Omnitracs says most devices back on track after major ELD malfunction

UPDATE 3 PM, November 5————————————————————————

Days after a major ELD outage affected many Omnitracs customers, the company says that service has been restored for most users.

Company CEO Ray Greer detailed the efforts to restore service in a blog post on the company website:

The Omnitracs team continues to work around the clock to solve connectivity issues with MCP 200, MCP 110, and MCP 50 devices.

In my last update, I reported that 60% of impacted devices had been updated with a new configuration file addressing date-time data. As of this time, that percentage has climbed to 85%. This configuration file is an interim fix that will display today’s date to the driver, rather than 2000 or 2010. 

Last night a patch was also deployed in our operations center that has improved location intelligence for impacted devices on the host (back office). This means that — even though drivers could continue to have a mixed experience throughout their trip  —  back-office applications, including QTRACS and Omnitracs Hours of Service, have significantly increased position and hours of service data to host operations. The patch should provide significant relief in terms of data availability and accuracy to the back office.

Additionally, while this issue persists, drivers will need to manually capture odometer readings as they cross state borders for IFTA reporting, should actively check the accuracy of their Record of Duty Statuses on their devices, and maintain paper logs as a backup.

In the event an extension of the “8-day paper log” limitation is required for any MCP devices, Omnitracs will take responsibility on your behalf in gaining an extension from the FMCSA and will provide required documentation to you on Friday. This is the most expedient and certain path should it become necessary. 

Thank you for your continued patience. 

ORIGINAL REPORT———————————————————————————

One of the nation’s largest Electronic Logging Device (ELD) providers has confirmed that a software malfunction forced a large number of truck drivers to abandon their devices and resort to paper logs.

Omnitracs confirmed via a blog post on the company website that a November 2 “GPS rollover event” left MCP telematics units affected. The company has advised drivers to use paper logs until the malfunction is corrected. It isn’t clear at this time when a solution will be available or how many drivers are affected by the ELD outage.

Current ELD regulations allow drivers to use paper logs for up to eight days if their ELD devices malfunction.

Omnitracs CEO Ray Greer writes, “While our backend systems remain fully functional and have bi-directional communications with the devices, we are aware that on some devices, our customers are unable to access both accurate time and location data. Resolving this issue is our highest priority, and our team is working around the clock until all units are again fully operational.”

Several drivers took to Facebook to report the Omnitracs problem. Driver Deanna Mase-Parks wrote in a Facebook post, “We have had a complete Qualcomm/Omni tracs failure. It is nationwide. It is a Y2K GPS bug believe it of not. Our logs do not show any driving history and the computer has reverted back to the date 03/18/2000.”

Omnitracs says that the company’s  IVG, Android XRS, and Roadnet devices are not affected and continue to operate normally.

Greer says, “As someone who has spent 30 years in the operational side of the transportation industry, I fully understand the impact this has on operations and the frustration this creates for drivers and their companies.”