HOS & ELD Packet

What This Is — And What It Is Not

This is not an ELD provider or dispatch software. It is a document system built to install the operational standards, dispatch discipline, and recordkeeping framework that FMCSA expects when they review your Hours of Service compliance in a safety audit.

Having an ELD in the truck is not the same as having a compliant HOS system. This packet closes the gap between the device and the documented standard.

What's Inside

• 01Hours of Service Rules Brief — Property Carrier Focus: A plain-language explanation of the core HOS limits for property carriers — 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour on-duty window, 30-minute rest break, 60/70-hour weekly cycle, and 10-hour off-duty requirement. Covers short-haul exemption conditions, required supporting documents, and the automatic failure items that will end operating authority. Citations current as of publication.
• 02Dispatch Standards Checklist — What Not to Ask a Driver to Do: Every carrier dispatch obligation under 49 CFR 392.6 and 395.3. Pre-dispatch hour verification, load scheduling standards, prohibited dispatch instructions, and post-delivery load file documentation. The carrier is responsible for dispatch decisions — not just the driver.
• 03ELD Usage Checklist — Required Data, Edits, Annotations: Device registration verification, required data fields, annotation procedures, edit protocols, and malfunction reporting requirements. Covers carrier obligations under 49 CFR 395.22 and 395.26 — including what happens when the ELD malfunctions and what the driver and carrier are each required to do.
• 04Daily and Weekly Compliance Review Checklist: A repeatable review process for owner-operators and small fleet managers. Daily post-shift review steps (5–10 minutes) and a weekly compliance review (20–30 minutes) that catches HOS drift before it becomes an audit finding.

Who It's For

• —Owner-operators and small fleets (1–5 trucks) operating under 49 CFR Part 395
• —Carriers setting up ELD compliance infrastructure for the first time
• —Dispatch operations that have not formalized what they can and cannot ask a driver to do
• —Carriers whose HOS records were flagged or incomplete during a New Entrant Safety Audit

What It Replaces

• ×Discovering your ELD device is not on the FMCSA registered list during an audit
• ×Dispatching loads without a process to verify available driver hours
• ×Having no written record of what your dispatch operation is and is not permitted to do
• ×Realizing your supporting documents do not match your ELD data after an investigator points it out

Next Step

The HOS & ELD Packet covers one of five compliance domains. The Domain Systems Bundle includes all five packets — the complete DIY operating standard for new authorities.