Electronic Signatures – A Beginners Guide

Electronic Signature Defined

An electronic signature or e-signature, according to Wikipedia, refers to data in electronic form, which is logically associated with other data in electronic form and which is used by the signatory to sign. This type of signature has the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as it adheres to the requirements of the specific regulation under which it was created.

E-Signing Saves You Time & Money

In the fast-paced environment we do business in today, many providers are competing for the services you offer. When engaged with a prospect that is excited about what you have just told them, you can close the deal on the spot with an electronic form and signature. Documents remain secure and with the quote, order, and signature electronically connected and stored online, accessing the documents when you need them becomes much easier.

How are they regulated?

Unlike a Digital Signature which is verified by a certification authority, e-signatures are not protected by cryptography and can be as simple as a name added to an electronic document. The laws that govern their use and validity are The Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) in the United States, the Electronic Identification and Trust Services Regulation (eIDAS) in the European Union.

To use encrypted digital signatures you must subscribe to a service like DocuSign, HelloSign, or Signaturit. DocuSign’s marketing website specifically says “when e-signatures are combined with tamper sealing, strong authentication, world-class security, and an audit trail, they can be more enforceable than wet signatures because of the court-admissible evidence they contain.” In contrast, electronic signatures can be easily generated in common software like Microsft Word, Adobe PDFs, and Google Docs. If you are unsure what best suits your business, consult with your legal advisor.

What does an e-signature look like?

DifferenceBetween.net has posted a great graphic to answer that question and compare them to digital signatures. The bottom line is an electronic signature can be almost anything. A numeric value, a text value, or an image could be used. As an example, in our Fleetistics order forms, we ask for a 4 digit numeric entry as an electronic signature. That number is captured along with the IP address and username of the user completing the order form.

Many of our partners incorporate electronic signatures in the products they offer as well. This is another great example of connecting the different aspects of your business electronically. The planned route, the GPS coordinates of the stop, time-stamped for accountability, and the signature of the customer are all accessible from the app.

Should you be using e-signatures?

At Fleetistics we are not just concerned with your fleet. With over 21 years in business, we want to use our expertise to help you grow your business and be more efficient in all areas. And the truth is, you probably already use e-signatures and online signatures more than you realize.

As a result of the COVID 19 pandemic, electronic signing is becoming more common all the time. Many restaurants now have a digital screen right on the table to capture a signature for your credit card payment. What about your vendors? Like Fleetistics, many may have incorporated a digital signature into their ordering process.

If your business uses an app on a tablet or smartphone to manage work orders and dispatch your drivers, you may be asking your customers to sign on the tablet when accepting the order. If not, we have several partners that offer that capability integrated with your GPS tracking for even better visibility. Any process that you can automate or accomplish electronically rather than physically is going to provide a significant return on investment.

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing

Network Sunset Update

The 3G Network Sunset Update – What’s the Delay?

Over the past few days, we have been seeing references to new targets for retiring the 3G networks, and a “fatal flaw” discovered in the 5G network testing going on in quite a few cities. One might assume that the delays in retiring 3G are related to the delay in full-scale deployment of 5G due to this “fatal flaw”.

network sunset update

Is There Really a Fatal Flaw?

Legacy Research Group posted an article last year that indicates the 5G signals are strong when you are outside or near an antenna, but that even a simple pane of glass can break up the signal when you go inside. This may have been a ploy to sell stock in a small company they say has all the answers, so we looked further.

Another post, a transcription of a podcast on IEEE.org refers to the flaw as the “5G energy gap”. This post seems to indicate that we need to substantially improve energy grid efficiency for 5G to do all that we are expecting it to do. Frankly, the explanations given are well over this writer’s technical understanding, but the fact that so many are writing about it indicates there are some issues still to be resolved.

When Will it Really Happen?

According to Android Authority, your 3G Verizon phone will stop working at the end of 2022. Android Headlines confirms that and also indicates AT&T is targeting the end of 2022 as well. The only network provided update we were able to find was from the news center on Verizon.com and it also confirms the 3G network sunset for the end of next year.

On Febtruary 19 an email communication went out from FMCSA advising drivers of upcoming sunset dates to keep their ELD systems transmitting.  This email identified a 7/1/2022 sunset date for TMO but did not specify the source, so we dug deeper.

As of 2/22/2022, the official AT&T 3G sunset date, we found new information published early this morning on what to expect from TMO on PhoneArena.com. 

3G Network Sunset Resources

Planning for the 3G sunset now still gets you ahead of the game. We have resources available to help you to prepare, and upgrade programs in place to mitigate the financial impact. We even have a special limited free device promo for new customers that are transitioning from another GPS provider, so be sure to share this with friends and business associates that are using other platforms, and complete the form below to be qualified for the promotion.

FREE GPS DEVICE WITH SERVICE TRANSFER

The Collision Detection Experiment in Analytics Lab

Submitted by Kim Thoman.

Collision Detection in the Analytics Lab

The collision detection experiment in the Geotab Analytics Lab reviews and confirms collisions that are automatically detected by the telematics GO device. Users can also use this tool to report collisions manually. Here is a link to “How to download and install Analytics Lab” in your Geotab database. After installing Analytics Lab, go to the Collision detection experiment and click try it.

Collision Detection – the Technical Stuff

Collisions are detected by the Geotab GO device upon any acceleration greater that or equal to 2.5 G, where G is 9.81 m/s2 (the acceleration due to the Earths gravity). This is classified as a collision-level event. Geotab GO device firmware will not use/Up/Down accelerometer data (also known as the Z axis) in this calculation. The calculation uses the magnitude of the hypotenuse between X and Y where X is Forward/Braking and Y is Side to Side.

When the GO device detects a 2.5 G event in any direction, the device is triggered to start recording at 100 Hz frequency. This detailed, high-resolution information will be reflected in the trip in MyGeotab, and includes acceleration, GPS speed, and brake data (if available).

About the Experiment

The Data Analytics Research team, using advanced analytics techniques, has developed a model capable of detecting collisions when they happen to present critical information on point of impact, magnitude to help users monitor, act, and take measures to mitigate future collisions.

How Does the Collision Detection Experiment Work?

Because it can provide an accurate scientific record of events, telematics data proves to be highly valuable for Fleet management. The model monitors the telematics data and applies what it has learned as signals in accelerometer data to detect and classify collision events. Due to the granularity of the data, the model can tell you many things about a collision such as a point of impact, trigger type, location, time, and much more. With this experiment, users could gain a broader perspective on the event by looking at the historical patterns for a specific driver or vehicle.

What is the Benefit to Fleets?

  • Fast and easy to use method to detect potential collisions.
  • Provides critical data to take Collision workflow decisions and actions.
  • Point of impact can provide a better understanding of the overall accident as it occurred.
  • Increasing overall fleet safety by unlocking patterns in-vehicle, locations, and conditions to reduce potential collision in the future.

For more detailed information on collision reconstruction, you can download this white paper from Geotab

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing

Vehicle & Asset Telematics

Electronic Forms

Mobile Viewing

Routing