Driver phone app or ELD connection: which data source can you rely on for a brokered load?

Published 2026-11-11 · facts checked 2026-11-11

The difference is who has to say yes. An ELD connection reads the truck's telematics, but the carrier must agree to share it and set up the link with its provider. A driver phone app reads the phone, and the driver is the one who agrees. Neither is better on every load: ask which one you can actually get switched on before pickup.

Who needs this and when

A broker who books both fleets and one-truck owner-operators and wonders why some loads can be tracked from day one and others cannot. Also useful when a shipper asks "is this from the ELD or the phone?"

Comparison

Question	ELD connection	Driver phone app
Who must agree	The carrier (its dispatcher or safety office); in one published example the fleet turns the integration on in its own ELD account [1]	The driver, on the phone
What is set up	A data link between the carrier's ELD provider and the tracking tool	An app install and a location permission
What you see	The position of the truck the ELD is installed in	The position of the phone whose number you entered
If the driver swaps trucks or carries a different phone	The feed follows the truck, not the person	The feed follows the phone, not the truck
A carrier you met an hour ago	Only if it already has a supported ELD and will share it	Yes, if the driver has a smartphone and accepts the invite

To choose per load:

Ask the carrier at booking whether it shares ELD data with a tracking tool and who sets it up. If yes and it is quick, the feed may be enough.
If the answer is "not sure" or the dispatcher is unreachable, ask for the driver's mobile number instead.
Tell the driver what to expect: a text with a link, a free app, one permission.
Check that a position is arriving before the truck leaves the shipper.

Example

Demo: Demo Freight LLC books load DEMO-1001 with a one-truck carrier. There is no fleet dispatcher to ask for an ELD link, so the broker enters driver phone 555-0100 in a new load. The driver gets an SMS, installs the app and the load shows connected before pickup. The next demo load, DEMO-1002, goes to a fleet whose dispatcher already shares ELD data, so the broker uses that route.

Where PingPoint helps

PingPoint is the phone route. You enter pickup, delivery and the driver's phone number (or fill the load from a rate confirmation PDF), and PingPoint sends the driver an SMS with a personal link. The driver installs the free PingPoint Driver app, agrees to location sharing and allows location. No driver account, ELD or carrier setup is involved. The load page shows invite sent, link opened or connected, and re-sending or changing the number is free. The price is $0.65 per load created.

Requirements and limits

PingPoint tracks the phone whose number you entered, not the trailer or the ELD.
The driver must install the app, agree to location sharing and allow location; tracking stops after delivery, on cancel, or when the driver pauses sharing.
If the phone has no signal, positions are stored and uploaded later.
PingPoint does not read ELD data. What an ELD provider shares, and on what terms, is decided by the carrier and the provider, so ask them.
PingPoint does not verify MC/DOT authority, insurance or identity, and does not call drivers.

Next step

Sign up, create your first load with the driver's phone number and the driver gets the tracking invite by SMS. How it works · Pricing

$0.65 per load · SMS invite, map and customer tracking link included · ETA $0.02 per click · no subscription · pricing

Start tracking a load

Sources

#	Fact	Source	Published
[1]	Trucker Tools describes an ELD route in which the fleet itself enables the integration in its Motive account, which lets Trucker Tools pull ELD location data; the same page says a load can instead be tracked with the Trucker Tools driver app.	Trucker Tools	2022-08-10

Every source above was opened and compared with the text on 2026-11-11.

Facts checked 2026-11-11.