The Case for Multi-Source Tracking
Real-time freight visibility is now essential for North American truckload shippers, brokers, and 3PLs. Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) were expected to automate tracking, but a purely ELD-based approach has serious limitations, primarily by limiting the capacity available to you if you require ELD integrations. Why is this the case?
- Not all carriers are required to have ELDs (trucks with pre-2000 engines for example)
- Not all carriers have ELDs that can integrate with visibility platforms or Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
- Not all carriers choose to connect their ELDs to third-party platforms for privacy and security concerns.
Additionally, ELDs do not have a 100% reliability on sending tracking pings for a variety of reasons, including human error. Consequently, if you rely solely on ELD data feeds, that strategy can leave significant visibility gaps.
The answer is an “ELD Plus” visibility strategy that blends ELD data with driver mobile app tracking, and even text messages. Combining ELD and mobile tracking yields far better coverage and higher carrier compliance.
This article will review why the most successful visibility programs use both ELD and mobile, and why Descartes MacroPoint’s capabilities and carrier-friendly offering uniquely enables this strategy.
Carrier Pushback Against ELD-Only Requirements
ELD-only tracking is a non-starter for many small carriers and owner-operators. And many carriers prefer not to connect their ELDs to on-boarding and visibility systems, but with the freight market in a recession for the past few years those carriers begrudgingly allowed the ELD connection to secure more loads. Some of these carriers voice concerns on privacy and security risks with their ELD data being stored by a 3rd party.
Adding to their fears is that in certain cases the ELD integration with vetting and visibility platforms requires ELD login credentials which is contrary to standard cybersecurity policies. On top of that is the fact that many carriers believe that some vetting and visibility platforms are constantly tracking equipment (not just when on an active load). There have also been concerns about companies selling the tracking data. Examples of these carrier sentiments were documented in this Overdrive online article from March of 2025.
With many in the industry expecting the freight market to tighten in 2026 there will be more good loads for active carriers to choose from and many of these carriers can avoid brokers that use platforms that make them surrender data or credentials. The bottom line: forcing every carrier into an ELD integration risks alienating the capacity you need, whereas a vetting and visibility strategy that respects carrier preferences will make you a “Broker of Choice” now and in the future.
The Power of ELD Plus; Combining ELD and Mobile App Tracking
An effective visibility program casts the widest net by using multiple tracking channels. Descartes’& ELD Plus capability supports ELD & TMS integrations, a driver’s mobile app, and even text message tracking without the mobile app. By blending these methods Descartes covers all the bases. Plus, with the new Descartes MacroPoint Agentic AI capabilities, dispatchers have automations to support their workflows across all connection methods as described in this article.
- Reach carriers who won’t use ELD integrations. Some small carriers simply won’t grant access to their ELD data – but they will install and use a lightweight smartphone app for tracking. With over 2 million drivers on the MacroPoint mobile app, you can capture the “long tail” of capacity that an ELD-only platform would miss. Take it from this owner operator who was quoted in another Overdrive article who stated, “The only technology I use is in my hand,” referencing her smartphone, “I’ll do MacroPoint, but as soon as I finish the load I delete the app and clean my phone.
- Ensure fail-safe coverage on every load. Even when you integrate with a carrier’s ELD, devices can malfunction, trucks get swapped, or truck numbers are input incorrectly. MacroPoint automatically moves over to the driver’s smartphone if an ELD stops reporting, so the load stays visible without any manual intervention. This redundancy is also driver friendly – the app runs quietly in the background unless something needs attention.
2M+
MacroPoint App Installs
3M+
MacroPoint ELD Trucks
- Achieve higher compliance and fewer gaps. Giving carriers a choice of how to connect naturally boosts participation. Whether a carrier shares ELD data, integrates via their TMS, uses the MacroPoint app, or through texting, the load gets tracked. Many Descartes customers routinely reach tracking compliance of 95%+ by blending ELD and mobile, which is nearly impossible to hit with a single tracking method. More tracked loads mean far fewer check calls, higher compliance, happier carriers, and improved key performance indicators (KPIs) with shippers.
- Broad network and easier onboarding. A multi-source visibility platform like Descartes MacroPoint which is tightly integrated with the carrier vetting/on-boarding/monitoring solution Descartes MyCarrierPortal brings a massive pre-existing carrier network. Hundreds of thousands of carriers are already in the the ecosystem, with millions of connected trucks across hundreds of integrated ELD/TMS partners. When you are looking at a carrier, there’s a good chance that carrier has a Certificate of Insurance (COI) and a carrier packet on file in the Descartes MyCarrierPortal database and is already set up to feed tracking data to Descartes MacroPoint.
