A recently launched website called ELDratings.com is designed to provide independent, third-party reviews of electronic logging devices (ELDs) and will also allow users of such devices to post reviews of their own. It is designed and managed by Tandem Technology LLC, a tech consulting and software development company that focuses on the transportation industry.
Co-founded by Benjamin Ramsay, vice president of technology at Indianapolis-based Tradewinds Logistics, the company said its “advisory team” will also offer free consultations to anyone trying to choose an e-log system.
Ramsey said in a statement that the idea of developing an ELD ratings website germinated from his experience at Tradewinds implementing the electronic logs or “e-logs” back in 2012.
“As we evaluated and implemented various e-log systems over the years, we’ve always found there to be a frustrating lack of third party information about these products,” he explained. “There’s lots of sales material, but it’s very hard to find independent research or unbiased feedback from real users.”
Ramsay, whose spent 12 years in the trucking telematics field, and his partners began work on ELDratings.com in late 2016 to address this need for third party information in what he described as “an increasingly crowded” ELD market.
“Our goal is to be a community-driven resource created by and for transportation industry pros,” he said. “We do firsthand testing and research, and we gather feedback from real world users so our readers get a clear look at the pros and cons of each device.”
Though the December 18th ELD mandate deadline now only a few months away, Ramsey pointed out that many small fleets and independent drivers have still not made the switch from paper logs to e-log devices.
Thus those just now starting to explore electronic logs face an overwhelming array of choices, he stressed, with upwards of . 98 different devices on the list of self-certified ELDs maintained by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
Ramsay said he and his collaborators hope that ELDratings.com can help to clear up the confusion surrounding electronic logs; assisting fleets of all sizes in choosing an ELD that fits their needs.
