Annex Orbis

ELD

The ELD that keeps reporting.

Hours of service on their own, with commercial truck navigation included. Coming as one model for every truck, with its own GPS and cellular connection, so it keeps reporting where the truck is even with the power cut.

In field testingFMCSA registration in progress

Today’s field-test unit reports through the driver’s phone or tablet over Bluetooth. The cellular unit shown here is coming.

$45per truck, per monthLeased · navigation and updates includedOne-time $50 setup per ELD, shipping to the continental U.S. included

Talk to us about the ELD

The unit

Six by three by two. Magnetic.

The production unit will hold to any steel surface in the cab with its magnetic base. A cable connects the ELD to the truck’s diagnostic port. It only listens to the engine and never sends it a request.

  • A magnetic base; 6 × 3 × 2 inchesComing
  • A listen-only connection to the truck’s diagnostic portIn testing

Navigation

On the road, the route next to the hours.

Commercial truck navigation comes with the lease and runs on the cab tablet, with the hours of service on the same screen. The tablet isn’t included: you’ll need an Android tablet, ideally with GPS and a cellular plan.

  • Turn-by-turn on the cab tablet: the next turn, its exit and lanes, and the posted speed limitIn testing
  • Routes planned for the truck’s size, weight and hazmatIn testing
  • Hours of service on the navigation screenIn testing
  • Traffic and arrival time re-checked about every 10 minutesIn testing
  • Route updates from dispatch while you driveIn testing

Hey HAL

Talk to the tablet.

Say “Hey HAL” and ask when you’ll get there, how far it is or how much drive time you have left. Tell it where you’re going and it finds the place and opens the route, and it starts guidance only after you say yes. HAL needs the app on screen and a data connection.

  • Ask HAL about the trip: arrival, distance, the road, the hours leftIn testing
  • Tell HAL where you’re going, and say yes to startIn testing

GPS and cellular

It knows where it is, and it reports on its own.

The production unit will have its own GPS and cellular connection, and the driver’s phone and tablet pair with it over Bluetooth. Its data plan won’t be included: we estimate about $2 a month for typical use.

  • Its own GPS and cellular connectionComing
  • Pairs with the driver’s phone and tablet over BluetoothIn testing

Kill switch

Power cut. Still on the map.

Turn off the truck’s kill switch and the production unit keeps reporting where the truck is, on its own battery, for up to a month.

  • Location on the unit’s own battery, for up to a monthComing

ELD + navigation

The hours and the route, on one screen.

The ELD records the driver’s hours. The navigation that comes with it routes for the truck’s size, weight and hazmat, and keeps the drive time left beside the next turn. Both are in testing.

  • Routed for this truck, not a car
  • Drive time left beside the next turn
  • Included in the $45 lease
Explore truck navigation
I-352.6miEXIT 250Toward AustinThen4h 15mDRIVELIMIT6562MPHArrive 8:14 AM24 min · 21 mi+4 min traffic
In testingIllustration · fictional names and data

Hours of service

The log keeps itself.

Driving is recorded automatically while the truck moves. At any stop, the driver can choose any status, Drive included.

  • Four clocks, counting down

    Drive, shift, cycle and break time left, worked out under the US federal rules for property and passenger carriers.

    In testing

  • “Still driving?”

    After five minutes stopped, the app asks. With no answer within a minute, the status moves to On duty, so a long stop isn’t logged as driving.

    In testing

  • Team driving

    Up to three drivers on one truck, each signed in as themselves, taking over from each other at a stop.

    In testing

  • Signed each day

    The driver certifies each day’s log. The office can propose an edit with a reason; it changes the log only if the driver accepts.

    In testing
In testingIllustration · fictional driver and data

Roadside and records

Hand the officer the screen.

The inspector view on the driver’s phone or tablet shows today and the previous seven days: the log graph, every change of status and the details an officer checks. It still opens after a restart with no signal.

Illustration: the roadside inspection screen on the driver’s tablet, showing Monday’s log for Marcus R. of Ridgeline Freight, truck T-14, with today and the previous seven days as tabs and the day’s changes of status listed under the graph.

M246810N246810MOff duty7:00Sleeper6:00Driving10:00On duty1:00
In testingIllustration · fictional driver, carrier and data
  • An inspector screen with today and the previous seven daysIn testing
  • The standard ELD output file, for any driver, truck and dates, from the officeIn testing
  • Logs sent to an officer by FMCSA web service or emailComing
  • A six-month backup copy of the recordsComing
See the compliance records

The lease

$45 a month per truck

The ELD is leased, never bought, and priced per truck, solo or team. Navigation and updates are included; the driver’s phone and the cab tablet are not. Each ELD has a one-time $50 setup fee, which includes shipping to the continental United States.

Talk to us about the ELD

Included

  • The ELD, leased
  • Commercial truck navigation on the cab tablet, a $360-a-year value
  • Updates over the air
  • A new unit overnighted for any issue

Not included

  • The driver’s phone: Android, or iPhone in earlier testing
  • The cab tablet for navigation: an Android tablet, ideally with GPS and its own cellular plan
  • The coming cellular unit’s data plan: about $2 a month for typical use (our estimate)

The paired phone or tablet stays online

The phone or tablet paired with the ELD must reach the internet wherever the truck is, roadside inspections included: through its own cellular service or a hotspot in the truck, such as the driver’s phone. Wi-Fi found only at some stops isn’t enough.

Planned

Coming next

On the ELD’s roadmap. None of these works today.

