves time by optimizing routes but also saves money.
Optimized routes and eliminated unauthorized trips allow school transportation to cut mileage, fuel, and maintenance expenses. Drivers spend less time on the road, along with optimized and improved routes, which results in reduced fuel consumption and reduced operation time.
Fleet management software also provides you with impactful reporting so that you can see precisely which areas need to be improved to lower costs and increase profits.
Monitor bus driver’s performance & behavior and assure the safety of children
Real-time monitoring and data enable a school to measure driver behavior and safety. The fleet management software allows school authorities to track the school bus operation in real-time. It improves planning accuracy, driver discipline, and children’s transportation quality.
Benefits for parents
Assuring safety
By letting children have an ID tracker or smartwatch tracker integrated with fleet management, parents can get real-time information about the children’s exact whereabouts.
In addition, parents can see real-time school bus location, where and when students board the bus, and receive real-time alerts if unusual events are happening.
Route history
Parents can check their children’s travel history so that they are not concerned about the safety of the vehicle and their children.
Astreon GPS Tracking and fleet management for school buses
Astreon offers GPS solutions tailored to your fleet. With our multiple solutions including scheduled transportation management, delivery monitoring service, maintenance management, driver behavior monitoring, transit agriculture, and much more, you will find the best solution with us.
Our application for school buses comprises the core functionality of satellite tracking software and specialized tools designed for route management. Use the service to create stops, optimize routes, distribute vehicles across routes, manage schedules, and track route performance in real-time. The application features intuitive navigation and a user-friendly interface, a handy timeline and event-based notifications for online tracking, a special ACL system and the proprietary API for third-party software integration and custom development.
Advanced technology has made it much easier to be a field worker. Mobile devices, mobile apps, SaaS, cloud-based solutions, and software integration have revolutionized how corporations manage their remote workforce to keep up with high demand. It is critical for managers to assist their field employees in performing their job more effectively, to track and complete all tasks on time.
Mobile Workforce Management solutions (MWM) provide visibility to field workers, optimize and control field operations, and mobile staff performance. How can your business benefit from a MWM solution?
What is Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) and Mobile Workforce Management Software(MWMS)?
Mobile Workforce Management (MWM) is the management of a mobile workforce with the help of tools such as apps, software, and processes or networks.
Mobile Workforce Management Software (MWMS) is a software solution integrated with MWM that enables businesses to manage their employees while they are on the go. For mobile workers, it’s a tool that assists them in performing their job more effectively and flexibly throughout their day. For a manager, it’s a visibility solution that helps them keep track of what their field workers are working on. This application gives managers and employees alike access to their work schedules, contact information, and other pertinent information from any location with Internet connectivity.
MWM Fact sheet: Why your business needs the power of Mobile Workforce Management
In today’s global workforce, 80 % are deskless workers. According to the survey from EMERGENE, the top deskless workforce industries are: Agriculture, Education, Healthcare, Retail, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Transportation, and Construction, employ 2.7B employees.
This survey also shows the fact that 82% of respondents from those top industries are planning to increase spending on technology for their deskless workforce. Transportation and Manufacturing are the two leading industries. In addition, these industries are willing to invest in new technologies to assist their employees with productivity and keep them happy.
Companies with deskless workers are beginning to see that great technology can be as important to this part of the workforce as it is to the rest of their employees.
Benefits of using Mobile Workforce Management
With compact mobile devices, combined with the extensive coverage of today’s wireless networks, it enables you to track and monitor virtually anything; not just where cellular service is available, but anywhere you can see the sky. The end result is improved security, productivity, and a superior customer experience.
When you integrate your MWM app with software, you can access all operational insights to make data-based decisions that help elevate your business strategy and improve productivity.
Cost-effective
MWM apps gather operational insights, such as fuel level, idling time, fleet maintenance, mileage, breakdown, driver’s behavior, etc. You can make better decisions by analyzing this data to reduce operational costs. Gain insight on the best time for an oil change, vehicle replacement, fuel costs, and so much more.
