AOBRD VS ELD: Key Differences

What Is AOBRD?

AOBRD is an Automatic On-Board Recording Device that records the Hour Of Service electronically and is compliant with 1988 regulations. AOBRD is regulated in § 395.15 and  defined in § 395.2 regulations.

The device needs to be synchronized with specific operations and must at least record engine use, date and time, road speed, and miles driven. However, AOBRD can be used in Commercial Motor Vehicle until December 16, 2019 after which all AOBRDs must be upgraded to ELDs.

Electronic Logging Devices

ELDs ( Electronic Logging Devices) are defined in § 395.20 regulations and they are required to be installed in CMVs under Record of duty status (RODS). ELD vehicles must capture vehicle location, engine power status, vehicle speed, total miles driven, engine hours, and vehicle motion status through vehicle’s ECM.

Difference Between ELD And AOBRD 

Automatic Data Record: ELDs are required to automate the capture of RODs data automatically at:

• Change of duty status

• Every 60 minutes while the vehicle is in motion

• Power On and OFF cycle

• Personal Use

• Yard Move

• RODS data transferred to FMCSA

FMCSA Compliance: AOBRDs could be installed prior December 18, 2017 in CMVs . It is much more flexible in terms of regulations.

Drivers Can Edit Their Logs Without Leaving Edit History: Transitioning from paper logs to elogs can be challenging for the fleet. AOBRDs makes it relatively easy for drivers to correct mistakes on logs and it does not display the corrections.

On the other hand, ELD displays the edit history which can actually make the mistakes apparent to DOT inspectors during inspections.  Drivers can actually use the additional two years to get used to the new rules and technology.

However, drivers are still required to uphold regulations and the law. If elog is found to be tampered with and HOS violated, the fleet and driver is still liable for penalties.

More Features And Value For Money: ELD collects more data from ECM than AOBRD device. ELD has more features to offer, including, but not limited to, IFTA reporting and diagnostics, adding more value for money.

Rather than hiring another party to do these services for you, you can simply utilize ELD and save a reasonable amount of money in the process, thus, bringing down the cost of operation.

On-Duty Switching And Unassigned Hour Alerts: If a truck is stopped over the duration of 5 minutes, then ELD automatically switches the status from OFF Duty to ON Duty. AOBRD does not include that feature.

Also, ELD alerts driver of unassigned hours when he or she logs in, thus, allowing them to authenticate if it was them who drove their vehicle or someone else did.

Hutch Systems offers AOBRD and ELD devices at competitive prices with diverse features. Their products are FMCSA certified and DOT Inspector approved.