The best ELD devices fit your vehicles and budget. Whether you run a delivery service with a few vehicles or a large corporation with thousands of trucks in your fleet, you can find an ELD that’s right for your operation. Consider cost, features, and scalability before signing any dotted lines.
Essential properties
All ELDs track your engine’s diagnostics, so you may be better off going with an FMCSA approved ELD with an excellent mobile app. You want it to be easy to use, compatible with the devices you and your drivers use, and have bonus features.
The basics of an ELD track include:
- Location
- Date
- Time
- engine hours
- vehicle miles
- Driver ID
- Authenticated Users
- vehicle and motor transporters
Many ELD companies offer additional fuel and driving behavior tracking services to reduce your costs and liabilities. Advanced features include IFTA fuel tax calculations so you don’t overpay, integrations with artificial intelligence dashcams for driver coaching, and fleet health data for predictive maintenance planning.
Prices and Fees
There is no real standard when it comes to pricing ELD devices. Some services charge a fee for the hardware but offer the tracking service and app for free. others give you a device for free, but you have to pay ongoing monthly fees for the reports. However, other ELD services require you to pay a small fee for devices and a small monthly fee for the app and service.
The average monthly cost for electronic log service is $20 to $25 per vehicle. The devices typically cost around $100 each.
If you have the money to pay for more expensive equipment up front, a free service can help you avoid monthly fees. Alternatively, you can opt for a service that gives you free devices but won’t charge you more than $30 per month per vehicle for a Basic or Premium plan.
Other considerations
An important consideration when choosing ELD devices for your vehicles is your current software. Check if the ELD service offers an open API or integration for the software you are currently using. It can be helpful to seamlessly transfer or sync data between programs.
If you are not already using fleet management software, you should choose an ELD service that is part of a larger suite of products. You may be able to scale your software as your business grows, allowing you to integrate shipping software, two-way messaging, geofencing, predictive maintenance, and real-time vehicle tracking (for yourself or for customers).
