Transportation management software (TMS) vendor MercuryGate International Inc. has expanded its integration with load-tracking software provider MacroPoint LLC in an effort to support the pending mandate for trucks to carry electronic logging devices (ELDs), the companies said Thursday.

MercuryGate, based in Cary, N.C., previously used a limited version of MacroPoint's platform that allowed MercuryGate customers to track freight loads by tracing the locations of truck drivers' cell phones, MacroPoint spokesperson Susan Fall said in a phone interview. Under the expanded integration, MercuryGate TMS users will be able to improve freight visibility by tracking any type of onboard device on each truck, including in-cab telematics systems, electronic data interchange (EDI), trailer tracking technologies, or ELDs, she said.

Cleveland-based MacroPoint's platform integrates the data it collects from that variety of sources and delivers it to customers so users can get advanced notice of which loads may be delivered late.

By expanding its ability to track loads with a wide range of onboard devices, MercuryGate is building a software tool that will allow its customers to accommodate the federal regulation that all commercial truck drivers have ELDs in their cabs by Dec. 31, 2017.

The requirement is forcing growing pains on the industry, as one study has shown that small trucking fleets may struggle to meet the deadline for the new requirement, and industry group the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) recently lost a court case suing to block the implementation of the regulation.

"MacroPoint is one of the market leaders in providing load tracking solutions and has been a valued partner," Vikram Balasubramanian, senior vice president, strategic product development at MercuryGate, said in a statement. "MacroPoint complements MercuryGate TMS, which provides control tower visibility that enables organizations to proactively resolve supply chain disruptions."