Accident scenes can tell you how cars or trucks collided. But what was the trucker doing before the crash?
By studying the scene and the wreck, you can get information. An ELD can tell you how much the driver drove and other information about his day.
If you are the victim of a truck crash, there are some helpful things you can get from an ELD. However, there are some limitations and things to be aware of.
You Will Learn:
- What An ELD Records
- Following Hours Before A Crash
- Finding Missing Information or Changes
- Limitations Of Electronic Logging Device
- Why It’s Important To Preserve ELD Data
- What To Do With This Information
- Conclusion
What An ELD Records
When used correctly, electronic logging devices are hooked into commercial motor vehicles and assist with monitoring hours of service. Depending on the type, drivers are restricted in how many hours they can work and drive per day.
An ELD will automatically record date, time, location, engine hours, vehicle miles and ID number for both the vehicle and driver. There are entries that are made to reflect the duty status of the driver as well. Some include driving, off duty, sleeper berth, and on duty not driving. All of this will give you an idea of what the driver’s time looked like the day of the accident.
You can match this against deliveries, gas receipts, dispatcher calls, etc. to determine what was going on at the time of collision.
Drivers also have to manually enter some information into an ELD, meaning they could enter information incorrectly. Just because a vehicle may have been parked, that does not mean the driver was not working. There are many things that drivers could be doing while not operating the vehicle that is considered work.
Keep in mind that the ELD will not show you what caused the crash or why someone was at fault.
Following Hours Before A Crash
Suppose a truck crashed into your vehicle around lunchtime. The driver told you he got enough sleep and rested before driving. His ELD shows he started earlier than he said and drove for longer periods of time.
There is something you want to look into further.
Generally, a driver can drive 11 hours after being off duty for 10 hours straight. That is for property drivers, unless otherwise allowed by an exception. Under the usual property-carrying rule, drivers cannot drive after the 14th consecutive hour since coming on duty, even if some of that time was spent off duty. Exceptions may apply. Also, after 14 hours of being on duty, drivers are usually expected to stop driving. A 30-minute break rule applies after eight cumulative hours of driving without a qualifying interruption. A qualifying non-driving period may include on-duty time spent not driving. If an exception allows them to work longer, then that could affect these numbers.
An ELD can help investigate if the driver was following the proper laws. The records may raise questions about driver fatigue, delivery pressure, or missing entries, which investigators can check using other evidence. You may find that the driver was fatigued, under time constraints, or that some entries were not properly filled out. Keep in mind, just because someone is over their limit does not mean they caused your crash.
For someone injured in a Dallas truck crash, freeseandgoss.com explains how truck accident attorneys review driver logs and company records when investigating responsibility. A truck accident lawyer can also help identify which records to preserve before they disappear.
The stakes are serious. A NHTSA report published in June 2026 found that 5,340 people died in U.S. crashes involving large trucks during 2024.
Finding Missing Information or Changes
Although electronic logs can provide more in-depth information than paper logs, errors can still occur.
Since the driver will fill out some of the information, they may choose the wrong duty status, fail to record themselves, or even leave driving hours unassigned to any driver. You will need to know why some of this information is not on the log.
The ELD also tracks what edits have been made and how. Drivers are allowed to make edits to their records, but they have to state why. Carrier staff can propose edits for driver review. ELDs preserve the original entry and the edits. Automatically recorded driving time generally cannot be changed to non-driving time just to reduce the total. Carriers can make edits as well, but the driver must accept them. Driving hours will usually not be changed to any of the other statuses to keep a driver’s hours low.
Ask yourself:
- Are there hours that have driving on them but no driver is listed?
- Were there any status changes after that driver ended his shift?
- Did they have a valid reason for making those changes?
- Does this match any calls, receipts, or delivery information you have from that day?
If there is a change, ask why that would happen. There may be a logical reason, but you should verify that with other records you may have from that day.
Limitations Of Electronic Logging Device
People tend to think electronic records will solve everything, but that is not always true.
An ELD is built to document driving hours. Federal ELD rules do not require it to record steering, braking, or exact speed at impact, although separate truck systems may capture more detail. There may be additional information you can pull, but do not assume all trucks will have that information available to you.
Truckers can have location info pulled, but this can sometimes be inaccurate as well. If the vehicle is in motion, it will take their location at certain intervals. During on-duty driving, required ELD location accuracy is approximately within a one-mile radius. Authorized personal use is recorded less precisely, at roughly a 10-mile radius.
Knowing their location could help identify where the truck was at, but may not tell you what lane they were driving in or when they braked.
Make sure to get all pictures, witness testimony, video, inspections, and any data that can tell you about the crash and surrounding drivers/vehicles.
Why It’s Important To Preserve ELD Data
Just like any other record, waiting to get electronic logging device data can cause problems.
Federal laws require motor carriers to retain hours-of-service records and supporting documents for six months. They will also need a backup copy of their ELD records, but not necessarily videos or all of the records that may apply to your accident.
You can request several items when preserving ELD data. Such as the ELD record, edited data, driver’s annotation, and hours that were left unassigned. Dispatch calls, delivery times, and other information could be applicable to your situation as well. Remember, the driver could have driven multiple days prior, so you may want previous days’ information as well.
There may be information you can see by exporting the file electronically, instead of looking at it on paper. Obtaining the underlying electronic records, when available, can make it easier to examine logged events and corrections rather than relying only on a printed summary.
If you find yourself in a crash, make sure you are safe and get medical attention. When you can, keep the police report details, photographs, messages, and any documents you receive. Try not to attempt to obtain records on your own that could implicate the truck driver or company.
If you speak to a lawyer, they may be able to issue a letter and begin collecting records that you cannot get on your own. Your situation will dictate what records may be beneficial and applicable.
What To Do With This Information
Now that you know how to find and look at electronic logs, you have some information about what the driver was doing the day of your accident.
First, look through the records for that day and compare what you know about the accident. There could be edits or drivers switching that you need to be aware of. Maybe there is an exception that can be used, or a time zone that could change when they were driving.
All of this information can add to your theory of how your accident took place. Once you are able to figure out if a driver is over the limit or acted negligently, you will have more information that can be used to your advantage.
Remember, these are just records that may show someone drove longer than they should have, but you need more than that to prove fault for a truck crash.
Maybe the driver or carrier will have this information to support what they are saying, which is good as well.
Conclusion
Using an ELD can give you some insight into your truck accident investigation. Find out how long someone drove, what entries look suspicious, or compare your findings to other information you can find about the truck driver’s day, on the day of a crash.