Answer the questions to see whether one of the main federal ELD exceptions may fit your operation, and exactly which records you still have to keep either way.
The main federal ELD exceptions
Drivers operating inside the 150 air-mile radius rules may use time records instead of RODS, which removes the ELD requirement for qualifying days.
Drivers who need RODS on no more than 8 days in any rolling 30-day period may use paper logs instead of an ELD.
Vehicles with pre-2000 engines and driveaway-towaway moves where the vehicle is the commodity are excepted from the ELD requirement.
ELD exemption questions
Who is exempt from the ELD mandate?
The main federal exceptions are drivers who qualify for the short-haul time-record exception, drivers who use paper logs on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, driveaway-towaway moves where the vehicle is the commodity, and vehicles with engines older than model year 2000.
What is the 150 air-mile short-haul exemption?
CDL short-haul drivers who stay within a 150 air-mile radius of their normal work reporting location, return there within 14 hours and meet the break-in-service conditions may use time records instead of records of duty status, which also removes the ELD requirement for those days.
If I am exempt from an ELD do hours-of-service rules still apply?
Yes. An ELD exception changes how driving time is recorded, not the underlying hours-of-service limits. Time records or paper logs must still be kept as the specific exception requires.
Official sources
- FMCSA: pre-2000 model year and engine guidance
- FMCSA: ELD rule and exceptions
- 49 CFR 395.1(e): short-haul operations
- 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(ii)(A)(1): 8-days-in-30 exception
Rules and agency systems can change. Check the linked source before making a filing or compliance decision.
Need help with ELD or hours-of-service requirements?
We review your request before sharing it with up to three relevant providers. Pricing, availability and responses vary by provider.