Compliance
ELD (Electronic Logging Device)
An ELD is the FMCSA-mandated device that automatically records a commercial driver's hours of service from the truck's engine.
An Electronic Logging Device, or ELD, is a hardware-and-software unit that connects to a commercial truck's engine control module and automatically records when the truck is moving, stopped, or in any other duty status. It replaced paper logbooks under the FMCSA's ELD Mandate, which became fully enforceable December 16, 2019.
Every interstate carrier whose drivers are required to keep records of duty status must use a registered ELD — there's a public registry on FMCSA.dot.gov. The device must capture date, time, location, engine hours, vehicle miles, driver ID, vehicle ID, and motor carrier ID, then make the data available to roadside inspectors via web services, USB, or Bluetooth.
There are narrow exemptions: pre-2000 model-year trucks, drivers operating under the short-haul exception (100 air-mile or 150 air-mile non-CDL), and driveaway-towaway operations. For everyone else, running without a compliant ELD is an out-of-service violation.
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Related terms
Compliance
HOS (Hours of Service)
HOS rules limit how many hours a commercial driver can drive and be on duty before mandatory rest. They're enforced via the ELD.
Safety
CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability)
CSA is the FMCSA's safety scoring program. It rolls roadside inspections and crashes into seven BASIC categories that shape audits and insurance.
Compliance
DOT Number
A DOT number is the unique identifier the FMCSA assigns to every interstate commercial motor carrier in the United States.