Ag-Specific ELD Product Launching at Kansas Motor Carriers Association 

On display will be a working version of the HOS application, which was released earlier this month. The HOS application addresses a large need in the agriculture haulers market, as current HOS systems do not properly handle 49 CFR 395.1(k), they tend to offer ineffective, and sometimes dangerous, workarounds.

For example, not logging into the ELD unit until you are outside of the agriculture exempt area, then attempting to explain to a law enforcement officer why there are hundreds of hours of unidentified driving on your logbook.

Other scenarios are also offered that are equally ineffective. Since, by definition, a driver will always be crossing the air miles boundary while driving, any solution that requires them to constantly fiddle with the HOS device while the vehicle is in motion is a dangerous safety issue.

Further, exemption status is based around the type of commodity being transported, federal agriculture definitions, state agriculture seasons, the location of the pickup and drop off, the sequence of transportation destinations, and a real-time translation of air miles to ground miles as the hauler moves from location to location.

It’s complicated.

GeoSpace Labs has created an agriculture specific version of its popular hours of service product, Geowiz, that completely automates the entire 49 CFR 395.1(k) process, creating clear hours of service logs to meet the requirements of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD), Automatic On-board Recording Devices (AOBRD), and GPS only electronic logbooks.

The Geowiz HOS agriculture specific log book automatically fills in log notes, correctly logs hours inside the exemption and then reports as off duty, reconciles exempt driving so drivers do not have to explain exempt unassigned driving to inspectors or auditors,  automatically starts recording hours of service when outside exempt areas, properly transmits only the non-exempt driving information to the FMCSA if required, and allows for agriculture exemption routing on maps so drivers can plan routes with full knowledge of where exemptions begin and end.

The system puts drivers in complete control, they can add and remove locations, and the system allows for multiple locations of commodity pick up or drop off, which roll continually onto logs until removed, all follow the posted FMCSA rules including the complex A, B, C pick-up/drop-off, en-route empty to source, return empty, and other scenarios as published.

The HOS AG system is very easy to use and is one of the least expensive ELD system on the market, with a monthly fee of only $15, putting it at nearly half the cost of other, non-agriculture friendly systems.

If a driver is driving a vehicle exempt from the ELD requirements, the Geowiz AG APP can be used without a monthly fee as a GPS centric electronic logbook, with all the features and automations intact.