Heads up: This post is over four years old, and some information may have changed. Please check with your legal or compliance team for the most up-to-date guidance before acting on this content.
Commercial drivers subject to hours of service (HoS) rules are required to use electronic logging devices (ELDs), but every driver should still understand how to fill out a driver’s daily log. Depending on the regulations and exemptions that apply to your fleet and drivers, paper logs may still be needed for certain exempt operations or trips, or as a backup when drivers need to explain their record-of-duty (ROD) status during a roadside inspection.
This guide explains:
What a driver log book should contain
How to complete the daily grid
What to record when duty status changes
How ELDs eliminate manual log errors
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Hours of service and ELD requirements can vary by operation, jurisdiction, and exemption status. Drivers and carriers should confirm current requirements with FMCSA guidance, applicable state rules, and qualified compliance professionals.
A driver’s daily log, also called a record-of-duty (ROD) status, is a 24-hour record of a commercial driver’s workday. It shows how the driver spent each part of the day across four duty status categories.
The log also includes driver, carrier, vehicle, mileage, location, and shipping information. ELDs capture much of this information is automatically. In a paper log book, the driver must enter and update the record manually.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA's) ELD mandate requires most carriers and drivers subject to the rule to use electronic logging devices. However, paper logs are still relevant in several situations.
If an ELD stops accurately recording or displaying hours of service data, the driver may need to use paper logs until the device is repaired, replaced, or brought back into compliance. Drivers should follow company policy and FMCSA requirements, including notifying the carrier and reconstructing required records when necessary.
Some drivers may also operate under an ELD exemption. For example, certain short-haul drivers, occasional record-of-duty-status users, driveaway-towaway operations, or vehicles with older engines may be treated differently depending on the circumstances. Because exemptions can be narrow, drivers and carriers should review the rules carefully. For a deeper overview, see Zonar’s guide to common ELD exemptions.
Reminder: This post is over four years old, and some information may have changed. So is the article about common ELD exemptions. Please check with your legal or compliance team for the most up-to-date guidance before acting on this content.
A complete driver’s daily log should include the information needed to identify the driver, carrier, vehicle, duty status, and work performed during the 24-hour period. Depending on the form, carrier policy, and operating situation, the log may include the following details.
The log should show the month, day, and year for the beginning of the 24-hour period. It should also identify the start time of the day. In many operations, the daily log uses the time standard of the driver’s home terminal, not necessarily the local time where the driver happens to be operating.
The start of the 24-hour log period is not always the same as the start of the driver’s shift. For example, a driver’s log day may begin at midnight, while the driver’s actual work shift may begin at 6:00 a.m.
The driver log should identify each commercial motor vehicle operated during the day. This may include the truck, tractor, trailer, vehicle number, unit number, license plate number, or other carrier-assigned vehicle identification. If the driver switches vehicles during the day, each vehicle used should be recorded.
The log should also include total miles driven during the 24-hour period. Many paper logs also include odometer readings, especially when carriers use them for internal mileage tracking, fuel reporting, maintenance, or personal conveyance review.
Shipping information should be included as well. Depending on the operation, that may mean the bill of lading, manifest number, shipping document number, or the shipper and commodity.
The duty status grid is the core of the driver’s daily log book. Each change in duty status should be recorded at the time it happens. The log should show where the change occurred, typically using the city, town, or village and state abbreviation. If the duty status changes outside a city or town, drivers should follow the approved method for identifying the location, such as highway number, milepost, service plaza, or nearest intersecting roadways.
Keeping the log current is important. Waiting until the end of the day to recreate the entire record increases the risk of missing a duty status change, entering the wrong location, or miscalculating total hours.
While each paper log form may look slightly different, the basic process is similar. Drivers should always follow their carrier’s procedures, but the general steps below apply to most driver log books.
Enter the date, driver’s name, co-driver’s name if applicable, carrier information, main office address, home terminal, vehicle number, trailer number, shipping document information, and start time for the 24-hour period.
