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With some exceptions, every commercial motor vehicle in the US needs to have an electronic logging device (ELD) onboard. The device tracks a driver’s hours of service, confirming to authorities that they’re taking the breaks they need to stay safe.
The “ELD mandate” refers to the specific law that ensured ELDs were adapted across most US fleets. It’s a top legal concern that any fleet needs to know about in order to avoid crushing fines, so we’ve put together this guide to explain everything you need to know.
Read on to learn what the mandate says, what data fleets must track to comply with the law, and what your best options are for getting an ELD or a broader fleet management system installed in every commercial vehicle your business operates.
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ELD Mandate: Key takeaways
- It means all US commercial drivers must track hours of service with approved electronic logging devices (ELDs).
- To see which ELDs are valid, consult the FMCSA’s searchable list.
- Fleet managers must retain all ELD-recorded Records of Duty Status (RODS) data and backup data from the previous six months.
- Penalties for failure to pass a roadside inspection include tens of thousands in fines.
- Exemptions include towaway operations and short-haul drivers that don’t keep RODS.
What Is the ELD Mandate?
The ELD mandate is a US federal government regulation that requires commercial drivers to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) to record their hours of service.
The mandate debuted in 2017 and took full effect in 2019, causing an industry-wide shift towards ELDs across the late 2010s. Previously, truckers relied on less-effective paper logs.
The ELD mandate is one of the biggest changes to have come out of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which was signed into law in 2012. It’s enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Since it is relatively new, the approximately 3.6 million professional vehicle drivers in the United States in 2024 are still learning what the rules mean in practice.
State to state, trucking is the most common job in the US. After all, it hasn’t been automated (yet) and will never be outsourced. As a result, the ELD mandate has a massive, nationwide impact, unlike any regulation in the past. Here’s a look at how the law works and what it means for vehicle drivers everywhere.
What is an ELD?
An Electronic Logging Device, or ELD, is a tool to track a professional driver’s Hours of Service in real-time. Drivers won’t have the option to forget or misplace their paperwork – instead, it will be automatically collected straight from their vehicle’s engine.
Geotab Go sells ELD hardware that can be bundled for use with third-party software providers. Source: Geotab
An ELD device automatically records certain data elements at a set interval. These elements include date, location, time, engine hours, and vehicle miles, as well as identification information for the driver, vehicle, authenticated user, and motor carrier.
The ELD will begin recording data in driving mode once the commercial motor vehicle (CMV) is moving at speeds beyond 5MPH, and can use in-motion mode at speeds lower than 5MPH. If the vehicle slows to 0MPH for 3 consecutive seconds, the ELD considers it stopped.
An ELD requires software, and fleet operators must check that their new ELD software is compatible with their fleet management software, or route planning software, in order to ensure the two will work together after ELD installment. Some ELD providers package their ELD software with a fleet management software, but not all do.
Need more specifics on what device to choose? Tech.co has compiled a list of the best ELD devices available today.
ELD Specifications
An ELD must be standardized to federal regulations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is in charge of this and maintains a searchable list of approved devices. Owner-operators must shoulder the cost of installing ELDs or face fines.
Today, nearly all commercial motor vehicles in the US must have an ELD installed to comply with the ELD mandate. The official hours of service remain the same — FMCSA’s guidelines are available online.
ELD Checklist for Drivers
Here’s the checklist that any US driver will need on hand to ensure that their vehicles will pass inspection:
✔ A certified, registered, regulation-compliant ELD
✔ Paper log sheets to use as a fail-safe
✔ An ELD user manual
✔ Instruction sheet detailing how to report ELD malfunctions
✔ Instruction sheet detailing the data transfer mechanisms supported by the ELD and how best to transfer the driver’s data to an authorized safety official.
ELD Checklist for Fleet Managers
On the other end of the operation, the motor carrier needs to have one main thing: All ELD-recorded Records of Duty Status (RODS) data and backup data for the past six months. This data may need to be made available to FMCSA, though FMCSA won’t retain any of this data unless they are processing a violation associated with it.
