These events are often caused by drivers forgetting to login to an ELD or from lost connectivity between the ELD and mobile driver app. Fleets that have multiple drivers logging into the same ELD, such as in slip-seat operations, may have an even greater management challenge.
The Encompass ELD system from J. J. Keller & Associates now has a SmartAssign feature that significantly reduces the amount of administrative work related to managing these unassigned driving events. SmartAssign uses a proprietary algorithm to evaluate the vehicle activities that surround unidentified driving events. For each event the feature assigns a confidence score and suggested driver.
The confidence level for a suggested driver could be very high — 95 percent, for example — if the vehicle was moving immediately before and after the unassigned drive time event, Daley says. The confidence level may be low if the vehicle was stationary for a while before or after the unassigned drive time event and even lower still if multiple drivers logged into the vehicle’s ELD in the past week.
Using the Encompass ELD system, fleet administrators can set a threshold for the confidence level of the SmartAssign suggestions. Events above that threshold can be automatically sent to drivers as logbook edits to approve. Low-confidence events as well as edits rejected by drivers can be annotated within the Encompass ELD system and cleared from the queue or assigned to another driver for review, said Amy Daley, senior product manager.
“J. J. Keller understands the risk and operational inefficiency associated with unassigned driving events, and has tackled the issue head on,” said Tom Reader, director of marketing at J. J. Keller. “SmartAssign Technology reduces the burden for both drivers and fleet managers, requiring less time for managing unassigned events, and allowing more time to focus on the day-to-day priorities of their business.”
