Omnitracs' Road Ahead blog

Omnitracs Outlook 2020: What to expect

Christine Krumbholz Photo
Christine Krumbholz
Corporate Events Director

Our sixth-annual user conference is just a few weeks away, and we can’t wait for you to experience the tailored content we’re building just for you in over 60 available breakout sessions! Whether you’re interested in compliance, safety, or strategy, experienced industry experts have content prepared for everyone at Omnitracs Outlook 2020.

Omnitracs Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Mike Ahart will be returning to Outlook to participate in the Over-the-Road Super Session panel alongside representatives from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, and Private Motor Truck Council of Canada. The panel will discuss and take questions on current and emerging regulatory topics including the U.S. and Canadian Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate, pending Hours of Service regulation changes, and the anticipated impact of the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.

Our panel of experts will stick around as Ahart leads an Ask the Expert Q&A session on regulatory compliance as well as a session with Omnitracs Lead Product Manager Kam Roshan on the June 2021 Canadian ELD Mandate.

For more on what to expect at our most exciting conference yet, we sat down with Ahart for his take on sessions, topics, and ways Outlook 2020 will be bigger and better than ever.

Avoiding ELD-related violations

With Outlook 2019 hyper-focused on preparing for the now-past U.S. ELD compliance date, many may be wondering what the hot topic will be this year. For Ahart, the answer is two-fold: Compliance with the requirements of the enforced U.S. ELD Mandate and pending changes to the regulatory landscape.

“There has been a definite shift in the types of violations that we are seeing drivers receive,” Ahart said. “Since the ELD rule was implemented, there have been new, widely-cited violations ranging from no record-of-duty-status to drivers failing to maintain ELD instruction sheets. However, some other violations have all but disappeared.”

Now that the dust has settled from the U.S. mandate, carriers must focus on protecting their safety record and bottom line from operational and financial penalties. This will be a large point of discussion at the conference.

“We have been on a rocky road as we’ve gone through the ELD change,” Ahart added. “But we knew the requirements as we were traveling along that road. Now, we’ve come to this intersection and know the road ahead is paved, but how do we make sure we stay in the lane of compliance? And what other changes do we see lying ahead that may make us shift our course?”

Leveraging data to work for you

The switch from Automatic On-Board Recording Devices to ELDs was not only necessary for compliance purposes, but beneficial to a fleet’s entire operation. Throughout Outlook, industry experts will focus on the data that has been and can be collected through the use of ELDs, and how to put that data to work for your company.

Concurrently, many carriers are still getting used to utilizing the ELD and other Omnitracs technology in their operation. To help, industry experts will be speaking to the confusion that exists related to the technical aspects of the ELD itself and ways to start leveraging the device. 

“I expect that our customers will walk away with a better understanding of what they are capable of gaining through the use of our compliance tools to improve operational performance,” Ahart said.

Your chance to be heard

Omnitracs Outlook is a chance for you to not only perform better in 2020 and beyond, but also an opportunity to speak with international regulatory experts and regulators themselves to learn what challenges the transportation industry is facing and have your voice heard.

“Coming from the motor carrier side of the business, I have my beliefs on what are the significant challenges associated with compliance,” Ahart said. “But, I’m most excited to learn from our customers where they are actually being challenged from a compliance standpoint.”

Ahart also advised that experts will make themselves available for discussions or sidebars during cocktails, dinner, and between sessions for those who are nervous to ask questions in the audience.

“If you don’t participate, your voice isn’t going to be heard and you’re going to miss out on a chance to learn something,” Ahart said. “As much as you think you know, there’s always more to learn.”

Register for Omnitracs Outlook 2020 to join us at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from February 16-19!