Keep one time reference for the driver’s record
The time shown on an appointment, a phone and a driver’s duty-status record may describe the same moment using different time zones. Start by identifying which clock each document uses.
For the federal record-of-duty-status framework, 49 CFR 395.8(f)(8) specifies the time standard at the driver’s home terminal and the beginning of the 24-hour period set by the motor carrier. Crossing into another time zone does not by itself establish a new log-day boundary. Confirm the configured home terminal and reporting period with your carrier.
That recording reference is separate from a customer’s appointment clock. A delivery scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Eastern should still be communicated to the customer in the agreed local zone. Add the zone to the dispatch instruction instead of expecting the driver to infer it.
Example: one event, two clock readings
This fictional example uses February 10, 2026, when U.S. Central Standard Time and Eastern Standard Time are one hour apart. Assume the carrier has confirmed Central as this driver’s home-terminal time standard. These are clock conversions, not a determination of available driving hours or the correct duty status.
| Event | Home-terminal reference: Central | Eastern local equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| First recorded example event | 8:15 a.m. | 9:15 a.m. |
| Customer appointment | 10:45 a.m. | 11:45 a.m. |
| Later parked review | 4:10 p.m. | 5:10 p.m. |
The elapsed time between the first two events is 2 hours and 30 minutes in either column. The conversion does not add or remove work, driving or rest. Determine duty status from what actually happened during the interval.
Keep dates as well as times when an event is near midnight. For example, 12:15 a.m. Eastern on February 11 corresponds to 11:15 p.m. Central on February 10. A different date on the customer’s clock is not necessarily an incorrect record.
Use a clock-check worksheet before changing anything
- Carrier setting: record the assigned home terminal, its time zone and the start of the carrier’s reporting day.
- Event evidence: note the event date, time, location and the time zone shown by the supporting document.
- Screen context: identify whether you are looking at a duty-status record, an appointment, a notification or the phone’s system clock.
- Comparison: translate both times to the same zone, including the correct date and daylight-saving rule for that location and date.
- Unresolved difference: retain the original record and ask the fleet’s responsible reviewer or support team to investigate the setting and event.
Do not move a recorded event merely to make it match a local clock. If a configuration or record needs correction, follow the carrier’s documented process and preserve the required history. The Factor ELD demonstration can show the settings and displays available in the proposed app version; this guide does not assume that every version uses the same screen names.
For the broader sequence of signing in, recording work and reviewing a day, use our driver workflow guide. A dry van fleet discussion can include appointments across several zones.
Time-zone questions
Should I change the ELD’s home-terminal setting every time I cross a state line?
No. A state line is not necessarily a time-zone boundary, and traveling into a different zone does not by itself change the carrier’s home-terminal recording reference. Ask the carrier to confirm the configuration before changing it.
Can this example be used during a daylight-saving change?
Use the offsets that apply to the actual locations and dates. The example deliberately uses a winter date outside a clock-change transition. If a displayed hour appears twice or seems missing around a transition, preserve the event details and have the time handling checked rather than editing the event to fit an assumed offset.