User Guide

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Administrator's Guide to Hours of Service (HOS)

Geotab Drive meets the requirements FMCSA 49 CFR §395.22 (h) and FMCSA 49 CFR § 395.22 (i), under the conditions it will be used, as set forth in the Driver's Guide to the Drive App.

For more information about Administrator tasks, refer to the Administrator’s Guide to the Drive App.

Company Setup

Before using Geotab Drive as an HOS solution, please ensure that you have filled out the appropriate compliance information within your database.

  1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Administration > System... > System Settings and ensure that the company name and address are correct.
  2. Under Other, set the Maximum personal conveyance distance to an appropriate value. You can also set the Personal Conveyance (PC) limit(s) on the User Edit page. The daily PC limit(s) in the User settings takes precedence.

Vehicle and Trailer Setup

  1. Install a GO device by following the instructions here.
  2. Navigate to Vehicles and select a device. On the page that follows, ensure that the VIN, license plate, odometer, and state/province information is correct.
  3. Navigate to Engine & Maintenance > Trailers. Click the Add button, and enter the name of the trailer and any related comments.
  4. Click Save to add the trailer.

Driver Setup

Before your driver can start using the Drive App, you must assign the appropriate credentials, security clearances, and settings.

  1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Administration > Users.
  2. Select the Add button to see the following tabs on the Add User page.

Driver Setup — User Tab

  1. On the Add User page, select the User tab and enter a username, first name, and last name for the new user. You can restrict the user’s data access by assigning them to a specific group.
  2. Enter additional information about the driver’s designation, employee number, as well as any relevant comments.
  3. If you want the driver to create their own password, set the Force password change on next login option to Yes. If you want to set the password yourself, select No and enter a password.
  4. Under Security clearance, select the Drive App User clearance, which is the default driver security clearance.
  5. On the Data access dropdown menu, select the groups appropriate for the user. Users are not able to see vehicles or HOS logs outside their data access.

Customize Security Clearances

  1. After Saving any changes made to the new user, return to Administration > Users and click the Clearances button.
  2. On the Security Clearances page, click Drive App User. On the page that follows, click Add Sub-Clearance. Enable or disable features as appropriate for the role.
  3. Click the Save to finalize your changes.

Refer to the chart below for the relevant feature level.

HOS* Only

Disable the following:

  1. Administer Asset Inspection Logs
  2. View Asset Inspection Logs
  3. Send Messages
  4. View Messages

HOS* and Messaging

Disable the following:

  • Administer Asset Inspection Logs
  • View Asset Inspection Logs
  • Messaging Only

    Disable the following:

  • Administer Asset Inspection Logs
  • View Asset Inspection Logs
  • Asset Inspection and Messaging

    Disable the following:

  • Administer Asset Inspection Logs
  • View Asset Inspection Logs
  • Asset Inspection Only

    Disable the following:

  • Administer Asset Inspection Logs
  • View Asset Inspection Logs
  • Send Messages
  • View Messages
  • NOTE: HOS features will incur additional charges if the user is not on the Regulatory Rate Plan or above.

    You can also enable the Ignore HOS logs clearance for drivers. The Ignore HOS logs clearance allows drivers to ignore automatically generated logs that they have claimed.

    Driver Setup — Driver Tab

    1. Under the Driver tab, set This user is a driver to Yes. Enabling this option allows you to assign drivers to trips and create reports based on drivers.
    1. If you want to prevent your driver from seeing the trip, exception, and GPS data of other drivers, set the Prevent driver access to shared data option to Yes.
    2. For compliance with HOS regulations, enter the driver’s license number and state or provincial license information.

    Driver Setup — UI Settings Tab

    1. Under the UI Settings tab, adjust the Regional Settings as appropriate for the driver.
    2. Click Save to create the user account.

    Driver Setup — HOS Settings Tab

    1. Under the HOS Settings tab, select the appropriate HOS ruleset from the Ruleset drop-down menu.
    2. Set any exemption that applies to the driver to On.

    NOTE: Enabling an exemption allows the driver to select the exemption for their HOS logging under the Options tab in the Geotab Drive app when necessary.

    NOTE: For drivers who are exempt from HOS rules, enable the HOS Exempt Allowed exemption. To learn more about HOS Exempt, refer to the How to use “HOS Exempt” exemption article in the Geotab Community.

    1. Ensure the home terminal, home terminal address, authority name, authority address, and carrier number (i.e. USDOT number) are correct. If you are registered in both Canada and the US, enter the USDOT number only. If you are registered in Canada only, leave this field blank.

