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Regulatory Guidance

Welcome to the FMCSA Guidance Portal. This web portal is a searchable, indexed database that contains and links to all guidance documents in effect from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The guidance documents lack the force and effect of law, unless expressly authorized by statute or incorporated into a contract.

To comment on any guidance document, or to request issuance, reconsideration, modification, or rescission of any guidance document, please identify the guidance document in your request and send it to: FMCSAguidance@dot.gov. NOTE: The FMCSAguidance mailbox is not intended to serve as a mailbox for general inquiries. For inquiries that go beyond the limited purpose of the FMCSAguidance mailbox, please call FMCSA's Information Line (800-832-5660) or visit FMCSA's "Contact Us" page to send your inquiry to the appropriate mailbox.

Subject Agency Identifier Topic Issued Date
Is your ELD listing up-to-date? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ99 ELD Guidance
ELD FAQ 23:Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service—Cross Border Transportation FMCSA-HOS-ELD-395-FAQ23-RESCINDED ELD Guidance
Is the ELD required to retrieve the CMV position from the device connected to the port, or can this be retrieved by using a smartphone or tablet? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ21
Can the partial VIN value obtained from the controller area network bus be used for reporting? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ22 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
If the required ELD data from the ECM is private and requires an agreement with the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to obtain said data, are ELD providers required to enter an agreement with the OEM? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ23 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
How should the ELD handle the dashboard odometer display not matching the odometer value returned by the ECM? For instance, when the engine is replaced and the value is not synced. FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ24 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
If the vehicle does not track engine hours, can the record begin with “0?” FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ25 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
How should the Time Zone Offset from UTC handle daylight savings time? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ26-RESCINDED ELD Guidance
Would server‐based events (e.g., edits and assignment of unassigned events) generate a different sequence ID than that generated by the ELD? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ27 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
In a portable device platform, should the event identifier sequence number be associated with the portable device or the vehicle’s black box? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ28 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications