FMCSA denies request to let drivers use paper logs instead of ELDs

FMCSA has denied an application from the Federation of Professional Truckers (FOPT) for an exemption from the electronic logging device requirements. The decision was published in the Federal Register on September 30, 2026 as a notice of final disposition. This is a denial of an exemption request, not a new rule — nothing about the existing ELD requirement changes.

FOPT asked that professional drivers be given the option to record their records of duty status by hand instead of using an ELD. According to the notice, the group proposed that the exemption apply to all drivers who wanted to use it, not just FOPT members.

FMCSA first published the request for public comment on February 9, 2026. It received 901 comments, and most of the individual commenters supported the exemption. Safety groups opposed it; the Institute for Safer Trucking told the agency that ELDs are "a data-driven, effective tool for reducing fatigue-related crashes, improving compliance, and increasing accountability."

The agency gave its reasons for denying the request. It noted that Congress directed the Department to adopt regulations requiring ELDs. It also said the application "does not provide information establishing that the requested exemption would likely achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent such exemption."