The ELD mandate requires most commercial drivers to record hours of service electronically instead of on paper. The rule itself is not complicated. The threshold is, because half the industry has the wrong number in their head.

The number that matters: 10,001 lbs

Who is required

You need an ELD if all three are true:

• GVWR or GCWR of 10,001 lbs or more, whichever rating is greater, and
• You operate in interstate commerce, and
• You are required to keep Records of Duty Status

Note it is the manufacturer's rating, not what you weigh today. An empty truck rated at 12,000 lbs is still a 12,000 lb truck as far as the rule is concerned.

Combination weight counts too. A truck rated 9,000 lbs pulling a trailer rated 5,000 lbs is a 14,000 lb combination and it is in scope. See our hotshot guide, since this catches hotshot operators constantly: staying under 26,001 to dodge the CDL does nothing for the ELD.

The real exemptions

• Short-haul: within 150 air-miles of your work reporting location and back within 14 consecutive hours. Timecards instead of logs, no ELD. Break either condition on a given day and you lose it for that day.
• Pre-2000 engines: exempt from the device under 49 CFR 395.8. You still keep paper logs. The truck is exempt, you are not.
• 8-day rule: RODS on 8 days or fewer in any 30-day period means paper logs are acceptable.
• Driveaway-towaway: narrow exemption for moving vehicles as the cargo itself.

Picking a device

It must be on the FMCSA registered list at eld.fmcsa.dot.gov. Commonly used options include Motive (formerly KeepTruckin), Samsara, Rand McNally, and Geotab. A single-truck plan typically runs $20 to $80 a month.

A compliant ELD connects to the engine control module and records drive time automatically. GPS or accelerometer data alone does not qualify, which is why a phone app by itself is not an ELD no matter what the listing claims.

What it costs to get this wrong

FMCSA civil penalties for hours of service violations run up to roughly $19,246 per violation for motor carriers and up to roughly $4,812 for drivers, adjusted annually for inflation.

The fine is often not the worst part. An out-of-service order strands your truck and your load where it sits, and violations feed your CSA score, which brokers check before they approve you. See our hours of service guide for the underlying rules the ELD is recording.

Your ELD is on the list of things you need before your first load, and it is a line item in startup costs.