Enhance staff efficiency & productivity
With the telematics data & reports, you can analyze working processes, optimize and organize
the workers, and improve efficiency. Mobile Workforce Management streamlines scheduling, dispatching, and communicating through centralized tools. That result is reducing downtime, increasing efficiency & productivity.
Safety
Safety is always a priority, especially under mobile workforce conditions such as working remotely. Mobile workers often encounter unexpected events, such as inclement weather, accidents, traffic, environmental variables, etc. MWM will assist mobile workers in maximizing their job performance and dealing with any unpredictable incidents. With MWM, the workers get the opportunity to send pictures, SOS messages, or location info. Their manager can assist them in real-time. You always know your worker’s location, speed, and status.
Improve customer satisfaction
Seamless work leads to job completion on time, which improves customer satisfaction. MWM provides a wide range of effective operating procedures for mobile workers to complete their job effectively. It provides optimized routes which will result in faster service times. It also provides advanced reports you can analyze which areas of improvement.
Astreon Mobile Workforce Management
Astreon Mobile is a fully-featured and effective mobile workforce management service. We capture accurate speed and detailed location throughout the day. Astreon mobile is designed to provide visibility to field workers, optimize and control field operations and mobile staff performance.
Astreon Mobile Features
Latest data at hand
View the main tracking parameters on the home screen for quick checks. Everything is automatically updated based on the latest message from the device.
Data from workers
Workers can send pictures, SOS messages, or location info. The back office is notified when personnel needs help or further instructions.
Custom statuses
Tailor the app to business needs; set up the required statuses and get messages with custom events to know what’s happening in the field.
QR codes
Let workers log in with a QR code. Have them scan QR codes at certain points or status changes, for example, at the end of a route.
Remote control
Request actions such as a camera snapshot or a service stop and change settings of the app remotely to proactively guide the workers.
Chat with employees
Send and receive various types of messages from the field workers for close and detailed day-to-day communication.
Turn your smartphone into a tracker and make sure that with the Astreon Mobile Workforce Management app! For more information about the app, check our mobile app page.
One of the buzzwords in the commercial transport industry since last year is surely the ELD (Electronic Logging Device). It’s been in effect in the U.S. since 2017 and 2021 in Canada. In Canada, ELD will be the topic of discussion frequently this year because the penalties for non-compliance will be enforced on June 12, 2022, and very few companies are certified by Transport Canada as of the time of publishing this article.
ELDs are ECU-connected devices combined with Android or iOS Phones, Tablets, or other hardware logging screens used in the commercial transport industry which provides an accurate and simple means of keeping HOS records. For professional drivers and fleet operators, this is required by law.
Assured Techmatics was founded in 2004 and is based in Florida, United States. Its purpose is to develop a location-based solution to improve drivers’ travel experience. It has come a long way since the track and trace days. It has achieved unbelievable success with its ELD solution since it was launched back in 2016. Its flagship product apollo ELD is the powerful bundle of reliable hardware, state-of-the-art software and an ongoing commitment to support its customers and increase its satisfaction with the service it provides. – Verified Market Research
Apollo ELD is the second ELD provider listed by FMCSA and is now certified in Canada. With the ease of use and advanced features support of numerous ELD devices, DVIR, IFTA, and dispatch integration, Apollo ELD has been awarded TOP 3 ELDs.
What’s unique about Apollo ELD?
Apollo ELD is a certified and ELD-compliant product that fully conforms to both ELD and AOBRD standards. While being comprehensive, apollo ELD is developed with drivers in mind and thus is quite easy to use. In addition to an app for the driver, there is a feature-rich portal for use by the back-office personnel. Remote drivers and office staff are always in sync with key information, critical to operations, is available to all.
