Last updated on March 8th, 2023 at 07:59 am

It takes time and information to choose the right ELD. The ability of an ELD tool significantly influences the decision of a company to choose one over the other. An ELD should meet the complete requirement of the company in terms of its operations. It should also support the complete facets of the company.

The ELD mandate is a federal government regulation both in the United States as well as in Canada. The government put the system into place to ensure that truck drivers get enough rest while performing their tasks.

As earlier stated, there are many Electronic Logging Device providers in the market today. However, one of the top-notch company which offers this service is Tracksmart.

The company is well equipped — can handle all your fleet management needs. The Federal government has laid out a mandate for the ELD implementation, and Tracksmart follows it to the latter.

Following are some of the requirements of the mandate for HOS compliance:

• The system should be able to capture the engine power status, engine hours, and the miles the truck has covered.
• The ELD should record in a log change in the vehicle’s duty status and its movement.
• The system should be able to represent the data either in digital format or as a printout.
• The system should give an allowance for the driver to respond when they are not moving for five minutes while on duty. The driver should be able to communicate if they are in any trouble or need assistance.

Other Important Aspects Of The System Include:

Data transmission: The system should be able to transfer the data using USB 2.0 Bluetooth, wireless Web services, and email.

Display of data: The system should have the ability to display the complete data either as a printout or in electronic form

Must provide data integrity: The original information should also be available. The whole purpose of the system is to record the driver’s movement accurately. As such, the system should be secure to ensure that there isn’t any illegal manipulation of the data.

Compliance: The system must be able to sense when it has a problem or malfunctioning and be able to alert the concerned party.

Apart from the Federal Requirements, it is essential to engage with a company that has a soul. Your service provider should walk with you, or in this case, ride with you every step of the way 24/7 to guide you. Some additional feature of Tracksmart is that the company offers customer support in terms of training your drivers, and offer all the assistance, support, and solution that you require every step of the way.

Features that Set Tracksmart Apart

Tracksmart is an ELD solution provider that offers a wide range of functions in all the critical areas. These areas include ease of use, the usability of its software, its structure plan, the hardware provision, its safety features, the reporting options it offers, and the ease of use of their services.

It is a company that provides excellent services to companies that have large and small fleet sizes and provides a complete guide every step of the way.

To sweeten the deal further, the company also installs the device free of charge to ensure you remain HOS complaint.

Below is a complete guide as to Why You Should Consider Tracksmart as Your Fleet Management Partner

Safety Features

The company has a genius system where each driver has a scorecard. In this way, you can train your drivers on areas in the scorecard where they need to improve.

As you continue with this process, the competence of the drivers increases too, which in turn saves the company more money since the drivers will be more careful in their every step.

The system has capabilities whereby you can see the real-time status of how the truck is moving.

The company’s system has a dashcam that records any event in real-time. The company installs The Smart Witness KPIS camera, which has powerful capabilities and can provide solution to many compliance problems in the trucking industry.

It comes with either 4G or WiFi connectivity, and it is has a 720p HD video and also captures driver behavior for an accurate review of the occurrence.

For advanced security, the camera offers a real-time view from the driver’s perspective at a 170 degrees angle. The company can also install a secondary camera to give you a view of the rear, side, or cargo view.

Additionally, the cameras support sending the video in real-time, either through email or through the company’s telematics system so fleet owners can know their vehicle status every step of the way. The camera has two SD cards to make sure that it complete step by step moments of an event, should it occur.

If an incident occurs like an accident, then the system will immediately inform you through the 4G network. You will get a notification of the impact along with complete status, including the speed at which the vehicle was traveling and the specific location of the occurrence of the event.

As it happens at times, the driver might be on the wrong. As with human nature, the driver might want to erase any data of their wrongdoing.

But you should not fret since the company’s cameras are tamper-proof. This means that the driver cannot alter the information on the SD card cannot be changed in any way since the data system transmits the data in real-time.

In the unlikely event that someone interferes with the information in the SD card, they will not get away with it because the event gets relayed in real-time.

Apart from instilling a sense of caution in drivers, the ELD from Tracksmart has other advantages as well. They include:

A reduction in accidents since the drivers are much more careful.

Since the drivers are more careful, they do not over-speed, which ensures that the truck does not consume excessive fuel. This, in turn, means that your company makes saving as far as fuel costs are concerned.

The video evidence helps to protect your company from unlawful and expensive suits, especially if you are on the right during an accident. When it comes to claiming compensation, then the process is expedited since all the evidence required is readily available.

Hardware

The ELD system is a combination of both hardware and software. Tracksmart offers advanced hardware and software, which means that you will experience less downtime to system failures and full HOS compliance. Apart from the high tech cameras, the company also provides an onboard ELD kit.

Although the company’s hardware is advanced, it is easy to install. You do not need any specialized personnel to fix the gadgets for you.

Most customers who choose Tracksmart install the hardware themselves. But again, you do not have to install it yourself, since the company fits the kit for you free of charge!

Software

Tracksmart clearly understands the frustrations, which come with system failure. The company has put effort into ensuring that its system has minimal downtime, if any, at all. Their platform makes it easy to see what is happening in the field. It has a step by step update of what is going on in the area.

In case the system experiences any hiccups, then the company is there by your side to ensure that the issue gets resolved in the shortest time possible.

The software is invaluable.

By using it, you get to see where your vehicles are at all times. The system also gives direction to predestined destinations. With the Tracksmart ELD, you get information regarding the diagnostics of your tracks. You get to know its performance and determine its fuel consumption levels.

The hardware has a lot of sensors that send a signal immediately if the driver takes a sharp turn or brakes instantly. The software records every movement the vehicle makes at any given time.

