The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says it’s learned some lessons since the electronic logging device mandate took effect.
Of course, most truckers wish that the lesson was that the ELD mandate shouldn’t exist. While the odds of the mandate going away are slim and would take an act of Congress, the agency plans to make some tweaks to the regulations.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s recently released 2026 regulatory agenda includes a notice of proposed rulemaking for ELD revisions.
“The ELD rule effective Feb. 16, 2016, established minimum performance and design standards for hours-of-service ELDs; requirements for the mandatory use of these devices by drivers currently required to prepare HOS records of duty status; requirements concerning HOS supporting documents; and measures to address concerns about harassment resulting from the mandatory use of ELDs,” FMCSA wrote in the regulatory agenda. “Many lessons have been learned by FMCSA staff, state enforcement personnel, ELD vendors and industry in the intervening years. These lessons can be used to streamline and improve the clarity of the regulatory text and ELD specifications and answer recurring questions.”
In 2022, FMCSA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking that sought feedback about potential revisions to the ELD rules.
The 2022 notice sought feedback in five areas:
- Applicability to pre-2000 engines
- Addressing ELD malfunctions
- The process for removing an ELD from FMCSA’s list of certified devices
- Technical specifications
- ELD certification
FMCSA received more than a thousand comments. Many of those comments came from truck drivers who argued that the ELD mandate wasn’t improving highway safety.
Nearly four years after reviewing those comments, the agency is targeting November for the release of a formal proposal.
While we do not know exactly what will be included in the forthcoming ELD proposal, we do know something that won’t be included.
The 2022 advance notice sought feedback on the original rule’s decision to exempt trucks with pre-2000 engines.
“Should FMCSA reevaluate or modify the applicability of the current ELD regulation for rebuilt or remanufactured CMV engines or glider kits?” the agency asked.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association and the majority of truck drivers told the agency no.
“The agency lacks data confirming the ELD mandate has improved highway safety and has failed to demonstrate how the expansion of existing requirements to vehicles operating on pre-2000 and rebuilt pre-2000 engines would enhance safety,” the Association wrote in 2022. “OOIDA is unaware of any research that demonstrates vehicles operating under the pre-2000 exemption fail to meet the same level of safety as vehicles with ELDs.”
The administration was listening. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation released its Pro-Trucker Package, which included nine initiatives aimed at improving the profession. One of those initiatives confirmed that FMCSA had no plans to remove the ELD mandate exemption for older trucks.
Meanwhile, FMCSA has been vocal about its desire to remove faulty ELDs from the list of registered devices.
Just last week, the agency announced a new batch of revoked devices.
“We will continue to take decisive enforcement action to ensure that only compliant, reliable devices are used on our nation’s roadways,” FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said. “Accurate hours-of-service records are essential to protecting public safety, supporting fair enforcement, and ensuring accountability across the commercial motor vehicle industry.” LL
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