Abbreviation: ELD
Electronic Logging Device
A device that automatically records a CDL driver's hours of service data by connecting to the vehicle's engine control module.
ELDs replaced paper log books and AOBRDs under the FMCSA ELD mandate. All compliant devices must be self-certified and listed on the FMCSA ELD website. Owner-operators with their own authority must supply their own ELD if subject to HOS rules. Devices must record 13 required data fields including duty status, location, and miles driven.
Who must use an ELD
ELDs are required for CDL drivers who operate CMVs in interstate commerce and are currently required to maintain RODS. Key exemptions from the ELD mandate: drivers operating under the short-haul exemption (150 air-mile radius, return to home terminal daily); drivers using paper RODS for no more than 8 days in a 30-day period; drivers in driveaway-towaway operations; and vehicles manufactured before model year 2000.
What the device records
An ELD automatically records engine power status, vehicle motion status, miles driven, engine hours, GPS location, and driver duty status changes. The device must sync with the vehicle's engine control module. If the ELD malfunctions, the driver must revert to paper logs and notify the carrier within 24 hours. The carrier must repair or replace the device within 8 days.
ELD and owner-operators
Owner-operators who operate under their own authority are responsible for providing and maintaining a compliant ELD. Those leased to a carrier operate under the carrier's authority, and the carrier is responsible for ELD compliance. Some carriers provide ELDs as part of the lease arrangement; verify this before signing.
Last updated: May 28, 2026
When this definition matters
This term usually matters when a driver, owner-operator, or small carrier is deciding whether a federal rule applies, preparing a compliance file, or checking a state CDL step. Use this definition as a starting point, then confirm the controlling requirement in the official source listed below before making a licensing, hiring, dispatch, or recordkeeping decision.
The related terms above are included because they often appear in the same compliance workflow. Reviewing them together can prevent common mix-ups, such as treating a state licensing step as a federal carrier obligation or confusing a driver record with a separate employer record.