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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
Does the ELD rule require that the driver have editing capabilities? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ34 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
How will FMCSA ensure that the ELD data is transferred securely? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ33 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
How should an ELD respond to battery issues, such as an ELD battery dying due to high temperatures or when charge power runs out? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ32 Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service – Technical Specifications
Would it be acceptable for the data transfer to be initiated by the electronic logging device (ELD) but relayed through and communicated to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Service from the provider’s backend? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ66(2017-09-01)-CORR1 ELD Guidance
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 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
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 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
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
For ELD Event Annotations or Comments records in sections 4.8.2.1.5 (ELD Data File) of 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, Appendix A, what do the <{Event} Date> and <{Event} Time> refer to? FMCSA-HOS-ELD-TECH-395-FAQ75(2017-09-01)-CORR1 ELD Guidance