Mack Trucks and Telogis were offering a free 30-day trial of Mack Fleet Management Services with Telogis Fleet. As with Volvo, Telogis has a connectivity agreement with Mack, allowing the telematics service provider to use data from Mack’s factory-installed telematics device to deliver on a variety of management applications, including electronic logs.
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In a perfect world, any ELD software developer could leverage the mileage and engine data from telematics devices that truck makers install at the factory. The data could be accessed by a mobile app through a local Bluetooth connection or be fed to apps installed on a truck’s touchscreen infotainment system.
Absent a printer as a backup, the ELD rule requires that logs be viewable by law enforcement officers in a display. For this reason, it might not make sense for truck makers to install a computing device with a non-mobile display, says Wes Mays, director of OEM solutions for Omnitracs.
While truck makers are not in the ELD business — at least not yet — their investments in remote diagnostics and telematics can pay dividends for third-party ELD providers.
Paccar installs a PeopleNet telematics unit in Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks with Paccar MX-13 engines at the factory. To run PeopleNet’s eDriver Logs application, truck owners would need to purchase or lease one of the vendor’s driver displays, but they would gain additional value beyond compliance.
“The customer gets access to Paccar’s detailed and advanced maintenance services preloaded on the device, along with PeopleNet’s fleet management capabilities,” says Eric Witty, vice president of product for PeopleNet.
Daimler Trucks North America installs Zonar’s telematics unit, the V3, in Freightliner and Western Star trucks at the factory. DTNA uses V3 to power its Virtual Technician remote diagnostics service, allowing Zonar’s Connect and 2020 tablets to run the ELD application.
The Freightliner Cascadia has a platform with the capability to integrate with other third-party ELD applications, says Greg Treinen, sales and marketing manager of connectivity for DTNA.
Navistar last year expanded its OnCommand Connection diagnostics platform. The company rolled out OnCommand Connection Telematics and OnCommand Connection Marketplace, which features an integrated ELD app.
