Before you begin driving, complete all of the pre-trip tasks in this section.
The items listed below must be available to the driver to be compliant with the ELD mandate. Verify that your driver can access the materials required in your region. Both the user manual and the informational sheet for your region are available on the login screen of the Samsara Driver App (see ELD In-Cab Materials).
United States
Samsara Driver App User Manual: Available in the Samsara Driver App (PDF download available from Items Required for ELD Compliance). This Samsara Driver App User Manual meets the ELD information packet requirements specified in 49 C.F.R. § 395.22(h). FMCSA's ELD guidance (see FMCSA's ELD FAQs) confirms that these materials can be in electronic format, in accordance with the federal register titled “Regulatory Guidance Concerning Electronic Signatures and Documents” (76 FR 411).
Samsara DOT Instruction Sheet: Available in the Samsara Driver App (PDF download available from Items Required for ELD Compliance)
Blank records of duty status graphs: 8 days or more
Canada
This Samsara Driver App User Manual: Available in the Samsara Driver App (PDF download available from Items Required for ELD Compliance).
Transport Canada Instruction Sheet: Available in the Samsara Driver App (PDF download available from Items Required for ELD Compliance).
Blank records of duty status graphs: 15 days or more
Before you begin driving, you must sign in to the Samsara Driver App and select your vehicle.
For drivers in Canada, if you begin driving without first logging in, the Samsara Driver App will display a prompt to alert you to stop the vehicle and sign in. To display the prompt:
Note
The Samsara Driver App must be actively open on your device
Your device is connected to the Samsara Vehicle Gateway (using the Vehicle Gateway’s hotspot)
To dismiss the prompt (click OK), the vehicle must be stopped.
To sign in to the app:
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Download and open the Samsara Driver App.
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Enter your Fleet ID, username, and password and tap Sign In.
Write your Fleet ID, username, and password hint down for easy access. If you don’t have login details yet, contact your Fleet administrator. If you previously received login details but forgot your password, you can Reset your Samsara Driver App Password.
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Select your vehicle from the list, or search for one. If you attempt to continue without a vehicle selection, you will receive a No Vehicle Selected alert on your Driver App dashboard.
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Tap Done when you’ve selected your vehicle.
If driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs) are appropriate for your vehicle, add a new pre-trip inspection report:
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Select the DVIR tile.
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From the DVIR view, review any existing DVIRs for this vehicle.
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To create a new DVIR, tap Create DVIR.
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If you are presently Off Duty, you will be prompted to select Go On Duty before beginning your DVIR.
Perform a walkaround and inspect your vehicle for any defects.
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Select Pre-Trip then tap Add Defects and review each item on the list against your vehicle. Tap Next when you’ve completed your review.
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If you find any defects with the vehicle, select the applicable defects and enter a description and optional photo.
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Select a safety status for your vehicle or trailer, either Safe to drive or Unsafe. Tap Next.
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To certify, tap Certify and Submit.
Note
If your carrier or mechanic has resolved a previous DVIR, the Samsara Driver App prompts you to certify whether or not the defects have been resolved.
With the Samsara Driver App, you can add log form data, if needed. This can be useful if for example, you need to enter a trailer that’s not already on the list, or if there’s a mistake in the trailer number or vehicle.
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Tap the HoS tile.
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From the Hours of Service view, tap Log.
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(Optional) In the Forms section, review the Trailer name, Shipping IDs, and Vehicle Name for accuracy.
If the name is missing or incorrect, make the correction:
Tap the item you want to edit.
Edit or enter the desired value.
Save your changes.
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Tap the back arrow to return to the HOS view.
Important
Don’t Certify Too Early: Do not tap Certify and Submit unless you intend to certify your log for the entire day.
If you drive in Canada and follow the federal Hours of Service regulations, you can follow either a Cycle 1 or a Cycle 2 ruleset. Cycle 1 is 7 consecutive days, whereas cycle 2 is 14 consecutive days. If you elect to follow Cycle 1, you can accrue up to 70 hours of on-duty time (on duty driving and on duty not driving statuses) over the 7 day period. If you follow Cycle 2, you can accrue up to 120 hours on duty (on duty driving and on duty not driving statuses) over the 14 day period. Note that these hours requirements change when a driver travels north of latitude 60 degrees north.
If you drive to a region with a different ruleset, you can change your HOS cycle after a required reset period has been taken by both you and your fleet administrators.
To change the HOS cycle:
After you’ve completed all of the pre-trip tasks in this section, you’re ready to drive.
The ELD mandate considers a vehicle to be moving when the speed of the vehicle exceeds 5mph (United States) or 8km/hr (Canada). When the vehicle exceeds the speed threshold, your duty status automatically switches to Driving.
To minimize distractions when the vehicle is in motion, the Samsara Driver App displays only critical information about your trip and locks the display to the duty status screen. To access other areas in the app, you must be at rest for more than three consecutive seconds.
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