The ELD HOS mandate, or ELD Final Rule, is a U.S. federal government regulation specifying that operators of commercial motor vehicles covered by this law will be required to use electronic logging devices, or ELDs attached to a commercial motor vehicle engine to record driving hours. and automatically record a driver’s driving hours or hours of service (HOS) as well as capture data on the vehicle’s engine, movement and miles driven.

ELD devices are designed to record data related to operation of the vehicle and to driver activity. The driver information mainly concerns hours of service, or HOS. Commercial truckers are restricted to a maximum number of hours they are allowed to drive between rest periods. HOS is a permanent record of driving hours, on-duty hours (when drivers are working but not driving) and rest time, over the course of a trip.

Basically, the ELD mandate covers commercial driving operations that are required to keep hours of service records — that is, drivers or operators who were using paper logbooks before this rule was passed. 

Specifically, this includes:

• Interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers currently required to keep RODS (record of duty status)
• Vehicles that weigh more than 10,001 pounds
• Vehicles with placarded hazmat loads
• Vehicles carrying more than 8 or 15 passengers (depending on vehicle class).

• Livestock and ag haulers 

Some vehicle classes and drivers are exempt from the rule. These are:

• Drivers who operate within a 100-air-mile radius, who may continue to use timecards
• Non-CDL (commercial driver license) freight drivers who operate within a 150-air-mile radius
• “Drive-away, tow-away” operators
• Vehicles manufactured before model year 2000.

Visit our dedicated blog post: FMCSA ELD Exemptions: Answers to Frequently Asked ELD Exemption Questions, to learn more about the ELD exemptions.

No. Local drivers fall under the Short-Haul exception rule do not need an ELD. This includes drivers who travel short distances and is under the 100 air mile radius and the 150 air mile radius exception.

If a commercial motor vehicle’s engine was manufactured in 2000 or earlier, that vehicle is exempt from being required to use an ELD. Meaning, any truck that was manufactured in 2000 or earlier is exempt.

The ELD automatically records the following data to keep records of duty status and help drivers track their driving limits and prevent fatigue related issues:

1.Date

2. Time

3.Location

4.Engine hours

5. Vehicle miles

6. Driver identification

7. User authentication

8.Vehicle

9.Motor carrier

The FMCSA has set out three main requirements for electronic logging devices. ELDs must conform to set technical specifications, be certified by the manufacturer, and registered with the FMCSA.

Features and functions of an ELD devices:

• Internal synchronization with the engine control module
• Automatically record driving time and details
• Records location
• Electronic data transfer: telematic (wireless or email) or local (USB 2.0 or Bluetooth)
• Tamper prevention
• Certification of driver records (at end of each 24 hr period)
• Displays report for safety officials on-demand (on screen or print-out)
• User manual
• Audio controls (volume and mute)

An Electronic driver log or ELD device is hardware that is attached to a commercial motor vehicle engine to record driving hours. They are intended to ensure that commercial drivers drive within their daily limit and accurately log their working hours. The devices track when and how long drivers have been at the wheel, and ensure they are complying with the Government of Canada’s Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations.

Features and functions of an ELD devices:

• Internal synchronization with the engine control module
• Automatically record driving time and details
• Records location
• Electronic data transfer: telematic (wireless or email) or local (USB 2.0 or Bluetooth)
• Tamper prevention
• Certification of driver records (at end of each 24 hr period)
• Displays report for safety officials on-demand (on screen or print-out)
• User manual
• Audio controls (volume and mute)

The FMCSA doesn’t guarantee that any registered device is compliant to the ELD guidelines. Under the regulations, the ELD provider/manufacturer certifies their own device — not the FMCSA — and then registers it. Self-certification means that ELD providers are responsible for verifying that their ELD solution meets the technical specifications set forth in the ELD rule.

ELDs have many important benefits for carriers extending from fleet compliance to productivity and efficiency. Most importantly, electronic logging will improve the driver safety. The FMCSA has estimated that it will save 26 lives and prevent over 1,800 vehicle crashes annually. By enforcing stronger compliance to Hours of Service regulations, ELDs may help reduce driver fatigue as well.

No. A mechanic is not required for installation. The ELD comes with a cable that plugs into the vehicle’s diagnostic port. The ELD unit sits on top of the dash.

Wireless Links provides easy access to fleet admins through an easy to use dashboard.

The dashboard provides complete visibility of the current status of every driver in the HOS shift and cycle. The dashboard allows you to measure and improve efficiency with rich reports, delivering key HOS insights to your fingerprints.

Driverlog ELD provides automated IFTA fuel tax reporting- including total distance driven, breakdown of toll and non-toll roads driven in each state, and fuel purchases. You can auto-email the report to your inbox at the end of every quarter.

Beyond the implications for finding yourself in early 2020 in front of a DOT officer with a noncompliant system, there are very strong business-reasons to make the move to ELD sooner rather than later.

The strongest reason is that this is your chance to implement a fleet management solution, in case you don’t have one yet.

A fleet management solution such as the one we offer with features including driver behavior, engine diagnostics and live tracking, transforms data from your fleet into valuable information to help your company make and save money.

Fleet management systems (FMS) offer comprehensive features (which deliver more significant benefits), allowing fleets to further slash costs and make life easier for drivers, including:

• Decreased Fuel Costs: By monitoring excessive truck idle times or speeding events, fleets can build incentive programs for truck drivers that help increase fuel efficiency.
• Reduced Truck Downtime: Fleet management system users can see reduced vehicle downtimes of 15% and improved vehicle utilization of 13%, according to studies by the Aberdeen Group.
• Lowered Total Crash Rates: Based on data from the Center for Truck and Bus Safety of Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, drivers using E-Logs had a significantly lower total crash rate (a 11.7% reduction) and a significantly lower preventable crash rate (a 5.1% reduction) than trucks not equipped with electronic driver logs.
• Simplified Regulatory Compliance: While complying with the ELD Mandate, other regulations can also be easily satisfied, including Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports and IFTA.
• Lowered insurance costs: While complying with the ELD Mandate, you can imlplement a Fleet DashCam to monitor driver behavior and exonerate your drivers in case of an accident.

Don’t wait for the last minute to become compliant! We offer the highest-rated FMCSA and Canadian DOT compliant ELD devices & solutions. Our ELD solutions can be stand-alone ELD or a combined, total solution with fleet management including driver behavior, temperature monitoring and engine diagnostics. Take a look at our BlueLink ELD solution.

*Click here to read about The Canadian ELD (ELOG) Mandate Deadline & HOS Rules