Tips for a Smooth Transition The ELD mandate for switching to electronic logs is drawing closer. Many trucking companies are starting to transition now. A smooth transition is critical so that you do not waste time and money. Like most things in life it is about planning. Below is a list of 5 tips to make the transition as smooth as possible. Tips for a Smooth Transition 1. Start now 2. Don't wait for the last 90 days 3. Ask the right questions 4. Consider a phased approach 5. Obtain driver buy-in Click here  to learn more about how to make a smooth transition. As an Omnitracs VAR we can[Read More]

ELD Mandate Is On Its Way The ELD (electronic logging device) mandate will be here very soon. If you are a trucking company or a driver then most likely you will be required to use an electronic logging device to record hours-of-service (HOS). If you don't already use an ELD then you have 2 choices, adopt one now or procrastinate and wait until the last minute. If you adopt one now you will start to get the benefits right away. You will also save the headache of implementing a new system at the last minute. Read this article by Tom Cuthbertson about the[Read More]

Dash Cam Video Evidence Accidents happen everyday. They can cost the business thousands of dollars. As a business owner or manager a video record is the best evidence that you can have. It can help protect the business from catastrophic financial loss. In many cases the accident is not the fault of your driver. The only way to truly protect yourself is with video evidence. Take a look at the video below from a dash cam. It captures a pickup truck crashing into a semi-truck. It is clearly the fault of the driver of the F-150. The accident happens at the 1:44[Read More]

Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts The Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts (LTBCF) is an annual report produced by the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration). It contains valuable data about fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes involving large trucks and buses. A large truck is defined as a truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds. The 2014 report was released on April 15, 2015. Click here to download a copy. FleetOwner has produced some interesting charts and graphs from the data in the report. Click here to see the charts. Facts From 2014 Report The report contains a lot[Read More]

Electronic Logging Device Facts The purpose of this blog is to provide an easy to use source for facts and requirements for electronic logging devices. Please refer to the FMCSA's ELD rule page for more details. All CDL drivers who keep a Record of Duty Status (RODS) will be required by the FMCSA to use an ELD by December 18, 2017. Click here to see the official implementation timeline. For carriers and drivers that are using AOBRDS (automatic onboard recording devices) before the compliance date must transition to ELDs no later than December 16, 2019. Click here to download a copy of the ELD[Read More]

What Is A Circle Geofence? A circle geofence is a virtual fence that can track when an item (vehicle, piece of equipment, or person) crosses the boundary. A circle geofence can be used in a variety of situations. For example, when you need to verify when a vehicle visited a customer. Another good reason is to prevent your drivers from visiting places that are off limits, such as their home, girlfriend/boyfriend's house, favorite bar, etc.   Creating a geofence is very easy to do. Please follow the steps below to get started. Create a Circle Geofence 1. Click on the Geofence tab.   2. Click on Create.   3. Enter an[Read More]

Setup Alert An alert is a notification of an event. You can setup alerts for events such as speeding, geofence violations, idling, etc. Click here to see a complete list of available alerts. Alerts are useful when you want to receive a notification about an important event. For example, if you want to know when a vehicle enters or exits a geofence, which could be a driver's home. You can receive the alert by email or text. Follow the steps below to setup an alert. 1. From the Dashboard…click on the name of a group. 2. Click on Setup Alerts. 3. Setup the alert. A. Select the alert[Read More]

Item List The Item List is a list view of all the vehicles, assets, and individuals in the Milo GPS tracking system. You can sort the list by the column names. Just click on the name to sort the field. View the list From the Dashboard...click on the right arrow.[Read More]

How To Send A Message To A Garmin You can send a message from the Milo GPS website to a Garmin navigator that is in the vehicle. The driver will receive the message on the Garmin screen. This feature requires the LMU-2700 GPS tracker. Sending a message is very easy to do. Please follow the steps below to learn how to send a message. 1. From the Dashboard…click on the envelope in the upper right corner. 2. . Click on Messaging Center. 3. Click on Create Message. The New Message screen should open up. Do not change the Message Type. The Message Type should be MDT. Choose the vehicle[Read More]

Milo GPS Dashboard The Milo GPS Dashboard provides insight into the current status of your fleet. It shows important information such as average idle time, top max speeds, and current alerts. The Dashboard allows you to organize your fleet into groups. Vehicles, assets, and individuals are managed inside groups. You can add new ones and change their attributes, such as name, VIN #, license plate, etc. You can create as many groups as you need.   Add Group: click this button to add a new group. Alert List: click here to see a complete list of alerts. Alerts: this section shows a summary of the total number[Read More]