Integration with Dispatch
Another unique feature of apollo ELD is the integration with dispatch. Drivers or back-office personnel can initiate a dispatch, i.e., pickup or delivery, and can update information as required including ETA. Shippers or receivers can log into the portal and know where the truck is and note current ETA information. This significantly reduces the need to buy a separate Transportation Management System and manage additional products which are probably not integrated with ELD. Apollo ELD is integrated with dispatch and information such as remaining driving time flows seamlessly into dispatch decision-making to better schedule drivers and maximize dispatch effectiveness and efficiency.
Key features of Apollo ELD
Extremely easy to use and navigate
Fully ELD compliant in the United States and Canada and supports Mexican rules
Integrated with multiple hardware device types
Supports IFTA
Supports key intrastate driving rules
Available in English, Spanish, Canadian French
Integrated with dispatch
Supports Android and iOS devices
Applicable for diverse industries
Commercial fleet
In 2019, the commercial vehicle market stood at 13.8 million vehicles, 30% of which being GVW 8 general freight, rental/leasing services trucks. apollo ELD proved to be reliable for the commercial fleets which are the major market.
Public Transportation
As of December 2017, Precious Cargo has installed Electronic Logging Devices on all motor coaches and school buses in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Part 395, 49 CFR 395.8(a). The ELD Rule is the latest safety initiative that was enacted by the FMCSA on December 15, 2015. apollo ELD is fully compliant with this rule and provides services to the bus operators.
Logistics & Supply Chain
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 logistics and supply chain vehicles were essential in delivering vital supplies to the national supermarket chains and companies. Apollo ELD provides service to big food supply chains.
Get ready for ELD compliance with us and replace your current ELD!
If you are not compliant yet or you are looking for extensively advanced features, you can easily migrate your ELD providers to apollo ELD without buying new hardware. For more details about Apollo ELD, visit our Apollo ELD page.
This year has a log of changes in the world, especially regulations. In addition to Covid-19 regulations, there are many regulations we have to comply with. The term “changes” also applies to fleet and technology industries this year. In this article, we review critical changes that happened this year to those industries and how these changes will impact your business from next year.
Canada ELD Mandate
2021 is a big year for the Canadian ELD market. This year is the first year of enforcement of ELD regulation in Canada. The Canada ELD (Electronic Logging Devices) Mandate went into effect June 12th, 2021 with a “progressive” enforcement period due to the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the complexity of obtaining certification in Canada.
With this measurement, the ELD implementation delay has been put on hold until June 12th, 2022 to elevate education and awareness of the implementation of ELD.
Global warming is becoming a serious issue all over the world and there is no surprise that the fleet industry contributes to this situation. With this fact, efforts to boost sustainability in the transportation sector are increasing, as customers become more likely to weigh the environmental impacts of their purchases and government across the globe draw up more stringent regulations. In addition, the U.S administration had ordered federal agencies to develop tighter fuel efficiency, greenhouse gas, and oxides of nitrogen emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks in 2021.
More stringent regulations are expected to come next year in the world. Be prepared for any regulation impacting the fleet industry. It’s for sure that the truck industry will need to take the next leap in sustainability no later than 2030 because most countries set vehicle electrification targets by 2030. You can find the Vehicle electrification goals by country in the report from icct.
For emission regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, read our blogs and be prepared for the changes:
Connectivity and data management are now set to unleash the next renovation in the history of farming: Smart Farming / Precision agriculture. It enables farmers to collect vast quantities of data and control different equipment or monitor individual animals. Now, farmers are starting to adopt digital technology and data-driven innovations. See how Smart Farming can solve agricultural operational problems.
What do 2022 and the future in the fleet industry look like?
Canada ELD regulation will be fully compliant
All Canadian trucking companies (there are some exemptions from the Canadian ELD mandate) must prepare for the ELD mandate by June 12th, 2022. Violating the regulation could charge you a fine or receive formal warnings. Being compliant doesn’t sound only complicated, but is also beneficial for your fleet operation financially and productively. Leveraging ELD brings many benefits, like more efficient route management, vehicle diagnostics, and minimizing administrative difficulties. Find more ELD benefits on our ELD page.
