Hundreds of commenters weigh in on FMCSA exemption ask to allow truckers to use paper logs instead of ELDs

Hundreds of people have commented on a exemption request under consideration by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) that would allow professional truck drivers to use paper logs to manually enter their records of duty status (RODS).

Group Asks FMCSA For ELD Rule Relief

On February 9, 2026, FMCSA published an exemption request from the Federation of Professional Truckers (FOPT) issued on behalf of group members and “any other professional driver choosing to participate.” 

The FOPT asked FMCSA for relief from electronic logging device (ELD) regulations to allow drivers to record their RODS manually with a paper logbook, rather than with an ELD.

The FOPT asked for the exemption due to the cost burden that ELDs place on smaller carriers.

The group also said that “[t]echnical limitations and frequent malfunctions highlight the continued necessity of paper alternatives.”

What Are Truckers Saying?

Since the comment period opened on February 9, 325 individuals and organizations have left formal comments for FMCSA arguing either for or against the requested ELD regulatory relief.

The comment period ends on March 11, 2026. You can follow this link to leave your online comment.

See what commenters are saying below.

• “This is a HORRIBLE idea. As a truck driver of 33 years, This will be abused by both drivers and companies. The opportunity for falsification will lead to overwhelming violation of hours of service rules and is inherently unsafe.”
• “I see how paper would be less stress on a driver and could possibly aid in fewer accidents involving big trucks. Tired of having to wait for a ELD to click over the minute to remove myself from the drive line but it’s instantaneous to putting me on the drive line, my opinion is that is stealing time from the driver. Having the choice will also help small companies save money.”
• “Driver shortage and drivers leaving the industry spiked when ELD was brought into effect. Trucking wasn’t a job, it was a life style that so many of men and women didn’t want a electronic on board telling them they couldn’t nap because the night before they where sick or just couldn’t get the needed rest, being forced to drive because when the timer started there was no stopping. Paper logs should be optional and small independents such as myself should have the choice to do either. Hopefully this can MAKE TRUCKING GREAT AGAIN for my self and millions of fellow truckers. Thank you.”
• “In my opinion of 29 years on the road. The experience of elds is have come to this conclusion….. they are the most unsafe device forced on trucking i have ever witnessed. People speed through parking lots, road construction, congested traffic. They don’t slow down for law enforcement that has a motorist on the shoulder. All to save time. They take their 30 minute breaks on the shoulders of the highways, causing danger. There are people who run out of hours 20 minutes from their home. How would you like to spend 10 hours more in your vehicle when you’re minutes from home? My other question is why is this mandatory? It has not been for safety. We witness that daily. Why can’t it be a choice. I own my own truck. I paid for it. It’s mine as well as all the responsibility that comes with it. This industry is so very much over regulated and very much under paid. Insurance is crazy prices, fuel, tires, equipment, actually it never ends. The amount of overhead is overwhelming. And paying for eld is just one more expense. Like I said, my personal opinion of 29 years is… elds should be a choice, not a mandate. And there are many other topics that need addressed in this industry. Thank you for your time. God bless America.”
• “Aside from the cost of the ELD in this very volatile trucking market, the ELD really dictates my life on the road. Im always trying to beat the clock staring me in the face. The industry worked for decades without electronics. No cell phones meant that you stopped at the truckstop, had some dinner, and made a phone call ( with the phone at your table) to get directions( which you wrote down on paper) because there was no GPS. my take is, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Seems like everybody is trying to fix what isn’t broke, and burdensome regulations are what they think fixes it. Im all for paper logs and no more clock( that I have to pay monthly for) staring me in the face.”
• “I honestly think drivers have been racing the clock since been required to do electronic logs. We make a mistake and move the truck 1 min early and is automatically in violation. These shippers and receivers are keeping us for hrs on duty not being loaded or unloaded for hours which we dont get paid for but yet we are away from our families. Being forced to race the clock once we are loaded or unloaded to get to our next run. My opinion is it’s very unsafe and unfair we should be able to stop and nap as needed and our clocks stop too.”
• “There is no reason to use paper logs in this day and age unless there is a technical problem. But what does need to happen is make the rules more flexible for today’s trucking. The ELD is a timer and when you are faced with a time limit you will hurry and when you hurry mistakes are made. Too many things are out of the driver’s control such as loading and unloading delays as well as traffic and weather delays . Let me ask a question for you. Why is it Okay to lift the HOS rules when there is an emergency/ natural disaster and everyone seems to operate just fine. In short no need for paper logs and the HOS need to be addressed and personal responsibility is a must. Thank you.”
• “As a Safety Dir[ector], I have been around since the paper log days… and Given the chance to cheat or fudge even a little bit, and it will happen. Paper makes this easier to happen. Electronic logs makes the playing field more even among carriers and owner operators. And this does not make you go broke. Blame that on the cheap brokers.”
• “As a third generation CDL holder, I am against the option of allowing carriers to choose to use paper logs for the foreseeable future until the trucking industry is purged of bad actors. With the uncomfortably large number of carriers out there that examples are seen in social media of falsifying and edit ELDs to magically add more hours to a driver’s clock, forcing them to drive fatigued with sometimes tragic results as we have seen in the news, the option of letting unscrupulous carriers use paper logs will open the industry to even more risk. There’s a reason why older truckers call paper logs “comic books” and “swindle sheets” and joke about having 3-4 log books, at least ELDs do offer some bit of an electronic trail for investigators in the wake of crashes to determine what happened.”
• “When the DOT and the FMCSA exempted livestock haulers from having to use ELDs, it was because they said they couldn’t do their job safely using one. ELDs like paper logs record time, nothing else. If it is unsafe for one type of trucking to use ELDs, it is for everyone. And it is unsafe for everyone, not just livestock haulers. My guess is, the DOT thinks livestock haulers won’t stop and check on the animals like they should with ELDs. Why, because ELDs count every single minute. Paper logs give drivers leeway on every duty change. The DOT, by exempting livestock because they are unsafe, is saying it is safer to fudge or lie, which it is. ELDs force drivers to rush, hurry, speed, and find other ways to cut corners to save or gain precious minutes. That is why accidents have gone up since ELDs were implemented.”