ELD data does not prove why a crash occurred and should not be used as a stand-alone driver score.
What this means for your fleet
Combine ELD trends with dispatch context, vehicle maintenance, training, and fair human review. Focus interventions on repeatable operational conditions rather than isolated data points.
Worked safety-analysis example
A fleet sees 18 late-day HOS alerts in four weeks. Instead of scoring drivers from the alert count, it groups the events by route, dispatch time, detention, available hours at acceptance, driver, and vehicle. Twelve events share two customers with long loading delays; four follow late dispatch changes; two are training errors. The fleet changes appointment planning for the two customers and retrains the two drivers, then compares the same definitions for the next four weeks.
Use the result to guide scheduling and training, without treating it as proof that the ELD caused a safety improvement or explains a crash. Compare the same metric over both periods, using the same population and exclusions, and keep the underlying records.
What to check
| Check | How to verify |
|---|---|
| 1. Define a specific safety question | Write the exact safety question, decision to be supported, population, time period, excluded uses, accountable reviewer, and success criterion. |
| 2. Check data quality and exceptions | Check for missing or duplicate records and errors in driver assignments or edits. Record the affected data, the number of trips or drivers being compared, any corrections, and who reviewed them. |
| 3. Review context with the driver | Keep the named driver review, dispatch and maintenance context, original events, driver explanation, disputed facts, and agreed next action. |
| 4. Assign a corrective action | Document the specific process or training action, owner, due date, affected route or workflow, completion evidence, and follow-up test. |
| 5. Measure recurrence without hiding adverse data | Use the same metric and comparison periods. Record the number of trips or drivers included, favorable and unfavorable results, other changes that may explain the result, and whether the result meets the threshold set before the comparison. |
Common failure modes
- Treating correlation as causation.
- Rewarding false status selection.
- Ranking drivers on incomplete data.
Limits and exceptions
Use this guide to plan your checks; it does not determine whether a legal exception applies, certify a record, or guarantee compliance, safety, savings, or audit results. Preserve original ELD records and edit history. Use the current rules to determine applicability and the manual for your installed device for operating instructions.
Sources and review date
Reviewed August 10, 2026. Check the latest rules and product information before changing your procedures or signing a contract.
- FMCSA ELD resources for carriers and drivers — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
- Factor ELD products, plans, and support — Factor ELD.
Compare records from the same trip
Bring records for the same trip from your ELD, dispatch system, and vehicle records, plus the safety or tax report you want to compare. Ask Factor ELD to show how the data can be reviewed. Your fleet remains responsible for compliance decisions.