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Do you need an ELD in the US?

Yes, if the driver must keep a record of duty status and no exception applies: since December 18, 2017, the FMCSA rule requires an ELD for most commercial drivers in interstate commerce. The check below applies the federal exceptions (short-haul, 8 days in 30, driveaway-towaway, model year before 2000, short rentals) to your case.

Do you need an ELD?

  1. 1.Does the trip cross a state or national border, or carry freight that is part of a trip that does?
Answer in order. The result appears as soon as one answer settles it.

An indicative result based on the FMCSA rules and guidance, not legal advice. Exceptions apply driver by driver and day by day, and the details of your operation can change the answer.

No ELD does not always mean no log

Only the two short-haul exceptions remove the record of duty status. The others (8 days in 30, driveaway-towaway, model year before 2000, short rentals) replace the ELD with a paper log on a grid, and the hours of service limits still apply. At roadside, the driver shows the current day and the previous 7 days.

Canadian carriers driving in the US

A Canadian or Mexican driver who drives in the US and meets none of these exceptions must use an ELD while in the US. Back in Canada, federally regulated carriers need a device certified to the Canadian standard, and Quebec has its own check.

Do I need an ELD in Quebec? →

The ELD High Point GPS installs

High Point GPS works with Geotab and installs Geotab Drive with the GO10 device for fleets in the US and Canada, with professional installers and support in English and French. Geotab Drive is registered with the FMCSA. The FMCSA lets a carrier set an ELD to show an exempt driver's exception, so one setup can cover a mixed fleet.

See the ELD app →

Questions about ELD exemptions

Who is exempt from the ELD mandate?
Drivers who keep a record of duty status on 8 days or fewer in any 30 days, driveaway-towaway drivers, drivers of vehicles from before model year 2000, and drivers under the 150 air-mile short-haul exceptions, who need no log at all. Drivers of property-carrying trucks rented for 8 days or less are also exempt until October 12, 2027.
Do non-CDL drivers need an ELD?
Not if they qualify for the non-CDL short-haul exception: a property-carrying truck that needs no CDL, within 150 air-miles, back at the work reporting location each day, and within the 14 and 16 hour limits. A non-CDL truck of 10,001 lb or more that runs farther in interstate commerce on more than 8 days in 30 needs an ELD.
Does a pickup with a trailer need an ELD?
It can. The federal rule counts the gross combination weight rating, so a pickup towing a trailer reaches 10,001 lb more often than drivers expect. If the combination is at or above that weight, runs in interstate commerce and no exception applies, the driver keeps a record of duty status on an ELD, with or without a CDL.
Can an exempt driver still use an ELD?
Yes. The FMCSA lets drivers use an ELD even when an exception applies, and a carrier can set the device to show the exception or record it in an annotation. Many mixed fleets do this so every truck runs the same setup, while the exempt drivers still keep the time records or paper logs their exception asks for.
What if a driver claims an exemption that does not apply?
The driver is treated as running without a required ELD, which is an hours of service violation at roadside and counts against the carrier's safety record. Write down why each driver qualifies, and keep the records the exception asks for, such as the 6 months of time records for short-haul drivers, so the driver can explain it at an inspection.

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