In the Executive Order by U.S. President Joe Biden, he states that “America must lead the world on clean and efficient cars and trucks. That means bolstering our domestic market by setting a goal that 50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.”.
In 2021, we saw self-driving cars becoming more prevalent as well as carpooling services becoming increasingly popular with people who have car ownership but do not drive often enough to warrant owning a car themselves. Also, major auto manufacturers like Tesla, Volvo, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz manufacture EVs to meet the demand from consumers, contributing to a dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions. As an example, Volvo is committed to producing purely EV’s by 2030.
Not next year, but 2030 would be a milestone in the history of an electric vehicle.
To learn more about electric vehicles, check our blogs.
When it comes to the profitability of the rental industry, it depends on efficiently renting out assets, keeping them in good condition, and managing the asset’s life cycle.
To maximize profitability, a rental company needs to know when and whether their assets will be returned in what condition so that they can be checked in, maintained, and quickly put back on the rental list again.
Most rental companies struggle with asset management. If your company has not installed an advanced asset management system, you will face many issues. For example, it is more complicated to monitor and organize which asset from which location is readily available to be rented out if a rental company has multiple branches. It will end up costing tens of thousands of dollars if you lose even one piece of equipment. They are often not in an ideal condition when your customer returns your rental assets.
According to the report from National Equipment Registry, about 1,000 pieces of commercial equipment are reported stolen every month, which is equivalent to anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion loss per year for business owners.
The lack of an advanced asset management system will result in inflated maintenance and management costs. In order to overcome these challenges, GPS tracking is a must-have for all rental industries to manage and mitigate operational risks.
How a GPS Tracking works for the rental equipment industry
Maximizing profitability in a rapidly growing market can be challenging. In fact, the equipment industry in the U.S. is growing. According to the statistics from statista, the size of the U.S. equipment rental market is projected to be sized at approximately $53 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a 10% of increase from its in 2020.
Along with its increasing market, operators in the rental industry are concerned about the safety and maintenance of their equipment. It is not easy to know how their equipment is used by their customers, or whether they return their rental equipment at the right time in the right place.
To manage and monitor all challenges, GPS tracking solutions help locate your assets using a pre-installed transmitter that tracks the location of the specific object using signals from several satellites and calculating the delay between each one. Today, GPS tracking is more powerful, accurate, and comprehensive by integrating with an asset management system.
GPS tracking integrated with an asset management system provides you with insightful, real-time data and reports that support you to improve safety and productivity.
Let’s look at the benefits of installing GPS Tracking in the rental equipment industry.
5 benefits of GPS tracking for the rental equipment industry
Tracking real-time location & geofencing
Renting your assets to others is risky unless you have full control of management and monitoring. Heavy equipment assets are highly valuable and difficult to replace. With GPS Tracking for heavy machinery, trailers, and other high-value assets, you can monitor your assets’ whereabouts in real-time. You can also set up geofencing, which is a virtual border drawn on the map, in an asset management system. These virtual boundaries or areas can be drawn like a single-lane street or shaped size as a specific yard to help you monitor and manage your valuable assets. These geofences are used as a trigger for alerts when your asset enters/exits in or from the geofenced area. As soon as the GPS tracking detects the movement, it will send an alert. This information is crucial in preventing contract breaches and ensuring that equipment is exactly where it is supposed to be.
Monitor equipment condition
Another benefit of using GPS Tracking in the rental equipment industry is automated maintenance. GPS Tracking will allow you to schedule maintenance based on the equipment’s runtime. This will help make sure that maintenance is done on time and increase productivity by maintaining the rental cycle of each asset. Maintenance notifications of upcoming work can enable you to go perform maintenance on a customer’s job site to prevent costly breakdowns and unnecessary repairs.
Prevent theft
As we mentioned earlier, about 1,000 pieces of commercial equipment are reported stolen every month which is equivalent to anywhere from $300 million to $1 billion loss per year for business owners. This can happen to anyone.
