Highway Announces ELD Update After HOS Compliance Issues Surface

Highway plans ELD certification update after providers linked to HOS cheating

Carrier-vetting company Highway says it plans to introduce a new certification program for electronic logging device providers after Overdrive identified ELD companies integrated with Highway that admitted to allowing hours-of-service cheating.

The planned Highway Certified ELD Provider program would establish additional technical and data-integrity standards for participating providers. However, Highway has not said that ELD companies accused of enabling falsified logs will automatically be removed from its platform. The certification program also is expected to be voluntary, meaning brokers could continue working with carriers using providers outside the certified network.

The issue matters to drivers and motor carriers because Highway has increasingly made ELD connectivity part of the freight-qualification process. In July, the company began requiring an ELD connection for carrier identification in its broker-facing service. Brokers can manually override that requirement when working with an ELD-exempt carrier or a carrier whose device is not integrated with Highway.

For some owner-operators, those requirements have raised concerns that a technology platform could influence access to freight based on a carrier’s ELD connection, even when the carrier is legally exempt from using an ELD. At the same time, the investigation found that some ELD providers capable of manipulating hours may still be able to connect to the system.

Provider admitted it could add driving time

Overdrive recently reported that six ELD companies registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shared a mailbox at a single-family home in Delaware. Two of those companies, Nexus ELD and Leader ELD, promoted integrations with Highway and other trucking technology platforms.

When contacted by Overdrive, a representative for Leader ELD acknowledged that the company could add hours to a driver’s clock. The representative described a situation in which a driver had 30 minutes of available driving time but needed another three or four hours, saying the additional time could be added.

The statement went beyond correcting a logbook mistake or using a legitimate adverse-driving condition exception. It described the ability to increase available hours in a way that would allow a driver to continue operating beyond the limits shown in the driver’s record.

Nexus ELD did not confirm that it allowed HOS cheating. A recently revoked ELD provider also acknowledged to Overdrive that its platform allowed hours-of-service cheating and said it had been integrated with Highway.

FMCSA-approved ELD status by itself does not necessarily address whether a provider’s systems can be manipulated. The National Motor Freight Traffic Association estimates that about 75% of nearly 1,000 registered ELDs are white-labeled products, meaning different companies may market systems built on the same underlying technology.

Highway says it checks for data integrity

Highway said it has worked with hundreds of ELD providers during the past five years. The company said it has paused or ended integrations in response to security or data-integrity concerns identified internally or through regulatory action, including FMCSA decisions.

“Our priority is maintaining a secure ecosystem for customers and their cargo,” Highway said, adding that it evaluates credible analysis and intelligence and takes action when warranted against an ELD provider or another partner.

Highway also said its analysis focuses on identity, data integrity and fraud concerns rather than conducting the type of safety review performed by FMCSA. The company said it does not have access to hours-of-service data through its ELD integrations and does not specifically review whether a driver’s available hours are being manipulated.

Instead, Highway said it analyzes vehicle-location information for patterns such as impossible travel or location spoofing. Those checks can be performed at both the individual-vehicle and network levels. When anomalies arise, the company said, an integration may be considered for revocation.

That distinction is significant for drivers. A carrier may have an ELD connection that appears to provide valid location and vehicle-activity data while the underlying system allegedly permits changes to hours-of-service records. Highway said its current controls are intended to identify identity, fraud and transmission problems, not to replace an FMCSA safety investigation.

Certification would add another layer

Highway said its upcoming Certified ELD Provider program will be part of a broader Highway Certified Network. Providers that participate will be expected to meet technical requirements for data integrity and transmission and to stand behind the information they contribute to the network.

The company has not yet released the complete standards. It said more details would be available when the program launches and that it would identify which ELD providers meet the certification requirements.

Highway’s existing certified network includes service providers such as insurers that agree to meet additional standards. The company still accepts certificates from insurers outside that network. Highway indicated that the ELD program could work similarly: brokers may prefer certified providers, but carriers using a noncertified ELD may not automatically be excluded.

That approach leaves open the question of whether the new program will remove providers that have admitted to enabling HOS violations. When asked whether the certification standards would exclude those companies, Highway did not make that commitment.

The broader challenge is that demand for devices capable of producing clean-looking logs appears to remain strong among some carriers and freight intermediaries. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has introduced a new out-of-service code for ELD tampering, while enforcement agencies and states continue identifying cases involving manipulated records.

For professional drivers, falsified logs can create serious consequences even when the technology is supplied by a third party. Hours-of-service violations and ELD tampering can affect roadside inspections, carrier safety records and a driver’s employment. The Highway dispute also highlights a growing concern in freight operations: the systems used to verify a carrier’s identity, capacity and activity may rely on data whose reliability depends heavily on the ELD provider behind it.