How an ELD solution can help your fleet stay compliant

What does an ELD solution do?

An ELD solution is used to record the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Hours of Service (HOS). HOS rules determine the maximum number of hours a driver can operate a commercial motor vehicle before taking a mandated break. It also outlines the number of hours a driver can be on duty and off duty per week.

In the past, fleets recorded this information via paper logs but have since been required, under the ELD mandate, to capture this information electronically. An ELD compliance solution—or ELD device—ensures this information is recorded accurately and seamlessly. ELD solutions can also be used as recording devices for a variety of other data that’s critical to fleet management, including roadside inspections and compliance audits.

Additionally, fleets operating in Canada must comply with the Canadian ELD mandate, which has different requirements than the U.S. mandate. Ensuring your ELD compliance solution meets both U.S. and Canada-specific regulations is essential for cross-border operations.

What to expect from an ELD solution?

Equipped with built-in GPS tracking, telematics, gyroscopes, and accelerometers, the best ELDs can record:

• Drive time, HOS, and record of duty status for ELD compliance

• Real-time GPS location

• Engine speed and load

• Fuel usage, idling, and mileage for diagnostics and fault codes

• Safety-related events, like harsh braking or collisions—insights that can be paired with a dash cam for improved visibility

• Driver behavior, including speeding, harsh braking, and acceleration trends for coaching and safety programs

• Asset tracking capabilities to monitor the location and status of trailers, equipment, and other high-value assets in real-time

What can you use an ELD solution for?

Commercial motor carriers mainly use ELD solutions to record driving time and electronically log HOS, as required by the United States ELD mandate. However, because ELDs record a range of informative data beyond driver logs, they are a critical component of a comprehensive fleet management system. Fleets in trucking, passenger transit, food and beverage, local government, construction, and other industries often find that ELDs are effective at improving safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

Here are a few ways that owner-operators and fleet managers use ELDs across their operations:

1. Compliance: ELDs record HOS and duty status electronically as “e-logs,” eliminating the need for paper logs or a logbook. Under the FMCSA’s ELD mandate, most commercial vehicles are required to have an ELD for this purpose. (Learn more about below.)

2. Dispatch and routing: The best ELDs (like Samsara’s FMCSA-registered ELD system) have a built-in GPS tracker that provides real-time location information for accurate fleet tracking. This data can be incredibly helpful for dispatch and routing because you can see exactly where all your vehicles are at any given time, without having to call your drivers.

3. Maintenance: Because ELDs plug into a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) port, they are able to pull critical engine data—like mileage and fault codes—for scheduling preventative maintenance and responding quickly to reactive repairs. Plus, drivers can use the smartphone app that comes with your ELD to complete electronic driver vehicle inspection reports (DVIRs), which helps maximize efficiency and reduce the amount of paperwork that your back office has to handle.

4. Safety: Many ELDs have a built-in gyroscope and accelerometer that can detect harsh events—like harsh braking, harsh turning, and collisions. You can use harsh event data to coach drivers on safe driving, and historical location data can be shared with law enforcement to exonerate innocent drivers from false claims.

5. Security and loss prevention: The best ELD solutions include software that can help you leverage your data to improve security and prevent theft. For example, Samsara offers a geofencing feature that allows you to create a virtual boundary around any location, like a yard or terminal. Then, using your ELD’s real-time GPS capabilities, you can be alerted any time a vehicle leaves your geofence—making it possible to proactively detect potential security issues or theft. Asset tracking provides additional protection by helping fleets locate lost or stolen equipment, trailers, or vehicles in real time.

6. Reporting: ELDs enable robust reporting on the data they collect, helping fleets more easily identify areas for efficiency improvement and cost savings. For example, with Samsara, fleet managers can see idling time and harsh events by driver or vehicle, enabling you to more effectively coach drivers, reduce fuel costs, and minimize risky driver behavior. These reports are also essential for compliance audits, ensuring that HOS records and safety data are well-documented and easy to access.

