What It Means
Under 49 CFR 395.8, motor carriers had to install ELDs and require their drivers to use them no later than December 18, 2017. A few exceptions still allow paper logs, including drivers who need a record of duty status on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, certain driveaway-towaway operations, and vehicles manufactured before model year 2000.
An ELD automatically records the date, time, the vehicle’s location, engine hours, vehicle miles, and driver, vehicle, and carrier identification (49 CFR 395.26). Federal rules prohibit drivers and carriers from disabling or tampering with an ELD so that it does not accurately record data (49 CFR 395.8).
Paper logs were easy to falsify, whether by dishonest drivers or by drivers pressured by their employers. ELDs make hours-of-service records far harder to fake.
Why It Matters in a Truck Accident Case
ELD data can show how long the driver had been behind the wheel before the crash and whether hours-of-service limits were broken. It is often critical evidence of driver fatigue and of company pressure to keep driving.
Timing matters. Motor carriers must keep records of duty status and supporting documents for at least 6 months (49 CFR 395.8(k)), so it is important to act quickly to preserve this evidence.
