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Do I Need an ELD? The Short-Haul, 8-Day and Pre-2000 Exemptions

Updated September 2026

The ELD rule applies to drivers who have to keep a record of duty status — a log. So the first question is not "do I need an ELD?" but "does my driver need a log today?" For most local crews the answer is no.

Exemption 1: short-haul drivers need no log at all

A driver who stays within a 150 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location, returns there and is released within 14 consecutive hours, and gets 10 consecutive hours off between shifts is exempt from the log requirement — and therefore from the ELD (49 CFR 395.1(e)(1)). Drivers of trucks that do not need a CDL have their own version with two longer days a week allowed (395.1(e)(2)).

What you keep instead: a time record for each driver, for six months — the time they reported, the time they were released, and total hours each day. A time clock does this.

Exemption 2: a log on no more than 8 days in 30

Short-haul is judged day by day. On a day a driver runs past 14 hours or outside the radius, that day needs a proper log. But a carrier may have the driver keep it on paper rather than on an ELD if the driver needs a log on not more than 8 days within any 30-day period (49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(ii)).

So an occasional long day does not force you to buy ELDs. A ninth day in thirty does. Keep a pad of paper log sheets in each truck, and make sure drivers know how to fill one in — the day they need it is not the day to learn.

Exemption 3: trucks built before model year 2000

A driver operating a commercial motor vehicle manufactured before model year 2000, as shown by the VIN on the registration, may log on paper (395.8(a)(1)(ii)). The exemption is from the device: if that driver needs a log, it still has to be kept, on paper.

A fourth, for completeness

Driveaway-towaway operations, where the vehicle being driven is the shipment, are also exempt from the ELD. It rarely applies to hauling fleets.

What an ELD exemption does not exempt

  • The hours limits. 11 hours driving, the 14-hour window, 60/70 hours in 7/8 days — all still apply (395.3).
  • The time record. No log does not mean no record.
  • Your state. If you work only in-state, your state's version of these rules is the one that applies.

If someone tells you that you need one

ELD vendors market to every new USDOT registrant. Before buying, write down for each driver: how far from the yard do they go, do they come back every day, and how many days a month do they run past 14 hours. If the answers are "under 150 air miles, yes, almost never," the rule does not require a device.

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This is general information, not legal advice, and RelayPoint is not a law firm or a compliance consultant. Sources: 49 CFR 395.1(e), 395.3 and 395.8(a)(1), as published in September 2026. It covers property-carrying vehicles; other exceptions (agricultural operations, certain rentals, and others) are not covered. State rules for in-state operations differ. Confirm your obligations with the FMCSA or your state's motor carrier authority.