ELD mandate explained: who needs one, what it records, and how to pick
Who must use an electronic logging device, the exemptions, what the device records and who can see it, malfunction rules, how to choose between providers like Motive and Samsara, and what a TMS can read from it.
The ELD rule replaced paper logbooks with a device wired to the engine that records driving time on its own. It has been in force for most carriers since the end of 2017, so for a new carrier the question is not whether to comply but which device to buy and what else the data can do for you. This guide covers the rule in plain language, with every regulatory statement linked to FMCSA’s page, and then the practical side: choosing a provider and using the data beyond hours of service.
Who must use an ELD
The rule applies to most motor carriers and drivers who are required to keep records of duty status, which means most interstate drivers of commercial motor vehicles, including trucks and buses, and Canada- and Mexico-domiciled drivers operating in the US (FMCSA: Who must comply, FMCSA ELD FAQs). If your driver keeps a logbook today, the rule applies.
The exemptions
FMCSA lists a short set of cases where an ELD is not required even though hours-of-service rules still apply:
- Short-haul drivers using the timecard exception do not keep records of duty status at all, so they do not need an ELD.
- Drivers who keep paper logs for no more than 8 days in any 30-day period. A local driver who occasionally runs a longer trip can log those days on paper.
- Driveaway-towaway operations, where the vehicle being driven is the commodity being delivered.
- Vehicles with engines older than model year 2000, since the device needs an engine control module to connect to.
(FMCSA: Who must comply, FMCSA ELD FAQs.) The exemptions change the device requirement, not the hours. A driver on the 8-day paper exception still has the same driving, on-duty and rest limits as anyone else.
What the device records
An ELD connects to the engine and automatically records, at set intervals and at each change of duty status: date, time, location, engine hours, vehicle miles, and identifying information for the driver, the user logged in, the vehicle and the carrier (). Driving time is recorded automatically once the vehicle moves; the driver chooses the other statuses (on duty, off duty, sleeper berth).
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