ELD Compliance Guide: US & Canada Requirements

An electronic logging device (ELD) automatically records a commercial driver’s Hours of Service (HOS), replacing paper logbooks with a system that connects directly to the vehicle’s engine. If your fleet operates commercial motor vehicles in the US or Canada, understanding what’s actually required — and what’s just vendor marketing — is the first step before choosing a device.

This guide covers what an ELD does, who’s required to have one, how the US and Canadian mandates differ, and what to check before choosing a provider.

What is Electronic Logging Device (ELD)?

An ELD connects to a vehicle’s engine — typically through the OBD-II diagnostic port — and automatically captures engine hours, vehicle movement, and location data to build a driver’s Record of Duty Status (RODS). Unlike a paper logbook, the data can’t be backdated or edited without leaving a record of the change.

The core function is compliance: proving a driver stayed within legal driving-hour limits. But because the device already has engine and GPS data flowing through it, most ELD platforms extend into broader telematics features — driver behavior monitoring, DVIR (Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports), and fault code alerts.

Who Needs an ELD?

In the United States, the FMCSA has required ELDs for most commercial motor vehicle drivers who are required to keep Records of Duty Status since December 2019. Common exemptions include:

• Drivers who operate under the short-haul exemption (staying within a 150 air-mile radius and returning to the same location each day)
• Drive-away/tow-away operations where the vehicle being driven is the commodity being delivered
• Vehicles with an engine model year before 2000
• Drivers who keep RODS for 8 or fewer days within any 30-day period

In Canada, Transport Canada’s ELD mandate has been in full federal enforcement for federally regulated carriers since January 1, 2023 — this is no longer a future requirement. As of late 2025, Canada updated its technical certification requirements (CCMTA Technical Standard 1.3), which places more emphasis on data integrity and certified transfer protocols. Devices must be certified by a third-party body accredited by Transport Canada under the Canadian ELD Technical Standard — a different certification process than the FMCSA’s US registration list, so a device certified for US use isn’t automatically compliant in Canada.

Common Canadian exemptions include:

• Short-haul drivers operating within a 160 km radius of their home terminal, returning the same day
• Vehicles with an engine model year before 2000
• Vehicles rented for fewer than 30 days
• Certain seasonal exemptions, such as agricultural carriers during harvest

Exemption rules are detailed and carrier-specific. Confirm current status against Transport Canada or FMCSA guidance directly before assuming an exemption applies.

AOBRD vs. ELD

Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) were the technology ELDs replaced. The mandatory transition period for AOBRDs in the US ended in December 2019, so any fleet still running one is out of compliance. The practical differences that mattered during the transition:

• AOBRDs allowed hours to be edited without always leaving a clear audit trail; ELDs record and flag all edits
• AOBRDs couldn’t automatically flag unassigned driving time the way ELDs do
• AOBRDs didn’t include the same driver login/unassigned-hours warnings

If your fleet is still running an AOBRD in the US, that’s a compliance gap that needs to be closed, not a choice.

Read more about which solution to use for your fleet

A Practical Example: Choosing Between ELD Providers

A 25-truck regional carrier running routes between Ontario and the US Midwest needs a device that’s certified for both markets — not just one. In practice, that means checking the Transport Canada certified device list and the FMCSA registered device list separately, since a vendor claiming general “ELD compliance” isn’t specific enough for a fleet crossing the border regularly.

The fleet also needs a provider comfortable managing two separate compliance frameworks without creating two separate logins or reporting systems for dispatch to manage. This is where checking a vendor’s actual cross-border experience — not just their feature list — becomes the deciding factor.

Main Benefits of ELDs

Driver safety: Automatic HOS tracking reduces fatigue-related driving by enforcing rest requirements more consistently than a paper log that can be filled in after the fact.

Time savings: Drivers no longer manually complete and fax logs, and dispatchers get real-time visibility into remaining drive time without a phone call.

Reduced audit risk: ELD data is timestamped and harder to falsify than paper logs, which matters directly during a DOT or Transport Canada roadside inspection.

Read more about benefits here! 

Avoiding Common ELD Compliance Issues

• Drivers not trained on the device. An officer can’t verify compliance if a driver can’t operate their own ELD during a roadside check — this is a training gap, not a technology failure.
• Unassigned driving time. When drivers log out without properly assigning driving segments, it creates unassigned log records that inspectors flag during review.
• Devices not properly mounted. An ELD sitting in a driver’s pocket or on the passenger seat instead of mounted per manufacturer specification can trigger a violation regardless of whether the data itself is accurate.

How to Choose an ELD Provider

Compliance certification. Confirm the device is certified for every jurisdiction the fleet actually operates in — US FMCSA registration and Canadian third-party certification are separate processes.

Provider experience. A vendor’s track record with FMCSA and Transport Canada compliance matters more than a feature checklist, especially as certification standards change (like Canada’s 2025 Technical Standard 1.3 update).

Long-term adaptability. Regulations change. Confirm the provider pushes compliance updates to existing hardware rather than requiring a hardware refresh every time a standard changes.

Integration and expandability. An ELD that only handles HOS logging in isolation creates a separate system dispatch has to check. Look for a platform that connects ELD data with dispatch, maintenance, and safety scoring instead of running it as a standalone tool.

Regional coverage. If the fleet operates in Canada, Alaska, or oil field operations, confirm the provider explicitly supports those regions’ specific requirements rather than assuming general US compliance covers them.

How GoFleet Approaches ELD Compliance

GoFleet’s ELD solution is built on the Geotab Drive platform, which handles HOS logging and DVIR while feeding the same engine and location data into broader fleet reporting — so ELD compliance and day-to-day fleet visibility run on one data source instead of two separate systems.

US vs. Canada ELD Requirements — Key Differences

	United States (FMCSA)	Canada (Transport Canada)
Enforcement status	Full enforcement since Dec. 2019	Full federal enforcement since Jan. 1, 2023
Certification method	Self-certification, registered on FMCSA list	Third-party certification required (CCMTA Technical Standard)
Short-haul exemption radius	150 air-mile radius	160 km radius
Pre-2000 vehicle exemption	Yes	Yes
Regulating body	FMCSA	Transport Canada