What if your customer paid in cash or with a fraudulent credit card and disappeared without returning your rental equipment? When your equipment isn’t returned and you come to collect it, the site will be vacant or the address or person you lent your equipment doesn’t even exist. These unfortunate events could happen to you. How can you prevent this from happening?
You already know that a GPS Tracker allows you to monitor the exact location of your rental equipment. However, the right rental equipment tracking devices can do more than simply aid in locating lost or stolen rental equipment. It also can help you minimize the risk of damage to the assets if it is stolen by minimizing the time that thieves have them.
For example, if a GPS tracking device has geofencing or motion detection capabilities, it will instantly generate an alert if the device crosses the geofencing boundary or detects unauthorized movement. This alert system helps you to quickly identify a potential theft in progress and alert the authorities to the theft. Your quick action can reduce the possibility that the asset will be damaged or disposed of before the asset is found.
Maximize equipment utilization
Keeping assets operating longer than they should and missing the right timing to replace them with new ones cause the cost to maintain them to skyrocket. With the right GPS Tracker, rental companies can see equipment usage and the GPS tracker helps them make more informed decisions about asset purchasing and selling.
A GPS Tracker integrated with an asset management system can help you stay on top of your asset replacement schedule and find the right time to replace your assets based on the maintenance milestones and their period of usage. The asset management system will provide you with crucial data and help you make the right asset management decisions to maximize equipment utilization.
Improve invoice accuracy and billable time
Ditch the old manual tracking of run time and paper-based processes.
Using GPS tracking on your equipment improves your invoice accuracy and billable time. This feature is beneficial especially if you bill your customers based on the runtime of the equipment. You will know the exact amount of runtime from the data by GPS tracking and it will increase your invoicing accuracy.
In addition, monitoring runtime will eliminate human errors. It’s easy to bill your customer by the day, half-day, or by the hour with full and accurate data collected by an asset management system. Using GPS tracking and an asset management system automates everything and helps your work be more accurate and productive.
Need an advanced asset management system for your rental business? We are here to help you
Astreon provides a cloud-based system, seamlessly integrated into mobile applications featuring a wide range of IoT solutions. You can get real-time asset tracking visibility with detailed reports on their location. Astreon’s asset management system allows you to monitor your assets’ whereabouts with a click of a button to save time, reduce dwell time, with the added convenience of not having to physically look for your asset. It helps you reduce costs by ensuring that critical assets are available and identified quickly when you need them the most.
Contact us today for more information about our advanced asset management system.
If you are based in North America and in the commercial transport industry, you’ve already heard about the ELD (Electronic Logging Device) mandate. It’s been in effect in the U.S. since 2017 and Canada in 2021. For Canada, penalty enforcement will be exempted until June 12, 2022. This is to provide education and awareness to carriers and drivers alike. The other reason for the delay in enforcement is related to the unprecedented challenge ELD providers have getting their solutions and hardware certified by Transport Canada-approved third-party certification bodies.
If you have not implemented a Canadian compliant solution yet (there are not many that are certified at the time of writing this article), it’s important to fully understand the ELD Market, which is certified in Canada and the US, to help you make an educated decision on which solution to leverage for your business.
In this article, we explain the size of the ELD market, the process of how ELD service providers get accredited, and what you should look for in an ELD before making a purchase.
Global Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) Market Outlook
Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Market was valued at USD 13.1 Billion in 2020 and is projected to reach USD 17.839 Billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 3.94% from 2021 to 2028 according to the report fromVerified market research.
The global ELD market is influenced by the development of advanced telematics and fleet management solutions, and increasing investment by carriers in the driver safety system.
Future growth is attributed to stringent government regulations to improve road safety and address road accident concerns by implementing an ELD rule in North America and European countries. The ELD mandate rule came into effect in December 2017 in the US and 2021 in Canada, while Europe made digital tachographs mandatory for commercial vehicles with GVWR of more than 3.5 tons since 2006.
Due to the increased demands of digitalization and the use of telematics technology to improve road safety, operation costs, and stay compliant with government regulations, ELD growth is expected to increase by about 4% per year between now and 2028.
