How to Connect DocuDrive to Highway

What Highway is, and why brokers send you there

Highway describes itself as a carrier identity platform. Brokers use it to confirm that a carrier is who it claims to be, that its authority and insurance check out, and that it is eligible to haul their freight. You can read their own description at highway.com.

Connecting an ELD is one of the ways a carrier can back up its identity in Highway: the device ties a real vehicle, reporting from a real location, to your carrier account. Each broker decides what it requires from carriers, so ask the broker which connection they want to see. Whether your truck is required to run an ELD under federal rules is a separate question, covered in our guide to broker ELD requirements.

Before you start

• Your USDOT number, and your MC number if you have one.
• Your carrier name exactly as it appears on your FMCSA registration.
• Access to your Highway carrier account. If you do not have one, sign up on Highway's site or use the link the broker sent.
• A device: a new PT-40, or a Pacific Track PT-30 or PT-40 you already own.

Connecting DocuDrive to Highway, step by step

1. Open a DocuDrive account. Sign up online. The service starts with a 14-day free trial and bills $20 per truck per month from day 15, month to month. Enter your carrier details exactly as they appear on your FMCSA record.
2. Get a device into the truck. Order a PT-40 ($149 one time, free shipping, yours to keep), or move a PT-30 or PT-40 you already own to your DocuDrive account with no hardware purchase. See bring your own ELD.
3. Install the device and pair the driver app. Plug it into the diagnostic port: OBD-II on pickups, vans, and most light box trucks, 9-pin or 6-pin on heavy trucks. Log in to the DocuDrive driver app. The PT-40 installation guide covers port locations.
4. Drive so the device reports. Turn the engine on and drive. The device needs to be powered and reporting before a platform has any location to show. With a PT-30, location comes from the paired phone, so the app has to be running.
5. Select DocuDrive in Highway. In your Highway carrier profile, find the ELD or telematics connection, choose DocuDrive from the list of providers, and follow the prompts to authorize the connection.
6. Approve the data sharing. When prompted, approve sharing between Highway and DocuDrive. The connection is not live until you do.
7. Confirm with the broker. Tell the broker you have connected and ask them to confirm they can see it on their side before you head to the shipper.

Troubleshooting

Carrier name or USDOT number mismatch

The most common snag. If the carrier name or USDOT number on your DocuDrive account does not match your Highway profile and your FMCSA record, the connection can fail or show up under the wrong carrier. Check all three. Small differences count: "LLC" versus "L.L.C.", a missing word, a DBA name used in one place and the legal name in another. If your DocuDrive account needs correcting, call us at (720) 362-3783 or email sales@docudriveapp.com.

Device not reporting yet

If Highway shows the connection but no location, the device probably has not reported. Check that it is fully seated in the port, that the engine has been running, and that the truck has been driven since install. A PT-40 reports over its own LTE connection, so it does not need the phone. A PT-30 depends on the paired phone for location, so make sure the DocuDrive app is open and the phone has signal and location permission.

The broker still cannot see it

Ask the broker exactly what they see on their end. Sometimes the broker needs to refresh your carrier record, or wants a different item in Highway that has nothing to do with the ELD. Highway's own support team can help with anything inside their platform.

PT-30 or PT-40 for Highway

Either device can be connected. The difference shows up on the road. The PT-30 gets location from the driver's phone, so when the phone dies or the app closes, the location stops. The PT-40 has built-in GPS and LTE, and keeps reporting from the truck. If broker visibility is why you are doing this, the PT-40 is the safer choice. The PT-30 vs PT-40 comparison has the full breakdown.

What else your $20 covers

The same account handles Hours of Service logs, DVIRs, IFTA mileage by state, roadside Inspection Mode, real-time GPS tracking, and a web portal for the office. If your vehicle is under 10,001 lbs and federally exempt, you can run it purely for location, and the rest is there if you add a heavier truck later. DocuDrive is also a connected ELD in Trucker Tools. Full details are on the pricing page.