ELD Compliance for Small Fleets: Easy Setup Guide

Choose the Right ELD Model: BYOD vs. Dedicated Hardware

There are only two hardware paths that small fleets commonly take, and your choice will determine both your upfront costs and level of ease of use.

• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): This method has become very popular in small fleet owners. Here, a small piece of hardware equipment, known as a gateway, has to be connected to the ECM of a vehicle. It gets synchronized through Bluetooth to a smartphone/tablet carried by a driver.
• Dedicated Units: These are all-in-one tablets that come with the ELD supplier. They are quite rugged and remain in the vehicle to eliminate the possibility of a driver forgetting their device at home, even if it increases their service rates.

Hardware Comparison for Small Fleets

Feature	BYOD Solutions	Dedicated Hardware
Upfront Cost	Low (Hardware only)	High (Tablet + Mount)
Ease of Setup	High (App-based)	Moderate (Hard-wired)
Driver Familiarity	High (Uses personal phone)	Low (New interface)
Data Usage	Uses driver's data plan	Included in monthly fee

Verify FMCSA Certification

Before acquiring the device, you need to check if the device is listed in the FMCSA Registered ELDs list. One of the mistakes made by small-scale carriers is purchasing a cheap ELD device from a market platform that has not been self-certified by the ELD provider.

Pro Tip: It’s imperative to review the registry every quarter. When a vendor’s status changes from “Authorized” vendors to “Revoked” vendors, there's a limited time frame for replacement of the units before incurring non-compliance charges.

The 3-Step Installation Process

Setup for the modern technology ELD is to be accomplished in under 15 minutes for every vehicle.

• Identification of the Diagnostic Port: Typically, the diagnostic ports on commercial vehicles come in 6-pin, 9-pin, or OBD II configurations.
• Insert the ELD gateway: A light, typically green or blue, will illuminate indicating the device is receiving power and communicating properly with the engine of the vehicle.
• Pair the App: Launch the application for fleet management on the cell phone, choose the VIN of the car, and then pair the app using the Bluetooth connection. The system will automatically start the logging of Record of Duty Status, or RODS.

Configuring Driver Accounts and HOS Rules

As soon as the hardware starts functioning, the administrative environment begins on the back-office portal.

• Assign Exemptions: If you have a short-haul operation within a 150-air-mile radius, you will want to make sure that this exemption is turned on in order to prevent HOS violations.
• Set the Cycle: Choose whether your drivers are on the 60-hour/7-day or 70-hour/8-day cycle for Hours of Service.
• Create driver profiles: Each driver needs to have a unique login. Sharing an account is one of the worst compliance violations possible.

Prepare the "Compliance Packet" for Every Cab

You cannot be in compliance with a device alone. For the DOT inspection, the truck driver must be able to provide particular physical and/or electronic documents. It should be verified that each of the trucks carries a "Compliance Package" containing:

• The ELD User Manual.
• The Data Transfer Instruction Sheet (for inspectors).
• A Malfunction Instruction Sheet.
• A supply of at least 8 blank paper logs for emergency backup.

Training: The Human Element of Compliance

In most small-fleet ELD violations, the problem is not a hardware malfunction, but rather operator error. All drivers must understand on their own accord how to:

• Certify their logs daily.
• Edit a log (and provide a required annotation).
• Correctly claim "Personal Conveyance" or "Yard Move" status.
• Transfer data to an officer via the "Email" or "Web Services" function.

ELD compliance for small fleets does not have to be an ordeal. With the right choice of a friendly BYOD solution and adherence to a strict document-keeping regime, you can easily keep your fleet moving and not in the “Out-of-Service” category.