This section should be completed before the day gets busy. Missing basic details can cause compliance issues even when the duty status grid itself is accurate.
At the beginning of the log day, draw a horizontal line on the correct duty status row.
If you begin the day off-duty, your line starts on the off-duty row.
If you report for work, inspect the vehicle, or begin other work before driving, your line should move to on-duty, not driving.
Use vertical lines to show when you move from one duty status to another. For example, if you go from on-duty, not driving to driving, draw a vertical line at the exact time of the change and then continue horizontally on the driving row.
For accuracy, every change of duty status should be added as it happens.
Common duty status changes include:
Each change should also have a location entry in the remarks section. The remarks section helps explain what happened, where it happened, and why the duty status changed.
At the end of the 24-hour period, total the hours spent in each duty status. The total should equal 24 hours. If the totals do not add up to 24, review the grid for missing time, overlapping lines, or calculation errors.
Drivers should also check that driving time, on-duty time, break periods, and available hours align with applicable hours of service rules.
For carriers managing this at scale, a connected ELD and hours of service solution can help drivers and managers see remaining hours more clearly.
Before signing, review the log for accuracy. Confirm that the date, driver name, vehicle information, total miles, shipping documents, duty status lines, locations, remarks, and total hours are complete and accurate.
Once the driver signs or certifies the log, the driver is confirming that the record is true and correct. Drivers should submit logs and supporting documents according to carrier policy and applicable regulations.
Many daily log errors and HoS compliance violations are preventable. Drivers and carriers can reduce issues by watching for these common mistakes.
Logs should be updated as duty status changes occur, not recreated from memory at the end of the day.
Duty status changes should include the required location information, such as city and state abbreviation.
The four duty status totals should add up to 24 hours.
The bill of lading, manifest number, shipper and commodity, or other required shipping information should be included when applicable.
All commercial vehicles operated during the day should be identified.
The remarks section should explain duty status changes, special circumstances, and relevant operational details.
A log that is not signed or certified may be treated as incomplete.
Electronic logging devices reduce the need for paper driver log books, but they have not removed the driver’s responsibility to understand and certify hours of service (HoS) records.
An ELD can automatically record driving time, engine activity, vehicle movement, mileage, and location data. It can also help drivers see available hours, reduce manual entries, and make roadside inspections easier when records need to be displayed or transferred.
Drivers still need to review their logs, assign or correct duty status when appropriate, add required annotations, and certify that their record is accurate. Fleet managers also need visibility into driver hours so they can plan dispatch, reduce avoidable violations, and support safer operations.
For many carriers, the best approach includes connecting hours of service, driver workflows, vehicle data, and compliance processes in one, centralized, integrated fleet management solution.
If an ELD malfunctions, drivers and carriers should follow their established procedures and applicable FMCSA requirements. In general, drivers may need to note the malfunction, notify the carrier, reconstruct required records if they are not available from the ELD, and continue using paper logs until the ELD is back in service.
Drivers should not assume they can use paper logs indefinitely.
During an ELD malfunction, carriers generally have a limited period to repair, replace, or service the device unless an extension applies. Because malfunction procedures can affect roadside inspections and out-of-service risk, drivers should be trained before they need to rely on paper logs in the field.
Reminder: This post is over four years old, and some information may have changed. So is the article about common ELD exemptions. Please check with your legal or compliance team for the most up-to-date guidance before acting on this content.
Zonar Logs™ is an electronic logging device and hours of service solution designed to help fleets simplify daily log management, support roadside compliance, and reduce avoidable HoS violations.
This Zonar ELD solution is FMCSA self-certified for U.S. ELD regulations.
Drivers can manage logs through approved in-cab devices, while fleet teams can monitor driver hours, review records, and support compliance from the back office. Zonar’s fleet driver tablets also help connect ELD workflows with other driver tools, making it easier for teams to reduce paperwork and keep daily operations moving.
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