Most drivers required to keep records of duty status must use a registered, FMCSA-certified Electronic Logging Device under 49 CFR 395.8. Exemptions exist for drivers using paper logs no more than 8 days in any 30-day period, drive-away-tow-away operations, and vehicles built before model year 2000, plus drivers who qualify for the short-haul recordkeeping exception.
If you're required to keep records of duty status at all under Part 395, you're generally required to use a registered, FMCSA-certified ELD to do it — a phone app or dashcam-based logging tool that isn't on FMCSA's ELD registration list doesn't satisfy the rule, regardless of what it's marketed as.
You don't need an ELD if you use paper records of duty status (RODS) on no more than 8 days out of any rolling 30-day period, if you're driving in a drive-away-tow-away operation where the vehicle itself is the commodity being delivered, if you're driving a vehicle built before model year 2000, or if you qualify for the 150-air-mile short-haul recordkeeping exception under 395.1(e)(1).
If you stay within 150 air-miles of your normal reporting location, return there within 14 hours, and otherwise qualify for the short-haul exception, you're exempt from the ELD requirement and can use paper time records instead.
Only if that app is on FMCSA's official list of registered ELDs. Plenty of trip-logging or HOS-tracking apps exist that aren't registered ELDs and won't satisfy the mandate — check the FMCSA registered device list before relying on one for compliance.
No. Automatic On-Board Recording Devices (the pre-ELD standard) had to be fully replaced with compliant ELDs by December 16, 2019. That transition period is over.
This is a plain-language summary for reference, not legal advice. Always verify current requirements against the official regulation text or consult a compliance professional for your specific operation.