The ELD mandate: who needs an ELD, the exemptions, and approved devices

Checked against official sources · Last reviewed October 6, 2026

A motor carrier operating commercial motor vehicles must install an electronic logging device (ELD) and require each of its drivers to use it to record duty status, unless an exception applies. The device has to be one on FMCSA's registered ELD list. [1][3]

Who has to use an ELD

Unless one of the exceptions below fits, a motor carrier operating commercial motor vehicles must install ELDs and require each driver to use one to record duty status.

The log and ELD rules apply to commercial motor vehicles. For the federal safety rules, that means a vehicle or combination with a weight rating or actual weight of 10,001 lbs or more, whichever is greater, in interstate commerce. Drivers who don't need a CDL are still covered by hours-of-service rules. See hours of service for the limits the log tracks. [1][2][4]

ELD exemptions

Drivers in these situations may keep paper logs instead of using an ELD:

Older vehicles. A vehicle manufactured before model year 2000, as shown by the vehicle identification number (VIN) on the vehicle's registration.

8 days in 30. A driver who has to keep a record of duty status on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period.

Driveaway-towaway. A driveaway-towaway operation in which the vehicle being driven is itself part of the shipment being delivered.

Short-haul. Drivers who qualify for the 150 air-mile short-haul exception don't need logs at all, so they don't need an ELD either. The conditions are covered on the hours of service page. [1][5]

Use only a registered device

A carrier required to use an ELD may use only a device listed on FMCSA's registered ELD list, at eld.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Being on the list is not an FMCSA approval. The devices are self-certified by their manufacturers, and FMCSA says it does not endorse any ELD. Check that a device is listed before you buy it. [3][6]

When FMCSA revokes a device

FMCSA can take a device off the registered list. For example, when it removed four devices on July 25, 2023, its notice told carriers using them to stop and go back to paper logs or logging software to record hours of service.

That notice gave carriers up to 60 days, until September 23, 2023, to replace the revoked devices with compliant ELDs. Drivers still using them on or after that date would be cited for having no record of duty status and placed out of service. Each revocation notice states its own replacement date. [7]

If your ELD malfunctions

When an ELD breaks down, the driver notifies the carrier in writing within 24 hours and keeps paper logs in the meantime. The carrier must take action to fix the malfunction within 8 days of discovering it or of the driver's notice, whichever comes first. [8]

Keep the records

Carriers must keep each driver's records of duty status and supporting documents for at least 6 months from the date they receive them. [1]

Common questions