Multiple fleet leaders say gaps in how electronic logging devices are approved and policed are fueling a two-track trucking economy — one in which compliant carriers struggle to compete with operators using manipulated logs to stretch driving time. They argue the ELD marketplace’s reliance on manufacturer self-certification has allowed devices and services that enable routine log editing to proliferate, letting some trucks run nearly double the weekly miles of rule‑following fleets and win freight on artificially low costs.
Executives describe the effect as a cascading market distortion. If a compliant longhaul truck can realistically run 2,000–2,500 miles a week while a noncompliant operation logs 4,000–5,000 miles, the cost-per‑mile gap can swing dramatically — pushing quotes down for everyone while leaving safety‑minded fleets underwater. That gap, they say, is now shuttering long‑tenured carriers even as rule‑breakers expand.
The problem is not just technical — it’s cultural. Safety managers told FreightWaves that edited logs were being handled “overseas” as a routine business practice at some companies, and that internal audit trails clearly showed the tampering. “Drivers do what they’re allowed to do. Safety starts at the top,” one veteran safety leader said in explaining his resignation over the issue.
Why it matters now: the timing collides with peak-season theft risk. As the industry heads into November’s high‑pressure shipping weeks, security specialists are warning that cargo theft historically peaks in Q4 — and this year is no different. On Nov. 10, an industry alert urged drivers and dispatch to heighten vigilance around high‑value electronics and other fast‑resale goods, noting that smaller, high‑value items on multi‑stop routes are especially targeted. Weak compliance controls and edited logs don’t just skew rates; they can mask fatigue, extend operating windows and increase exposure precisely when thieves are most active.
Policy pressure is mounting alongside. Also on Nov. 10, national coverage highlighted trucking’s renewed push for a federal task force and a unified database to fight identity‑based fraud and strategic cargo theft. Industry leaders argued on air that fragmented enforcement and light penalties have emboldened organized rings, and called on Congress to advance measures that coordinate investigations and give prosecutors better tools. While that debate focuses on theft, the same identity and oversight gaps — from thin verification to inconsistent device auditing — are at the heart of the ELD controversy, carriers say.
Bottom line for carriers and brokers: in a soft market, edited logs undercut rates and erode trust; in a high‑risk season, they can also compound safety and liability. Until oversight is tightened and devices that enable concealment are forced out, fleets warn that compliant operators will keep paying twice — first at the bid board, then when a crash or a theft exposes the edits that shouldn’t have been possible in the first place.
Sources: FreightWaves, LiveNOW from FOX, Truck Drivers U.S.A.
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