Blue Ink Technology

Waiting Until December? You May Not Get an ELD in Time.

The ELD mandate takes effect this December. While carriers and drivers are actively looking for a system that will meet all of the requirements laid out by the FMCSA, many are waiting until the last minute to make the move to electronic logs.

This poses a challenge for the trucking industry. The FMCSA anticipates 3.4 million drivers are expected to be affected by the mandate. If carriers wait until November or December to select and purchase an ELD system, there will be a huge spike in demand. It's unlikely that there will be enough supply to meet every driver's need in a timely manner.

One reason so many carriers are waiting to implement the new technology is cost, specifically the monthly fees associated with ELD plans. Blue Ink Tech's Mike Riegel believes his company has a solution to spread out the demand across the coming months. “It’s easy to understand why carriers are waiting until December because why start paying a monthly cost before you have to? That’s why we are offering our ELD solution for a flat rate with no monthly cost for $295. This will help carriers get familiar with ELDs before the mandate and keep them from waiting for the market to produce enough product for everyone else.”

The system works by using the driver's existing smart phone or tablet and using a wireless Bluetooth connection to gather necessary data from the truck. Users can keep track of their hours of service on their own devices and won’t have to worry about learning how to use a new piece of equipment.

Blue Ink believes that offering an ELD solution that meets the requirements of the FMCSA mandate without monthly cost or long term contracts will smooth the transition to electronic logging. “Talking to the truckers here in the area, we know that many carriers don't want all of the bells and whistles that large fleet owners are looking for in an ELD system and they especially don’t want to be bound to a multi-year contract.”

Blue Ink plans to offer other features such as IFTA and dispatching as add-ons in the coming months. As for support and rollout, “We have units and we’re ready,” Riegel says. “They can get it online, and we’re offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.” Find more about Blue Ink Tech via this link.