The final FMCSA rule on ELDs passed on Dec. 16, 2015, calls for electronic log data transfers by methods such as web services and email or Bluetooth and USB 2.0. However, these methods are not yet practical. Standards for data formatting and transfer are not yet complete, and in many instances, data transfer will not work.
The rule states, “Where data transfer is not practical, the driver can still show enforcement compliance via a printout or the ELD display.” The VDO RoadLog ELD prints out a traditional logbook-style graph, along with all required HOS/RODS data, on a roll of thermal printer paper.
According to Alexis Capelle, Continental Corporation ELD program manager, “Having to dismount the ELD and pass it out of the cab raises concerns over dropped units breaking and officers having access to more information than is legally required. RoadLog’s printout avoids these issues entirely, and it delivers all the information required by the FMCSA regulation. In addition, the log printout is far easier to read and interpret by enforcement officers than viewing an ELD display, meaning less time spent at inspection and more time driving.”