    NOTE: Custom HOS exemptions cannot share names with an existing status or exemption.

    Finish Setup

    Once the user has been properly configured, press the Save button to finalize the user account settings.

    Continue reading for instructions on viewing and editing Records of Duty Status.

    View HOS Logs

    You can view the HOS logs associated with a driver.

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS... > Logs.
    2. Click Options and select the Date Period and Driver(s).
    3. If desired, select Additional logs to view modifications and other logs.
    4. Select a Default view from the Graph and List toggle.
    5. Click Apply changes to search applicable HOS logs.

    ! IMPORTANT: Date information for HOS logs are displayed in the driver’s time zone, which may be different from the Administrator’s time zone.

    NOTE: HOS logs do not display archived users.

    HOS logs use the following conventions:

    1. Duty status and exemptions are color-coded.
    2. Verified logs are marked with a checkmark.
    3. Unverified logs are not marked with a checkmark.
    4. Edited logs are marked with a pencil icon.
    5. Violations are shown in red with additional data.

    You can select each log to view details such as the origin (manual or automatic), date of verification, modifications, and associated annotations.

    NOTE: HOS logs are only assigned to co-drivers.

    Add Manual HOS Logs

    You can add manual HOS logs for any driver in your fleet.

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Logs.
    2. Click Add and fill out the appropriate information.
    3. Click the Save to finalize your changes.

    NOTE: The HOS disabled/HOS enabled options under Status allows you to control when automatic logs are created. These options require the Administer the device’s advanced settings clearance.

    Assign HOS Logs

    When vehicles are driven without a driver assigned, the Drive App creates an HOS log and assigns them to the built-in Unidentified driver account. You can reassign these logs to drivers.

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Logs.
    2. Click Options and search for the Unidentified driver.
    3. To assign drivers to unassigned Yard Moves, click Yes to Show only Yard Moves, and Apply changes.

    1. Select a log and assign it to the appropriate driver.
    2. If the log is part of an automatic ON log, or multiple Yard Moves, use the Multiple Selection Menu on the top right to select the desired number of logs.
    3. When finished, click Edit selected HOS logs.
    4. Beside Driver, click Replace With and assign the log to the appropriate driver.
    5. Click the Save to finalize your changes.

    NOTE: If you intend to leave a log unassigned, you must add a notation to explain why the log was left unassigned.


    Modify HOS Logs

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Logs.
    2. Use the Options menu to filter on specific duty status logs and click Apply changes.
    3. On the HOS Logs graph for a day, click View Logs.
    4. Select a log from the list and modify the log.
    5. Click the Save to finalize your changes.

    NOTE: Administrators cannot edit unverified logs.

    View Graphs

    You can view a graph of all HOS activity for a 24-hour period for any set of driving logs.

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Logs.
    2. Use the Options menu to filter on a 24-hour period of duty status logs and click Apply changes.

    Manage Unidentified Driving Logs

    NOTE: The Unidentified Driving page is available in Feature Preview.

    The Unidentified Driving page provides information about unassigned trips. To access the Unidentified Driving page, navigate to Activity > HOS > Unidentified Driving.

    Administrators can identify the correct driver, and assign or annotate single or multiple trips. The page includes:

    1. Vehicle groups and comments to provide context.
    2. Trip information, and link to a map with the route.
    3. If available, the driver of the previous and the next trip made by the vehicle.
    4. Annotations, minimum distance and duration filters.
    5. Probable Yard Moves with the “Vehicle Movement Within Zones” rule.

    View the Violations Report

    The Violations report lists all HOS violations in the system.

    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Violations.
    2. Use the Options menu to filter on time periods and drivers. You can also filter the report using the search box, the Sort by dropdown, or find additional reporting options using the Report dropdown.

    NOTE: The audit log creates an entry when the Violations page is accessed.

    View the Availability Report

    The Availability Report displays a list of all drivers in the fleet with HOS logs and the following information:

    1. A recap of driver hours,
    2. Future availability with hours gained at midnight,
    3. Shipments,
    4. Trailer attachment,
    5. Ruleset,
    6. Location, and
    7. Attached vehicle.
    1. In MyGeotab, navigate to Activity > HOS… > Availability.
    2. Use the Options menu to filter on specific drivers. You can also filter the report using the search box, the Sort by dropdown, or find additional reporting options under the Report dropdown.

    NOTE: The audit log creates an entry when the Availability page is accessed.

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