Tracksmart ELD system allows you to monitor idling time. Therefore you can warn a driver if they leave a car idling for more time than the engine requires to cool.

With the system, you also improve your customer satisfaction since you can accurately determine when a delivery will arrive at the destination.

Furthermore, the system will allow you to take good care of your fleet. Since you can monitor the driving habits of your drivers, you can correct the bad habits which might accelerate breakdowns.

By doing so, you will significantly reduce trips to the mechanic due to careless driving.

The system also comes with the additional feature where it alerts the fleet manager and the driver as well when the truck is due for service.

In this way, you get protected from sudden breakdown due to overdue truck servicing days.

Another Important Factor to Consider While Selecting an ELD Provider Is The Price

Pricing of Tracksmart ELD

One of the unique features is that the company displays its price on its website. The company has a price chart, which makes it very easy for you to compare its prices against that of the competitors.

Below is the price comparison chart.

Although the cheapest does not always mean the best, it is wise nonetheless to realize a bargain when you see one.

If you look closely at this comparison chart, you will realize that Tracksmart offers excellent deals in comparison to its competitors.

When you check the hardware cost, it is cheaper than that of both Omnitrac and PeopleNet.

The same case applies to monthly fees and first-year costs.

A fascinating fact, according to this chart, is that Omnitrac charges $249 for implementation while PeopleNet charges $3800 for the same service.

However, in the case of Tracksmart, the implementation cost is zero! It is free.

According to this chart, the company that is in the same price range as Tracksmart is Zonar.

However, Tracksmart is still cheaper in the monthly fee and first-year cost. This compensates for the price the company charges for hardware cost, which Zonar does not charge.

As already said, cheap is not always the best, but in this case, cheap is really the best!

There are some factors that you should consider to make a well-informed decision on the best price for ELD. Tracksmart already had this in mind when they set up this price list.

The price range of Tracksmart ensures that the company can cater to a wide range of companies. This means that most probably, your company will find this price range considerate.

Tracksmart integrates other services in their prices.

These other services include:

• The services get integrated with the fuel cards.
• The system tracks how safely the driver drives the truck.
• The dashboards incorporate on-key metrics for better information

Apart from pricing, hardware, software, and customer relations, there are other factors that you should consider before making a purchasing decision.

Tracksmart offers these additional features to their customers.

The company offers alert systems. This means that you will receive notifications when something goes amiss either with the vehicle or the driver.

Just like with the accidents, you can receive these notifications via WiFi, 4G network, email, or on your handheld device.

The system is also robust in that you can tell the kind of notification. The notifications are different for a driver going off-route or if they are engaged in driving habits that put them or other road users in danger.

Software and software systems do very complicated stuff. One mistake that most software providers make is offering these complicated systems to their customers.

However, this is not the case with Tracksmart ELD software. The system is straightforward to use that the drivers and the fleet managers immediately feel at home with it.

You want to have information on what is happening at your fingertips. That is why it is essential to choose a system that you can access from your mobile or handheld device.

Tracksmart system is easily accessible on a mobile phone, which means you can check on your fleet from wherever you are.

One of the most significant advantages of this feature is that it gives mobility. You do not have to get glued to the computer at all times!

Customer service is the lifeline of any business. Tracksmart realizes this, and that is why they have different ways by which you can contact them.

Ease of Contact

On their contact page, there are many ways that you can reach them. First of all, you can write to them and post your letter to their postal mail address.

Secondly, you can call them.

Thirdly, you can write them an email, and lastly, you can fill an online form.

Another unique feature of their contact page is that they have a map of their physical address, which means you can as well visit them.

As noted earlier, one of the greatest things about Tracksmart is that they offer free installation for their system.

As earlier seen, many other companies charge for this service.

The hardware is easy to install, but it is always good to know that you can call the company at any time if you run into any problems when installing the hardware.

It is crucial to choose a company that has a trusted review.

The company has positive reviews, which means that they conduct their business in the right manner.

Another essential thing to consider when choosing a company for your ELD needs is their capability.

Some companies can only cater to a few tracks. The maximum number of trucks they can handle is 50 trucks. Others can handle 100 trucks.

However, Tracksmart is a company that you can rely on to cater to your ELD needs since they can handle a large fleet.

This is very important because the company can grow as your company grows. This means that if you have just a few trucks, then when your company grows, you will not need to look for another service provider.

Another good thing about Tracksmart is that they have flexible plans. The good thing about this arrangement is that you can give the company a try and see whether they are the perfect fit for your business.

If you realize that things are not working out, then you can terminate the contract and look for another service provider.

Some Disadvantages of Using Tracksmart

As with any technology, employees get a bit apprehensive, and they might push back. Before the implementation of the system, drivers might get off easily with careless driving or claiming for expenses that they do not incur.

When you implement the system, it will seal the loopholes, and this will inevitably cause some employees to resist it.

It is essential to inform your employees of its implementation and make them understand that the application is for the betterment of the company.

Make them understand that when the company makes savings, then they can be sure that it can operate for longer, thus ensuring their continued source of livelihood.

Conclusion

For any company with a fleet, deciding to use ELD is one of the most critical business decisions that they can make.

The ELD is a system that monitors the time your drivers spend on the road. The importance of this system cannot be overemphasized.

With the system, you can make a lot of savings since the Lorries will run more effectively. One of the top-notch providers of ELD is Tracksmart. The company has been in the business for a long time, and therefore they have a positive reputation.

One of the best things about the company is that they offer excellent customer service. They also provide very customer friendly prices without compromising on quality. Another good thing about the company is that it can handle any number of trucks.

If you want to install Electronic Logging Device, then you should give Tracksmart a try. We hope this step-by-step review will guide you to make an informed buying decision while also remaining HOS compliant.