A carrier’s connection method, tracking history, tracking compliance score, and fraud indicators are all visible during the vetting process to accelerate the on-boarding process while reducing cargo theft risk.
And if the carrier is not already in the Descartes network, onboarding them is a straightforward process that carriers prefer versus other options in the market.
In short, ELD and mobile tracking aren’t an either/or choice – they complement each other. Together, they increase your access to capacity, contribute to being a ‘Broker of Choice,’ and make your visibility platform far more resilient to gaps.
Descartes Carrier-Friendly Philosophy: Why the ELD Plus Approach Wins
Since Descartes MacroPoint implemented modern real-time freight tracking in 2011, Descartes has made “carrier-friendly” a core design principle with ELD Plus. It starts with vetting and onboarding through Descartes MyCarrierPortal. Carriers can onboard without connecting ELDs. Carriers simply provide their standard compliance info (authority, insurance, etc.) to get approved. If there are any red flags, more information will be requested from the carrier, including the option for real-time vehicle identification number (VIN) validation showing the exact location and identity of the power-unit before communicating the pickup number and details of the load which reduces your exposure to cargo theft. The carrier only connects an ELD feed when it’s assigned to haul ;a load. This eliminates the growing frustration carriers have where they go through the process of connecting their ELD, or even providing their ELD login credentials, only to not get awarded the load. A waste of time and loss of ‘good-will’ with that carrier. And for the carriers that can’t, or won’t, connect their ELDs, the MacroPoint for Truckers app provides a streamlined experience for the driver to send automated updates& on their location and status. To further increase adoption for the mobile app, we’ve dded the ability for drivers to only allow location tracking while using the app, versus allowing tracking all the time which protects drivers’ privacy. Descartes treats carrier data with care and transparency, in accordance with strict data security standards. Tracking is only activated on loads in transit, and it stops the moment the delivery is completed. We do not track trucks between shipments, and we never sell or share carriers’ data, period.
Being carrier-friendly doesn’t mean losing visibility, it means achieving visibility through cooperation instead of coercion. When carriers have flexibility and confidence their data won’t be misused, they’re much more willing to comply with vetting and tracking requests. Brokers using Descartes earn a reputation among carriers as fair and easy to work with. And when the market tightens, that business model is a major advantage: carriers will gravitate to partners who don’t burden them with tracking demands.
Results: Fewer Gaps, 95%+ Compliance, Better Service
The blended ELD Plus tracking approach delivers near-total freight visibility with minimal manual effort. Many Descartes MacroPoint& users regularly achieve over 95% tracking compliance across their loads. And this is without constantly pinging drivers for updates or forcing every carrier into a single integration. Descartes MacroPoint’s ELD Plus capability takes care of the rest: if an ELD feed is available, it uses it; if not, it seamlessly switches to the driver’s mobile app. Text tracking is even an option if the broker allows it. All location updates from any mode around the globe flow into one unified Control Tower. This fail-safe approach means virtually no blind spots. Add in Descartes MacroPoint’s new AI agent capability enables ;dispatch teams to spend far less time chasing updates if interventions are required.
Carriers appreciate the experience as well. They aren’t hassled as long as tracking is working, and if they need to do something (like start tracking or upload a proof of delivery), they can do it on their terms via their preferred method. Some tracking platforms lean into AI agents as a major source for getting data into the system, but this means more robot calls to busy drivers asking for updates that could be automated throughout the entire process. The Descartes ELD Plus method creates a virtuous cycle; a better carrier experience which leads to higher tracking compliance, more accurate data and fewer surprises for everyone.
Building a Visibility Strategy on Trust and Flexibility
In today’s transportation landscape, an ELD Plus visibility strategy isn’t just nice-to-have, it’s essential for reliable visibility that doesn’t alienate carriers. ELD data provides rich, automated location updates, while the& mobile app tracking extends the same rich data when ELDs aren’t in the mix. Together, they deliver far better results than relying on ELDs alone. More importantly, it does so in a way that respects the carriers you depend on.
Descartes MacroPoint and Descartes MyCarrierPortal are designed as carrier-centric solutions, with no forced ELD integrations, no unwarranted denial of trusted carriers during onboarding, no tracking outside active loads, and no misuse of data. By prioritizing carrier comfort and privacy, brokers, 3PLs, and shippers using these solutions become partners of choice.
Contact Descartes to learn how these solutions, blend ELD, mobile, and other tracking methods, into your vetting and real-time tracking processes and can help you achieve 95%+ tracking compliance in a carrier-friendly way that will help you grow your business, reduce fees and fines, and make your visibility strategy a win–win for you and your carriers.
