FMCSA announced this week a full overhaul of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) approval process, marking the most significant tightening of oversight since the 2017 mandate. The new framework adds pre-publication vetting, verification of manufacturer information, and cross-checking against revoked or inactive devices—steps intended to prevent non-compliant or easily manipulated systems from reaching the market.
Fetch Freight’s recent Freight Forecast webinar with ACT Research predicted this regulatory tightening and its potential downstream effects. That expectation materialized quickly: the agency’s update directly targets long-standing gaps that have allowed widespread ELD fraud, including practices like “log toggling,” where back-office manipulation enables drivers to exceed legal hours-of-service limits.
The new four-tier review structure (Approved, Information Requested, Further Review, Denied) replaces the self-certified process that existed since 2017, which is believed to have tightened market capacity by around 3–4%.
As noted during the webinar, “This could have an impact similar to what we saw with the ELD mandate in 2017, when stricter HOS enforcement reduced effective capacity, caused a market shock, and temporarily tightened available trucking resources.” Analysts have noted that addressing these loopholes could remove several points of effective capacity from the market, echoing the ripple effects seen after the original mandate.
The full implications of the updated vetting process will become clearer as FMCSA begins reviewing and publishing devices under the new structure.
To hear the full conversation from our Freight Forecast: Planning for 2026, including insights on ELD enforcement, capacity trends, and what’s ahead for the market, watch the full webinar recording here.