📖 Table of Contents
Quick answer
Need the filing plan, not just the reading assignment? Start with a plain-English authority checklist and transparent pricing.
Quick answer
Read this card. Then stop guessing from fleet size.
The myth
One truck ≠ no ELD
The rule never asks how many trucks you have. It asks whether you keep RODS.
The FMCSA test
RODS most days? ELD.
If you keep RODS more than 8 days in any 30-day period, you need a registered ELD. True short-haul on timecards every day may skip it.
The market
Brokers may still ask
That is a load-board term, not the FMCSA rule. Short-haul exempt still gets the ask. Different job.
This sits next to the driver qualification file and the new-entrant safety audit. Hours records go in that audit box if 395 requires them. motorcarrier.ai is a private filing and compliance help service. We are not FMCSA.
Who needs one / who doesn't
Punch list. Check the official pages, not a Facebook group.
Need a registered ELD
You keep RODS most days
- You are required to keep RODS under 395.8 more than 8 days in any 30-day period.
- Over-the-road or regional work that leaves the short-haul box most days.
- Owner-operator, one truck, your own authority — still you, if those RODS days stack up.
- Buses too. Canada- and Mexico-domiciled drivers too. That is on FMCSA's who-must-comply page.
May skip the ELD
Still may need paper / timecards
- Short-haul / timecard exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e). See the card below.
- Paper RODS on not more than 8 days in any 30-day period.
- Driveaway-towaway when the vehicle driven is the commodity, or a motorhome / RV trailer being transported.
- Vehicle manufactured before model year 2000 (VIN on the registration).
Short-haul, in plain English
For a CDL property driver, 395.1(e)(1) is all of these, every day you claim it:
- Stay within a 150 air-mile radius of the normal work reporting location (~172.6 statute miles).
- Return there and get released within 14 consecutive hours.
- Take 10 consecutive hours off between those 14-hour shifts.
- The carrier keeps 6 months of time records: report time, release time, hours on duty, and the prior 7-day total for new or intermittent drivers.
The 8-in-30 trap
Short-haul is a daily test. Blow the radius or the 14-hour window and that day is a RODS day. Stack more than 8 of those in any 30-day period and the ELD is required.
Still short-haul
Every day inside the radius, home and released inside 14 hours, 10 hours off, timecards for 6 months. No RODS. No ELD — unless a broker writes one into the packet.
Now you are logging
Past 150 air-miles. Released after 14 hours. Did not make it back. That day needs a RODS. Count those days across any rolling 30.
Turn the guide into a filing plan
Know what you need, what it costs, and what to file next.
We help new carriers get MC authority, USDOT, BOC-3, UCR, and startup compliance handled without the usual bureaucratic jump scares.
What to buy before a broker asks
Not a shopping catalog. No “best ELD.” No device prices. FMCSA does not endorse brands. Devices on the list are manufacturer self-certified.
FMCSA rule
Registered device. Transfer that works. Packet in the truck. Re-check the list. That is the legal buy.
Broker packet
Many brokers want an ELD screenshot even when you are short-haul exempt. That is their term. Not a form number. Not a government fee. See the broker packet guide for the rest of that folder.
FAQ
Do I need an ELD if I am the only truck?
Fleet size is not the test. If you must keep RODS under 395.8 on more than 8 days in any 30-day period, you need a registered ELD unless another exception applies. One-truck owner-operator is still a motor carrier with a driver. Same idea as the DQ file.
What about hotshot?
Same rule. RODS most days — typical regional or over-the-road hotshot — means a registered ELD. True short-haul every day, with 6-month time records, may skip it. Non-CDL property work uses 395.1(e)(2) if you qualify. Brokers may still ask either way.
I run a local dump. Do I need an ELD?
Often no, if every day stays inside 395.1(e): 150 air-mile radius, back and released within 14 hours, 10 hours off, timecards for 6 months. One long day is a RODS day. More than 8 of those in any 30-day period and you need a registered ELD unless another exception applies.
My truck is older than model year 2000. Can I skip the ELD?
Yes for the ELD, if it was manufactured before model year 2000 as shown by the VIN on the registration (395.8(a)(1)). You may still need paper RODS. A broker can still require an ELD as a business term.
Can I just keep paper logs?
Paper RODS are allowed if you keep them on not more than 8 days in any 30-day period, or you qualify for driveaway-towaway or the pre-2000 vehicle exception. Keep RODS more often than that 8-in-30 limit and a registered ELD is required. An AOBRD is not a substitute.
We help new trucking companies get set up and stay compliant — from MC authority to insurance to ongoing DOT requirements. No jargon, no overcharging, just straight answers.
Learn more about us →Keep Reading
Authority Revoked or Inactive: How to Turn It Back On in Motus
Inactive, lapsed, and revoked are not the same. Motus shows a status plus a reason. Fix insurance, BOC-3, and USDOT first, then request reinstatement ($80).
How Insurance Gets on File With FMCSA
You buy the policy. The insurer files BMC-91 or BMC-91X. Why Motus can show insurance missing when the policy is fine, and what the official minimums are.
The New-Entrant Safety Audit
First-year FMCSA audit for new interstate carriers: the 12-month window, what they actually check, automatic fails in 385.321, and what to have in a box.
Ready to turn this into an actual filing?
We handle MC authority, BOC-3, UCR, and startup compliance steps so you can focus on getting the business moving.