December 10, 2015 — SEATTLE, Wash. — Zonar, a leading transportation technology company, announced today a roadway to compliance with the final rules of Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). This new mandate, drafted with the help of Zonar executives and requires the adoption and use of ELDs by all drivers to complete paper records of duty status within the next two years.
“When the ELD mandate was first proposed, we didn’t want to be a ‘me too’ solution provider. We wanted to leverage our experience and existing solutions to be at the forefront of a mandate that will help save lives and boost efficiency for both motor carriers and enforcement,” said Fred Fakkema, vice president of compliance at Zonar Systems. “By providing the education, guidance, implementation capabilities and leveraging innovative technology in our ELD, the Zonar 2020®, Zonar is primed to help fleet managers work towards compliance by the time the rules go into affect in 2 years.”
The ELD mandate aims to significantly reduce the paperwork burden associated with hours-of-service record keeping for drivers while improving the quality of logbook data. Additionally, compliant organizations will ultimately reduce hours-of-service violations by making it more difficult for drivers to misrepresent their time on logbooks and avoid detection by FMCSA and law enforcement personnel. Initial analysis by the FMCSA shows it will also help reduce crashes by fatigued drivers and prevent approximately 20 fatalities and 434 injuries each year for an annual safety benefit of $394.8 million.
“Many solutions providers will try to sell a quick fix, but in reality, fleets without an existing ELD designed to adapt to the mandate will need to take a strategic approach and work back from when its fleet needs to be compliant to where its fleet is now including all the steps in-between,” said Fakkema. “Getting a fleet and its drivers to switch from paper logs to a technology they may not be familiar with has an inherent learning curve. Our objective is to help fleets make this as a seamless process as much as possible.”
The Zonar Roadway
There are three required steps to when implementing the ELD mandate, which includes:
• Understanding the ELD mandate and how it will affect your fleet is the first step towards compliance.
• Second, knowing that the mandate is thorough and consists hundreds of pages of rules and regulations, and how to implement the process of change management from paper logs to an ELD across the fleet. Meaning, a fleet owner and/or manager will need to rely on compliance experts to help them understand the legislation’s specifics including what parts affect of their fleet and its impact.
• Prepare your team and organization with the right technology and infrastructure.
Having the right technology and infrastructure starts with the Zonar 2020® tablet. This solution was purpose-built for any sized fleets and operates inside and out of the vehicle. The 2020 which includes and comes equipped with ZLogs®, a driver-friendly solution for ELD and Hours-of-Service (HOS) compliance. In addition to being a device that will help a fleet work toward ELD mandate compliance, the Zonar 2020® comes with additional fleet benefits including the Electronic Verified Inspection Report (EVIR®), which allows drivers to make another transition to digital. It transitions drivers from traditional, error-prone paper-based inspections to an automated process that instantly provides inspection results for improved compliance and maintenance efficiency. The Zonar 2020® also comes standard with advanced commercial navigation and two ways form-based communication capabilities.
About Zonar Systems
Zonar Systems is a transportation technology company that helps public and private fleet managers improve regulatory compliance, increase fleet efficiency and improve safety. Fleets utilize Zonar’s solutions to capture vehicle and GPS-related data that integrate with other backend systems or are viewed through Zonar’s web-based Ground Traffic Control application. The telematics platform includes an onboard system that captures data directly from the vehicle’s engine and sub-systems, as well as external GPS satellite data. In conjunction with the telematics platform, the mobile platform includes user-enabled devices that capture information supplied by a driver, operator or rider. Identifying the right data for a fleet’s specific needs is an important step in the process. Zonar helps fleets determine their data and telematics needs and create information streams that improve decision-making. For more information about Zonar Systems, go to www.zonarsystems.com.