Oregon Electronic Logbook for Trucks

You may have heard of Electronic Logbook Devices. Starting from December 2017, truck drivers and motor carriers operating in Oregon are legally required to use Electronic Logbook Devices. The announcement was first made by FMCSA in December 2015. So, if you’re still in the trucking business, it’s time to pay proper attention to your Electronic Logbook Device integration before you earn yourself a legal headache.

Electronic Logbook Devices are used as important tools to record operations data on the day-to-day basis. These ELD devices track, store, and analyze different records, entered by your truck drivers. Important information like duty status, also known as RODS, can easily be organized on this device.

Besides being a legal requirement, you can use ELDs to:

• Allow your drivers to choose On-duty and Off-Duty status updates to improve their performance accuracy.
• Show a Record of Duty Status to your drivers at all times, so they know the number of hours they've been on duty.
• Easily share the stored data with the authorities (if needed) using wireless web services, USB or Bluetooth.
• Help your business comply with the acting law.

The integration of Electronic Logbook Devices may take some time and disrupt some of your practices, but it will surely affect your operations positively in the long run. It will allow your company to cut back on paperwork, also contributing to the environment, and improve the quality of data you collect from every drive. Moreover, your administrative staff won't waste their time on organizing information for days that can be done in seconds using an ELD.

Finally, it makes storage an easy task. Using ELDs will free up physical space at your office. People with relevant authorizations will be able to retrieve data in the matter of seconds or minutes, no more digging into paper piles.

Likewise, your drivers can use the features like Record of Duty Status to keep track of their hours and make appropriate plans. If one of your drivers has already covered a long distance in a short amount of hours, they will be able to check the hours and relax for the rest of the drive, without having to worry about their performance rate.

All these sound like an important upgrade your business has missed. If you're a new company, it's even more important to kickstart the process from a well-organized and a healthy plan.

Generally, ELDs are a must for every trucking company in Oregon. However, if you fall into any of the following categories, you can be exempted from their use:

• The manufacturing date on your truck engine is earlier than 2000;
• You are a tow truck driver and don't own a CMV;
• As an employee or an owner-operator, you are not required to fill out a Record of Duty Status. Typically,drivers covering 100 air-mile and 150 air-mile hauls are not, but do check with your employer first.
• Record on Duty Status (RODS) contains data covering less than 8 days in a 30-day period.

There is no fixed price list, but we bet you already knew that. The price for an Electronic Logbook Device will usually cost anywhere from $165 to $832, depending on the functions you need. On average, one ELD per driver will cost you about $495. Multiply that by the number of drivers you employ for more than 8 days in a month, and you'll have a better idea of the cost. Of course, prices may go up or down depending on the market changes.

Additionally, you will need some administrative work to complete the integration and organize training for your drivers. Make sure they know how to use an ELD before they set out for the day's drive. And should you ever have a question about using ELDs in Oregon, or you want to jumpstart the process, don't hesitate to give us a call today!