FMCSA drops rule requiring trucks maintain printed ELD manual

In addition to the elimination of a rule that had required a CDL holder to report any safety violations to their state of domicile, FMCSA also said it is eliminating the rule that a printed copy of the operator’s manual for a truck’s electronic logging device (ELD) be in the truck at all times. 

“Drivers are required to understand the operation of the ELD on the vehicle to ensure the accuracy of their electronic records of duty status and to present this information during inspections by enforcement officials,” the Federal Register notice said in its Monday announcement.

But the agency was blunt about its views on continuing the rule. 

“There is no readily apparent benefit to continuing to require that the user’s manual be in the commercial motor vehicle given the use of ELDs since December 2019,” FMCSA said in its post. “This final rule eliminates a regulatory burden on motor carriers without compromising safety.”

FMCSA opened a comment period on the rule May 30, 2025. The 60-day comment period spurred 24 comments from organizations as significant as the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. 

Comments back change

The split on the comments were 18 positive, four opposed and two described as “out of scope.”

“ELDs routinely have an electronic version of the user’s manual built into the device,” FMCSA said in summing up the voices of the commenters who favored elimination of the rule. “Commenters also mentioned that maintaining a user’s manual in the vehicle is a burden on motor carriers which can affect their safety measurement system scores in terms of violations cited during inspections. The commenters stated that its absence is usually not cited as a violation but could be.”

The summation of the few comments that argued in favor of maintaining the rule said the mandate “is not a major burden.”

“The commenters stated that drivers and law enforcement often do not know how to access the electronic version of the user’s manual, which can be complicated further by the various types of ELDs in use,” FMCSA said in its summary.

FMCSA, in explaining its rationale for axing the rule, noted that a digital version of ELD manuals are built into the device itself. If a device doesn’t have one, FMCSA said, the agency has a copy that can be accessed from its website.

“Finally, while this regulatory change removes the requirement to carry a printed user manual, it does not forbid motor carriers or drivers from continuing to carry a user’s manual for their ELD,” the agency said. 

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