Supporting documents should also be kept on hand — FMCSA needs them to verify on-duty not-driving time. Those supporting documents can include:
✔ Itineraries, schedules, or documents that cite trip origin and destination
✔ Expense receipts
✔ Electronic mobile communication records
✔ Payroll records
Potential Consequences of Breaking the ELD Rules
US commercial vehicle enforcement personnel are responsible for writing up violations and the fines associated with them, and the exact nature of the punishment will be determined by the personnel — a fine of a few thousand dollars is typical, though fines can extend into the mid-ten thousands. Drivers without a compliant ELD will face a violation under section 395.8, which covers Hours of Service violations.
If a non-exempt driver is stopped for a roadside inspection and does not have a compliant ELD or a grandfathered AOBRD in use, they’ll face this series of escalating penalties:
- A citation from the inspector for failure to have the record of duty status
- The driver will be placed out of service (OOS) for 10 hours, or 8 hours if the vehicle is a passenger carrier, according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.
- Once back in service, the driver should complete their current trip using paper logs.
- If stopped again during this trip, the driver should give the inspector a copy of the earlier inspection report and any additional evidence to show they have already been cited.
- Once the trip is complete, the driver must install and use an ELD before being dispatched again — if they don’t, they can be placed OOS again.
- However, a driver may return with an empty vehicle to their “principal place of business or home terminal,” which will be designated on the inspection report.
- These violations will be registered on the carrier’s Safety Measurement System (SMS) scores.
Who Is Exempt From the ELD Mandate?
A few ELD mandate exemptions are worth mentioning. Drivers in these four categories will pass a roadside inspection without an ELD:
- Drivers using paper logs, for no more than 8 days out of a 30-day period — this allows drivers a second option if their ELD malfunctions.
- Drivers operating under the short-haul exceptions — they’re not keeping RODS, so there’s no need for an ELD.
- Driveaway-towaway operations — Drivers who drive to transport another vehicle for sale, lease, or repair won’t need an ELD.
- Drivers with vehicles manufactured before model year 2000
In addition to all of the above information, FMCSA has provided training webinars that can be accessed online, so you can verify whether any ELD mandate exemptions apply to you.
One final exemption is location-specific: While drivers are required to have an ELD in their vehicles, they might occasionally need to enter areas that require they don’t have an ELD: U.S. government and governmental contractor facilities.
According to Larry Minor, associate administrator for policy at FMCSA, drivers may remove their ELD after entering the gates of Department of Defense installations, as long as they note the time gap with an annotation in their ELD record. Drivers who plan to enter any other government facilities should check in ahead of time to see if the same rules apply.
How to Choose the Best ELD System for Your Business
In order to comply with the FMCSA’s ELD mandate, fleet operators must ensure they have a regulation-compliant ELD installed in every one of their vehicles. To do so, they’ll need to pick a company that offers an ELD system fit for the purpose.
Our researchers found Verizon Connect to be among the best fleet management systems on the market today. Source: Tech.co testing
When choosing the right system provider, a fleet operator should consider the qualities specific to their operation:
- Size of fleet — The total number of vehicles in an operation can change which ELD provider is most attractive: You’ll want a company that provides ELDs to similarly sized fleets.
- Data needed — All the ELD providers must provide the FMCSA-mandated data, but some fleet operations are used to record supplementary data with their current system, whether through paper logs or AOBRDs.
- Type of shipping service — If your operation uses less-than-truckload (LTL) shipping, a management system specifically designed for LTL may be best.
- Pricing — When requesting a quote, don’t forget to ask about monthly subscription fees.
- Areas covered — What geographic location will your vehicles cover?
- Customer service needs — Look into the customer support reputation of the ELD providers you’re considering. Are you comfortable with the quality of the support you’ll rely on if your drivers need any help with their ELD?
General basic training courses are available online, but fleet operators should check their preferred ELD provider first, as some companies offer training courses specific to their product. Motive is one example, with an entire YouTube series on using its driver app for tasks like changing duty status or updating hours of service.
Interested in learning more? Check out Tech.co’s top ten fleet management systems.
Get ELD Compliant Today
Every commercial fleet needs to stay aware of the law, and that most likely means installing an ELD system across all your vehicles or facing steep fines.
An ELD-equipped fleet management system is likely worth the investment. It will not only help your drivers stay happy, safe, and legally compliant but also save your business money, from fuel costs to productivity gains. The best fleet management providers will handle it all: DVIRs, working hours and ELD compliance, route planning, and more.
If your fleet needs the ELD upgrade, take the next step. Compare prices by filling out Tech.co’s quick quotes form or find out more about the best fleet management providers today.
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