Additionally, ELDs help streamline IFTA reporting by automatically tracking mileage by state, reducing manual data entry and simplifying quarterly fuel tax filings. Instead of relying on paper logs or manual calculations, fleets can use an ELD to generate accurate IFTA reports, ensuring compliance and reducing administrative burden.

What is the ELD mandate?

The ELD final rule is part of the MAP-21 mandate from congress that went into effect in 2017. The ELD mandate was passed as a way to ensure that drivers have a safe work environment and to create an easier system to track and manage records of duty status (RODS). The ELD mandate aims to avoid thousands of crashes annually, save lives by reducing drowsy driving, and save billions of dollars in paperwork expenses.

The ELD mandate includes provisions that are meant to prevent data tampering and driver harassment. It also outlines set procedures for data transfers so it’s easier to demonstrate compliance and share RODS with safety officials during roadside inspections.

The mandate was implemented in two main phases:

• Phase One (December 18, 2017): All vehicles subject to the ELD mandate were required to record Hours of Service electronically using devices compliant with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 49 CFR 395.15. Devices installed after this date had to be ELDs, though existing automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs) could still be used.

• Phase Two (December 16, 2019): All devices had to be ELDs, and AOBRDs no longer satisfied the mandate. Data had to be recorded directly from the vehicle's engine and automatically transmitted to the Department of Transportation (DOT).

As of January 2025, the FMCSA has removed several ELDs from its list of registered devices due to non-compliance. Motor carriers using these revoked ELDs must replace them with compliant devices by the specified deadlines to avoid violations. For more information about recent ELD updates, check out our comprehensive guide.

Additional considerations:

Given the FMCSA’s ongoing efforts to update and refine ELD regulations, it’s important to stay informed about potential changes that may affect your fleet. For instance, proposed revisions in 2025 may impact the applicability of ELDs to vehicles with pre-2000 engines and address procedures for handling ELD malfunctions. Staying updated on these changes will help fleets remain compliant and prepared for audits or roadside inspections.

What is the best ELD solution?

There are a lot of different ELD solutions available for purchase—but not all are created equal.

Some ELD solutions require you to purchase additional in-cab hardware for your drivers to use, which can get expensive. And not all include real-time GPS tracking; some only offer “breadcrumb” location data, which is updated every few minutes rather than in real time. Some ELD vendors also charge more for add-on software features, like alerts, preventative maintenance schedules, and eDVIRs.

For most fleets, the best ELD is one that’s:

• Easy to install

• Reliable

• Simple for drivers and fleet managers to use

• Offers additional features beyond compliance without charging you more

• Integrates with telematics and dash cam solutions for enhanced visibility and safety

If those factors are important to you, consider Samsara’s FMCSA-registered ELD—a reliable, easy-to-use electronic logging device.

How Samsara’s ELD solution works

Samsara’s electronic logging device is an FMCSA-registered and third-party-certified ELD that helps commercial drivers comply with Hours of Service regulations. ELDs connect directly to a vehicle’s engine through the OBD port. Live data is transmitted to the ELD, providing accurate logs of engine status, vehicle speed, diagnostic information, and safety events such as harsh braking or acceleration.

Drivers record their hours through the Samsara Driver App, selecting whether they are on-duty, off-duty, or driving. The engine data and drivers’ records of duty status combine to form a complete and tamper-proof picture of compliance with the ELD rule—helping fleets be fully prepared for audits and roadside inspections.

Fleet managers can monitor all electronic logs and engine data through the Samsara dashboard. If drivers are nearing or in violation of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations, Samsara provides real-time alerts, enabling managers to act proactively and keep their fleets compliant.

Want to learn more about the benefits of ELDs? Learn how Dohrn Transfer Company streamlined ELD compliance and optimized their 600+ asset fleet with Samsara’s integrated solution for real-time data and connected operations.

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To learn more about how Samsara can help you remain compliant, explore Samsara’s ELD compliance system and get in touch with our team today.