Hours of Service Calculator
The clocks the device is counting against.
OpenELD Devices Compared
This page compares the three shapes an ELD comes in, not brand names with prices. That is deliberate: ELD pricing is quoted per truck, per month, on contracts that run one to three years, and the numbers on vendor pages move faster than any article can honestly track. What does not move is the list of things the regulation forces every device to do — and that list is what separates a device you can live with from one you will replace in a year.
Whichever shape you pick, check the model against FMCSA's registered-device list before you sign. Registration is self-certification by the vendor, devices have been removed from it, and a carrier running a removed device has a fixed window to replace the whole fleet's hardware.
- Best overall
- Hardwired telematics
- Best for owner-operators
- BYOD plug-in
- Best cheapest legal option
- Phone-only Bluetooth
The matrix
| Criterion | BYOD plug-in | Hardwired telematics | Phone-only Bluetooth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reads the engine ECM directly | Yes, via the diagnostic port | Yes, wired | Yes, via a port adapter |
| Works when the phone dies | No — display is the phone | Yes — dedicated display | No |
| Local transfer at roadside | Bluetooth, usually | USB and Bluetooth | Bluetooth only |
| Survives a dead cell area | Buffers, syncs later | Buffers, syncs later | Buffers, syncs later |
| Second use for the hardware | None | GPS, IFTA miles, camera, faults | None |
| Install | Minutes | Half a day | Minutes |
| Moves to the next truck | Yes | Rewire | Yes |
The shaded column is our pick for a fleet of more than about three trucks. For one truck it is the wrong answer — you would be paying for a telematics platform to satisfy a logging rule.
BYOD plug-in
A small box in the diagnostic port, the driver's own phone or tablet as the display. It is the shape most owner-operators land on and it satisfies the regulation completely. The failure mode is the phone: a dead battery is a dead ELD, and the driver then owes a reconstructed paper record for the day plus the previous seven. Buy the hard-wired charger with the device, not later.
Hardwired telematics
A dedicated display and a wired gateway. It costs more, takes a bay visit to install, and does not follow you to the next truck — and it is the only one of the three where logging is a by-product of something you were going to buy anyway. If you already want GPS, IFTA mileage by jurisdiction, fault codes or a road-facing camera, the ELD is nearly free at the margin.
Phone-only Bluetooth
The cheapest way to become legal. A Bluetooth dongle in the port, an app on the phone, and nothing else. It is a real option for a driver whose 8-day paper exception has just run out and who needs an ELD this week. It is also the segment with the most resellers, the shortest support lives and the most removals from the registered list — which is exactly why the checklist below is not optional.
Before you sign
- Find the exact model name and version on FMCSA's registered-device list — not the vendor's word for it.
- Confirm one telematics transfer method and one local method, and make the salesperson name them.
- Ask what happens on a malfunction: you owe the carrier written notice within 24 hours and the carrier has 8 days to repair or replace.
- Check the contract length and the per-truck price after any introductory period.
- Confirm the cab pack: user manual, transfer instruction sheet, malfunction instruction sheet, and at least 8 blank log sheets.
- Ask whether unassigned driving time can be assigned by the office, and who does it.
The last item is the one that quietly costs money. Unassigned miles accumulate against the carrier, and a device that makes them hard to reconcile turns a five-minute weekly job into an argument during a compliance review.
Sources
- 49 CFR §395.8(a)(1)read 2026-09-04
- 49 CFR §395.3read 2026-09-04