WASHINGTON — With the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) removing 133 electronic logging devices (ELDs) from the federal registry as part of an effort to address falsified hours-of-service (HOS) records, industry insiders are speaking out.
American Trucking Associations (ATA)
“ATA strongly supports FMCSA’s decisive action to crack down on fraudulent electronic logging devices that undermine highway safety and put law-abiding motor carriers at a competitive disadvantage,” said Nathan Mehrens, ATA senior vice president of regulatory affairs and workforce policy. “We commend Secretary Duffy, Administrator Barrs, and their teams for taking this important step to restore integrity to the ELD system and hold bad actors accountable. Fraudsters have no place in an industry where safety is paramount, and carriers must be able to trust that the devices they rely on meet federal standards.
In October 2025, ATA’s Safety Policy Committee voted to support stronger measures to ensure ELD integrity, including third-party certification. The committee established a working group, which sought to develop a framework that addresses known forms of fraud immediately while creating safeguards capable of adapting to emerging threats over the long term. A report with the working group’s recommendations will be released by ATA next week.
“Next week, ATA looks forward to unveiling a comprehensive roadmap to strengthen the ELD certification process by introducing third-party certification and closing the front door on fraudsters seeking to exploit weaknesses in the system,” Mehrens said. “Today’s action is an important step forward, and preventing noncompliant devices from entering the marketplace in the first place is essential to protecting motorists and ensuring a level playing field for responsible motor carriers.”
Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA)
“Secretary Duffy and Administrator Barrs continue to listen to truckers and OOIDA appreciates their decisive enforcement action to weed out non-compliant devices and hold bad actors accountable,” said Todd Spencer, president, OOIDA. “Cracking down on fraudulent ELDs is a major step forward and we look forward to working with USDOT and Congress to establish a rigorous federal certification process so unvetted, non-compliant devices never reach the market in the first place. OOIDA has warned for years that allowing manufacturers to self-certify ELDs invites fraud and undercuts law-abiding small-business truckers. Small-business truckers should have confidence that a federally mandated device is compliant and will protect their data.”
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe.
