Rand McNally TND 765/760

The Rand McNally TND 765 (formerly 760) has a lot of great things going for it. It runs on the same hardware that thousands of drivers already know and love for GPS navigation. If you’re a fleet manager worried about how your drivers will adjust to ELDs, going with a device that they already know and appreciate can be very helpful.

It is also incredibly easy to install. There is no jumble of different wires, adapters, and fuses like with many systems. No real need to open up the dash panels. A single cable plugs into the truck’s diagnostic port. That cable is then hard-wired into the TND itself. Simply plug it in, mount the screen wherever you want, and go. This is a really great feature for companies that employ a lot of owner operator or short-term lease/rental vehicles. It avoids having to spend an hour or more installing or removing your ELD each time a new truck joins or leaves your fleet!

On top of these perks, Rand McNally is also one of those most affordable options out there. The up-front cost to buy the unit is $550, but that does NOT include navigation. Some fleets can do without GPS nav, but it’s a great bonus feature for drivers that many fleets will want. Adding navigation brings the initial cost up to around $650-$700. The monthly service cost varies depending on the features you want. There is a bare-bones Electronic Logs only plan for $20/mo, a Basic plan that adds in messaging for $30/mo, and the Enterprise plan for $40/mo which includes advanced features like driver scorecards, critical event reporting, etc. Rand also now offers a lease option, where you pay nothing up front for the hardware and instead pay $52-$62/mo for a bundle including the device and service plan. No matter which route you take, the TND ends up being significantly cheaper in total cost than many of its comparable competitors.

There are a few downsides to consider. The screens on the driver tablet feel a bit old-school. It doesn’t take long to get used to, but the ELD menus are not the most intuitive or user friendly. The touch screen is not terrible, but not one of the higher quality ones out there. It can be somewhat frustrating until you get used to the “feel” of it. Our testing encountered a few instances of buggy type behavior, especially after the unit reboots, but nothing too serious. The back-office tools are functional, but definitely not slick. They too feel dated and perhaps in need of some renovation. That said, many of these issues are largely cosmetic, and are easily overcome with a bit of training and practice.

All in all, the Rand McNally TND 765 is a good option, especially for budget minded fleets that need an easy install/remove process. It may not be the fanciest solution, but it does the job for a decent price and has some real advantages.

Cost

UP FRONT COST

$550

MONTHLY COST

$30

3-YEAR TOTAL COST

$1630

Pros & Cons

• Respected GPS device, familiar to drivers
• Very easy to install
• Low total cost of ownership

• Feels a bit dated, not the most user friendly
• The touch screen can be difficult sometimes
• Some reports of hardware problems and software bugs

Technical Specs