ZED Connect has announced that it is discontinuing its ZED-ELD product and offering current customers an opportunity to transition to the EZ-ELD from Stoneridge.
In a note on its home page, the company said that its “priority is ensuring our customers remain compliant and have access to necessary ELD services during this transition. We have negotiated a zero-cost transfer agreement with Stoneridge EZ-ELD. Customers must opt into this transfer. The ZED ELD mobile application and fleet management portal will continue to function until customers have completed their transfer to Stoneridge EZ-ELD.”
Requests for comment to the company went unanswered.
According to the note, customers have until Dec. 31, 2018, to decide whether to transition to the Stoneridge ELD device and that ZED Connect will continue to support the ZED-ELD until that transition is complete. It does not provide a timeframe for that or note how long service will continue for customers that do not switch to Stoneridge (NYSE: SRI)
Customers choosing the transfer will receive a free Stoneridge ELD device and one-year subscription to the Stoneridge ELD and IFTA service for free.
The note reads:
ZED ELD Customer Transition to Stoneridge EZ-ELD
ZED Connect is phasing out the ZED ELD product. Our priority is ensuring our customers remain compliant and have access to necessary ELD services during this transition. We have negotiated a zero-cost transfer agreement with Stoneridge EZ-ELD. Customers must opt into this transfer. The ZED ELD mobile application and fleet management portal will continue to function until customers have completed their transfer to Stoneridge EZ-ELD.
All existing ZED ELD customers will have until Dec 31, 2018, to sign-up to transfer to Stoneridge under a negotiated transition agreement. All customers who sign-up for this transfer will receive a free-of-charge Stoneridge ELD Device and a free-of-charge 1-year subscription to Stoneridge ELD and IFTA.
Click here to sign-up to be transferred from ZED-ELD to Stoneridge EZ-ELD
Customers do not have to transition immediately. ZED ELD will continue to function to give customers sufficient time to transfer, well beyond the December 31, 2018 transfer sign-up deadline. No additional features or functions will be added, but the ELD mobile applications and fleet management portal will remain operational.
For any customer who purchased ZED ELD hardware on or after October 1st, 2018, that hardware can be returned for a refund.
For hardware purchased through the zed-eld.com website (on or after Oct 1, 2018), please contact zed.refund@zed-eld.com on or before Nov 30, 2018.
For hardware purchased through another retail channel partner (on or after Oct 1, 2018), please contact that retailer to initiate the return process on or before Nov 30, 2018.
Click here for more information about the Stoneridge EZ-ELD product.
Stoneridge said that its EZ-ELD is “unlike any other ELD brand on the market in that it includes three interchangeable onboard diagnostic (OBD) connectors, making it easy to switch between vehicles and eliminating the need to buy additional devices or expensive accessories if drivers change or upgrade their trucks.”
The company also noted that the device includes “Scan and Drive” technology, allowing drivers to quickly pair the device with the iOS or Android app and seamlessly operate between vehicles. Drivers only need to scan a QR code to connect the EZ-ELD smartphone app to the device.
ZED Connect has moved from the www.zed-eld.com home page to a new home page at www.home.zedconnect.com. Visitors to www.zed-eld.com are greeted with the note.
Earlier this year, in an interview with FreightWaves, director of sales for ZED Connect John Henry explained that the company was transitioning into a vehicle intelligence company.
“Our core mission is to do this data [intelligence],” he told FreightWaves. “The ELD is part of it.”
The company, backed by Cummins (NYSE: CMI), planned to use the ELD to pull engine data that would be used to build additional solutions for customers, bringing things like vehicle diagnostics to smaller fleets and owner-operators.
To further that mission, ZED Connect said it would be making several announcements next year around vehicle and engine health. In the meantime, users would gain access to Cummins Connected Diagnostics, which is now available to Cummins engine owners through the telematics devices of other providers.
The ZED Connect ELD – which is a plug-and-play device – would pull the engine data and feed it into the ELD dashboard, giving vehicle owners more intelligence into the state of their engine.
It is unclear what the status of these solutions are now, but the ZED Connect website still includes a section on commercial vehicle analytics. However, when the “Learn More” button is clicked, the user is taken to the ELD shutdown note page.