  • Parked 3 days−30% fuel

    Fuel theft protection Coming

    The truck sits for three days. It’s turned back on, and 30% of the fuel is gone. The ELD compares the tank before and after and tells you.

  • Downhill aheadHold 35 mph

    Elevation assist Coming

    Before a long downhill, the driver is told what speed to hold for the truck’s weight with the engine brake on, to help keep the truck from outrunning it.

  • 102 mphFlagged

    Overspeed detection Coming

    We’ve seen drivers over 100 mph. Every overspeed is flagged for the office, and your company decides what happens next.

  • Miles by stateQuarterly

    IFTA miles by state Coming

    Miles by state from the ELD, beside the fuel receipts you already record, to prepare each quarter’s IFTA return. Filing stays with you.

    What IFTA does today

Hardware

The unit

Targets for the production unit we’re building, not test results. Today’s field-test unit plugs into the diagnostic port and pairs with the driver’s phone or tablet over Bluetooth.

6 in3 in2 in
ComingThe production unit, drawn to scale
Size
6 × 3 × 2 in Coming
Mount
Magnetic base: holds to any steel surface Coming
Battery
Up to a month (target) Coming
Location
Built-in GPS Coming
Cellular
Its own cellular connection Coming
Bluetooth
Pairs with the driver’s phone and tablet In testing
Truck
Cable to the diagnostic port; listen-only In testing
Setup
$50 per ELD, one time, with shipping to the continental United States
Data plan
For the coming cellular unit, not included: about $2 a month for typical use (our estimate) Coming
Tablet
Required for navigation, not included: Android 8.0 or newer with Google Play services; GPS and a cellular plan preferred

Status, plainly

What it does, line by line.

Available is live in production. In testing is built and running, not yet proven with real fleets. Coming is planned or partly built.

Hours of service

  • Driving recorded automatically while the truck movesIn testing
  • At any stop, the driver can choose any status, Drive includedIn testing
  • Drive, shift, cycle and break clocks under the US federal rulesIn testing
  • Team driving, up to three drivers on one truckIn testing
  • Edits with the driver’s consent, remarks and daily log certificationIn testing
  • Personal conveyance and yard moves, when the carrier allows themIn testing
  • Unidentified driving captured for reviewIn testing
  • Malfunction and diagnostic events, with a repair task for the officeIn testing

Roadside and records

  • An inspector screen with today and the previous seven daysIn testing
  • The standard ELD output fileIn testing
  • Signed, tamper-evident recordsIn testing
  • Pre-trip and post-trip inspections on the driver’s Android phoneIn testing
  • Logs sent to an officer by FMCSA web service or emailComing
  • A six-month backup copy of the recordsComing
  • Supporting documents from the driverComing

Fleet

  • Every driver’s duty status and hours left, live in the officeIn testing
  • Every truck’s location on a live mapIn testing
  • Engine fault codes and live engine dataIn testing
  • ETAs that learn from each driver and from patterns across the fleetComing

Navigation

  • Commercial truck navigation on the cab tablet, routed for the truck’s size, weight and hazmatIn testing
  • Turn-by-turn with lanes, exit signs and the posted speed limitIn testing
  • Hours of service on the same screen as the routeIn testing
  • Traffic and arrival time re-checked about every 10 minutesIn testing
  • Talk to it: ask HAL about the trip, and say yes to start a routeIn testing
  • Speed warnings for the driverIn testing
  • Navigation and hours of service on iPad and iPhone, in earlier testingIn testing
  • Fuel stops along the routeComing

Not offered

  • Canadian hours-of-service rules
  • Dash cameras
  • Public store listings for the apps

FAQ

Questions carriers ask

Is the ELD registered with FMCSA?

Not yet. The ELD is in field testing and isn’t on FMCSA’s list of registered ELDs. A carrier may use only an ELD on that list (49 CFR 395.22(a)), so until ours is listed, keep your registered ELD in the truck and run ours alongside it.

Does it need an internet connection?

Yes. The ELD pairs with the driver’s phone or tablet, and that device must reach the internet wherever the truck is, roadside inspections included: through its own cellular service or a hotspot in the truck, such as the driver’s phone. Wi-Fi found only at some stops isn’t enough. Today’s field-test unit reports through that device over Bluetooth.

Which phones and tablets work?

Drivers use Annex Orbis Mobile on an Android phone, and navigation runs in Annex Orbis Tablet on an Android tablet in the cab (Android 8.0 or newer; GPS and a cellular plan preferred). The iPhone and iPad apps are in earlier testing. Pre-trip and post-trip inspections and fuel receipts need the Android phone. Today the apps are test builds on company devices, not yet listed in any store.

Can team drivers share a truck?

Yes: up to three drivers on one truck, each signed in as themselves. They take over from each other at a stop, and a driving period moves from one driver to another only when both confirm. Team driving is in testing, and the price is the same per truck.

What happens if the unit stops working?

The app tells the driver what to do, including when to keep paper logs, and the office gets an automatic notice and a repair task with the 8 days 49 CFR 395.34(d)(1) allows to fix the unit. Malfunction handling is in testing. Because the ELD is leased, we overnight a new unit.

Can the office change a driver’s log?

The office can propose an edit, with a reason. It changes the log only if the driver accepts it. Unidentified driving works the same way: the office can offer it to a driver, who accepts it or says it isn’t theirs. Both are in testing.

Keep exploring

The rest of the carrier platform

Lease the ELD

$45 per truck, per month, with commercial truck navigation included, plus a one-time $50 setup fee per ELD.

Talk to us about the ELD