ELD Mandate in the USA and Canada
Only 7% of ELD providers will end up being certified by Transport Canada.
The process of ELD certification and regulations are different in each country. It’s important to understand how various ELD verification and regulations between U.S. and Canada differ, as it’s not as simple as just registering an ELD product as certified. ELD manufacturers have to go through stringent certification processes. Let’s dig in to discover why we believe only 7% of ELD providers will gain Canadian certification.
USA
In the U.S., the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)maintains a list of approved products. The FMCSA requires ELD manufacturers to register their own ELD devices, and ELD manufacturers must certify that they have tested their device and that it meets all technical specifications detailed in the ELD Rule. Assuming the ELD provider has built their app, along with a compatible ELD device, they can simply claim that it is fully compliant when they register the service.
The following are checklists that ELD manufacturers must verify;
There are 727 providers and devices registered with the FMCSA today. The FMCSA will remove an ELD from the listing if the ELD doesn’t meet the technical specifications, which helps carriers avoid purchasing non-compliant ELDs.
Canada
In Canada, Transport Canada approves devices, service providers, and mobile OS. The Canadian ELD Mandate came into effect on June 12, 2021, but with a “progressive” enforcement period.
Jurisdictions confirmed that they would delay implementing penalties until June 12, 2022, to elevate education and awareness of the implementation of ELD, considering the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the complexity of obtaining certification in Canada. Read the Full Article about the Canada ELD Mandate Update.
In Canada, ELDs can only be third-party certified and they cannot be self-certified like the U.S.
In order to become a certified ELD service provider there are 2 steps, and two institutions are involved.
Once the application review and assessment are completed, the Standards Council of Canada will provide the certification body with an Accreditation Report which will be required to apply for an application to Transport Canada. This process will take 7 to 9 months to complete the accreditation.
Next, accredited ELD manufacturers need to send a completed application form and the standards Council Canada Accreditation Report. It takes up to six weeks to complete the certification.
In addition to this, it takes a minimum of 30 days for an accredited certification body to approve an ELD provider. Currently, there are only 3 approved accrediting bodies today. Each of them can only approve 1-3 ELD providers per month. At the time of writing this article, there are only 6 Transport Canada approvedELD service providers since June 2021.
If you do the math, by next June when enforcement and fines will start taking place, of the 727 FMCSA approved ELD providers, a maximum of 78 providers will gain certification in Canada. A more realistic number is approximately 30-40 providers.
Certification Costs
According to trucknews.com, ELD providers can submit only three models at a time, the certification fee is approximately $50,000 USD per device. This only includes 1 mobile OS (like Android or iOS). If an ELD provider wants to get both mobile operating systems approved for each device, then the cost doubles. Each year, 25% of the ELDs will have to be retested for which ELD providers will have to pay $12,000 to $25,000 per device model.
Looking at the cost, the lengthy process, and lack of accreditation resources to certify providers, you can clearly see why so few providers are certified today, 4 months after the mandate has been implemented.
On top of this, most or all ELD providers are expected to raise their rates by up to 40%. Essentially these high costs of certification and upkeep are being passed on to the consumer. If you already have an ELD today, there is a good chance it won’t get certified in Canada. If it does, expect a cost increase of your services along with it.
How to choose the best ELD wisely
If you are in the commercial transport industry in Canada, you need to prepare now. According to trucknews, federally regulated trucks that lack certified electronic logging devices (ELDs) could receive formal warnings as early as this December (if they travel through Alberta or Manitoba). The penalties for non-compliance will be enforced on June 12, 2022. You need to choose the best ELD for your company, however, picking an ELD provider is not easy. There are many options out there and it is difficult to filter which one is actually certified in your country.
Here is a checklist to help you out when choosing the best ELD solution provider.
Check if an ELD is certified
Before you type “ELD in (your country/city)” or “best ELD” in the search bar, the first thing you need to do is visit Transport Canada’s official website to see the list of registered ELDs. This is a critical step so don’t skip this part.
