Updated vetting halts nearly 500 ELD entrants into market, Leathers says
Keiron Greenhalgh
Capacity constraints in the truckload segment of the freight market are set to continue to tighten, according to Werner Enterprises CEO Derek Leathers, because of an under-the-radar federal enforcement initiative — the renewed purge of noncompliant electronic logging devices.
As a result, the upswing in the freight market is set to continue following the longest downturn in industry memory.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration deemed at least 56 ELD models noncompliant so far in 2026, data show. The agency blacklisted at least 32 ELDs in 2025. Each total is substantially higher than previous years.
FMCSA is blackballing use of those noncompliant devices to limit drivers’ and carriers’ ability to evade hours-of-service regulations and compromise safety standards. Federal regulators are pursuing this initiative alongside efforts to clamp down on unqualified drivers and inadequate driver training programs.
“Seldom does industry ask for regulation, but in this case, they need to be certifying these electronic logging devices. You’re going to see a lot more capacity that’s only able to operate today because of its ability to manipulate its hours,” Leathers told the Deutsche Bank Chicago Industrials Summit on Aug. 11.
“The reason the market was so saturated was that 10 trucks were able to behave like 15,” said Leathers. “And so, as you take those 10 trucks out, you’re really taking the equivalent capacity of 15 trucks out because you can’t operate with these extra hours and reset your logs on a daily basis.”
Federal regulations require motor carriers to use ELDs to automatically generate drivers’ record-of-duty status under hours-of-service rules, which limit drivers to 11 hours of driving time after 10 consecutive hours off duty, along with other restrictions.
Noncompliant ELDs can enable evasion of the regulations.
The FMCSA in December 2025 overhauled the vetting process for ELDs.
“They’ve stopped 400, nearly 500 at this point, new entrants into the marketplace because the ELDs didn’t pass the basic kind of sniff test of certification and they were too easily able to be edited or manipulated,” Leathers told attendees of the investor conference.
Doing so, said the executive, was effectively taking capacity out of the market alongside federal initiatives on non-domiciled commercial driver licenses and driving schools.
But industry observers expect further withdrawals, with more than 1,000 self-certified ELD providers registered in the United States. In Canada, where self-certification is not allowed, less than a dozen ELD providers dominate the market.
In November 2025, American Trucking Associations and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance called for third-party certification of ELDs to stymie illegal falsification of logbook data.
ATA in October 2025 updated its safety policy to support third-party certification of ELDs and oversight of auditing and monitoring of devices.
And ELD tampering is becoming more common as a result of the increase in noncompliant ELDs.
CVSA targeted ELD falsification and tampering during its annual International Roadcheck in May. Falsification of record-of-duty status was the second-most-cited driver violation in the 2025 edition of the 37-step inspections.
Most interstate carriers have been required to use a compliant ELD since December 2019, when FMCSA’s ELD rule took full effect.
Carriers are receiving 60 days to replace equipment that does not comply with safety standards or they face out-of-service orders.
Register for the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will be held Sept. 20-24, in Orlando, Florida, at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. This premier meeting offers the opportunity for government officials, enforcement and industry to collaborate and affect meaningful changes and improvements to the overall culture of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety throughout North America.
ason McDaniel
Key Highlights
- The GHOSTRUCK Act mandates that only North American-based personnel can edit electronic logging device records.
- The legislation preserves driver approval over any changes to their duty status logs, ensuring final oversight remains with the driver.
- Foreign dispatchers and personnel are explicitly prohibited from manipulating driver logs under the new bill.
2037985262 | Adobe Stock
The GHOSTRUCK Act, supported by NTTC and other trucking organizations, seeks to close loopholes allowing foreign-based personnel to manipulate electronic logging device records, thereby enhancing highway safety and driver accountability.
National Tank Truck Carriers supports the GHOSTRUCK Act—the new bipartisan “Guarding Hours-of-Service Oversight and Stopping Tampering by Remote Unofficial Carrier Keeper” legislation designed to strengthen the integrity of electronic logging device (ELD) records and improve highway safety by closing a loophole that allows foreign-based personnel to manipulate driver logs.
The GHOSTRUCK Act was introduced by U.S. Representatives Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Dave Taylor (R-Ohio).
Ryan Streblow, NTTC president and CEO of NTTC, emphasized the critical nature of the bill for the tank truck industry.
“Safety is at the heart of everything we do at National Tank Truck Carriers,” Streblow said in a news release. “The GHOSTRUCK Act strengthens the integrity of the hours-of-service system by ensuring that edits to electronic logging device records are made only by authorized personnel physically located in North America and remain subject to driver approval.
“Accountability in driver records is essential to maintaining compliance, protecting drivers from undue pressure, and ensuring that commercial motor vehicles operate safely on our nation’s highways.”
According to a report from Bulk Transporter’s affiliate publication, FleetOwner, the legislation addresses growing concerns that overseas dispatchers are altering driver logs while remaining beyond the reach of U.S. accountability and enforcement measures. Current federal law does not explicitly prohibit foreign-based personnel from editing or annotating these records, a gap that proponents say allows for the falsification of logs and the overworking of drivers.
The GHOSTRUCK Act would mandate that any edits or annotations to an ELD record be made only by a carrier, dispatcher, or driver physically located in North America. Critically, the bill preserves the requirement that all edits remain subject to driver approval, ensuring the driver maintains final say over their record of duty status.
Steube noted that the act is necessary because foreign actors have been found falsifying driver logs to avoid accountability when tragedies occur on American roads. Beyond NTTC, the bill has garnered broad industry support from other trucking organizations, including American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, and the Truckload Carriers Association.
“Foreign dispatchers should not be able to manipulate trucking safety records from halfway around the world and put American lives at risk,” Steube said in a release. “Reports have exposed how overseas actors are falsifying driver logs, overworking truckers beyond safe limits, and avoiding accountability when tragedies occur.
“The GHOSTRUCK Act closes this loophole and helps keep our roads safe.”
