Electronic logs and driver harassment: Where do the vendors stand?

We’ve heard a lot about electronic logging in recent years. It’s not because truckers and others are debating the pros and cons. It’s because Congress and the administration have proposed to make them mandatory.

As reported in Land Line, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published its supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking for electronic logs in the Federal Register on Friday during MATS week.

One of the manufacturers of such devices, a company called VDO, part of Continental Corp., was at MATS to discuss their RoadLog products with the press and the public.

When asked how their devices would meet the technical specs that accompany the proposed rule, company officials said they were still reviewing the materials and were not prepared to comment. But they did share some information that truckers may find valuable as the discussion moves along.

OOIDA and truckers are concerned that an ELD mandate would not address the issue of technology being used by carriers, dispatchers and others to harass drivers. This concern extends to being bothered or "pinged" to report or answer questions during on-duty, not-driving hours.

The basic VDO RoadLog device

The people at VDO say the basic device they offer is not equipped for direct communication.

“One of the key elements of the driver harassment issue is having the fleets do something they don’t feel like doing, for whatever reason,” Jeff Waterstreet, sales manager for VDO RoadLog, told Land Line.

“The existing Roadlog product that we sell today has no over-the-air communication, so there’s not a way for a fleet to harass a driver.”

In addition to the harassment issue, truckers may also be concerned about the cost of doing business under an ELD mandate.

VDO says an owner-operator could expect to pay about $600 for a basic VDO Roadlog. The fleet-specific packages would run about $700.

Waterstreet says the RoadLog does not come with additional costs, subscriptions or monthly fees.