Background check your ELD provider
Years of business
Company location (local or not)
of clients and their references
of employees
of partnerships
Make sure the ELD meets your requirements as well as your local regulations.
Astreon’s certified ELDs
Astreon has a partnership with certified ELD manufacturers like Apollo and Vistracks. They are compliant, certified, and driver-friendly ELD solutions in USA and Canada. Provide continuity and risk mitigation for your business with HOS, IFTA reports, Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports, Engine Diagnostics, and more features.
The agriculture and farming industry has embraced a major transformation with the new era of “Smart Technology” that is designed to help improve efficiency using telematics and GPS tracking technology. “Smart Technology” refers to operating farms by utilizing modern information and communication technologies to improve the quantity and quality of crops.
Agriculture has seen a big demand for optimization through smart technology under the pressure of climate change, fluctuating commodity prices, rising interest rates, growing population, and labor issues.
Telematics and GPS provide agricultural workers & managers with transparent data on fields, crops, and their processing. Having specific information and insight on hand users can effectively plan and improve agribusiness processes as well as driver further efficiencies.
Let’s explore how Smart Technology can transform agricultural operations.
How Smart Technology Can Help Improve Precision Farming
Leveraging telematics and GPS can help to increase efficiency. The followings are major areas that can drive cost savings and increase productivity for the business:
Increase Productivity
Managing farm vehicles & equipment can be cumbersome, and it is difficult to get an immediate and real-time snap shop of your fleet. Smart Technology solves this problem by providing simple and easy-to-use tools for more effective management.
GPS tracking & fleet management software provide real-time insights into the whereabouts and activities of your vehicles. It easily identifies what is in use or not, as well as a history of previous activity. This helps further by enabling you to assign the appropriate asset to the right crop and ensure you maximize that asset’s utilization.
Protect Valuable Assets
Not knowing the whereabouts of your vehicles has its own inherent opportunity costs, but could also mean a lost or missing asset, which comes at a much bigger cost to the company (as well as additional downtime).
GPS Tracking/Telematics assures that you have your finger on the pulse. You can easily identify unauthorized use as well as receive real-time notifications which are fully configurable. You can take immediate action and prevent unexpected losses.
Managing Crop Rotation
Geofencing provides an invaluable tool for cultivation, fertilization, and harvesting (a Geofence is a virtual boundary that you can draw around key areas/fields). This will provide accurate data on the integration of your equipment with these fields or areas.
By assigning fields within the telematics software, you can manage and assign work scheduled on these fields. Easily identify when certain work has begun, what percentage has been completed or missed, even at what speed was each pass completed.
In addition, geofencing can be used for fencing off regions that need to be left alone for cultivation. Isolating land can help farmers notify unwelcoming invaders, such as animals to prevent accidents or injury to humans and livestock.
This will also provide a historic view of interactions and previous cultivations completed within your various fields.
Improved Routes
Using inefficient routes means increased costs, and GPS tracking helps eliminate the guesswork when it comes to navigation. Optimization of a route means decreased fuel consumption, reduce wear & tear, and reduces labor costs.
Dashboard & Reports
Gain insight by leveraging dashboards and reports regarding cultivated fields, overlaps and omissions, fuel consumption, mileage, speed, and other key parameters. Users can gain valuable time by easily reviewing daily detailed information on completed works, and leverage this within accounting as well. Reports allow you to not only control all types of work but also assess their quality and improve the agricultural processes of your enterprise.
Future outlook of the agriculture industry with Smart Technology
Thanks to today’s technologies, farmers can produce even greater output without unnecessary effort.
By integrating telematics with a fleet management system, you can better control fieldwork based on telematics data. Astreon provides an Agriculture GPS solution that delivers transparent data about crop rotations and field operations to your business. By empowering farmers with this key information, you can better plan and improve your agribusiness processes, as well as make better decisions with greater insight.
For more information about our Agricultural GPS Solution, please contact us today!
