FMCSA Pulls 133 ELDs in Largest Revocation in Agency History: What Carriers Need to Know

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on November 12, 2026 that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has pulled 133 electronic logging devices (ELDs) from its Registered Devices List. According to DOT, the action removes 121 agency-revoked devices and 12 voluntary self-revocations, and the Department calls it "the largest ELD revocation in FMCSA history." The removed devices are posted on FMCSA's Revoked ELDs list.

Fleet owners, safety directors, and compliance officers should move quickly on this one. If a revoked device is in your trucks, the clock is already running, and as we explain below, it may be a lot shorter than the "60 days" headline suggests. Here's what you need to know.

View @USDOT's post on X

Video: U.S. Department of Transportation (@USDOT). Watch on X.

What FMCSA Found

FMCSA's Revoked ELDs list identifies the devices it revoked (see the table below), but DOT's release does not tie its fraud examples to any of them. The examples are anonymized "to avoid compromising ongoing investigations." But the three examples it does give are worth reading closely, because they describe exactly the kind of conduct a plaintiff's attorney will be looking for:

• ELD Company A allowed carriers to bypass hours-of-service limits by calling a support line to manually wipe out driving time and fabricate rest periods while the truck was actively driving.

• ELD Company B was caught uploading fake logs during an active roadside inspection to cover up a driver operating beyond the legal limit.

• ELD Company C produced logs showing drivers traveling at mathematically impossible speeds of up to 130 miles per hour to compress driving time.

"We are removing noncompliant and fraudulent devices to close loopholes that can be exploited to evade oversight, avoid revocation, bypass vetting requirements, or undermine accurate hours-of-service records," FMCSA Administrator Derek D. Barrs said in the release.

DOT paired the announcement with a video. As reported by CCJ and Overdrive, it shows Meiborg Inc. driver Francis "Bink" Buchanan calling his ELD provider's call center and having his hours reset on the spot, with Administrator Barrs in the passenger seat. Overdrive reports the video was filmed November 2 outside DOT headquarters. It was a repeat performance. On October 28, Overdrive reported that Buchanan pulled into the DeKalb, Illinois police station and, in front of Illinois State Police and an FMCSA safety investigator, called a registered ELD provider and had a fresh set of hours in about 10 minutes.

The Revoked Devices

The table below lists every device shown on FMCSA's Revoked ELDs list with a revocation date of November 12, 2026, as of the evening of November 12. That's 121 devices from 83 providers, matching the 121 agency revocations in DOT's release. The 12 voluntary self-revocations DOT mentioned did not yet appear on the list as of this writing.

A few cautions. Inclusion on this list means FMCSA removed the device from the registry. It does not mean the provider was one of the companies in DOT's fraud examples, and FMCSA revokes devices for failing to meet the technical requirements in 49 CFR Part 395, Subpart B, among other reasons. The list can also change as devices are added, corrected, or reinstated. Verify your exact device name and ELD identifier on FMCSA's list rather than relying on this table.

A Long Road to This Point

None of this came out of nowhere. Trucksafe readers will recall that FMCSA tightened its ELD self-certification process in late 2025, adding a front-end review before devices reach the registry. And as of April 1, 2026, CVSA's out-of-service criteria treat ELD tampering as its own out-of-service violation, which made it the focus of this year's International Roadcheck.

The tampering prohibition itself is in 49 CFR 395.8(e). It bars a driver or motor carrier from tampering with an ELD so that it does not accurately record and retain required data, and it bars a carrier from permitting or requiring someone else to do it. That second piece matters. A carrier does not have to touch the device to be on the hook.

The numbers before Thursday were already significant. In a statement to Overdrive after the DeKalb meeting, an FMCSA spokesperson said the agency had revoked more than 95 non-compliant ELDs since January 2025, and that enhanced vetting implemented in 2025 had blocked 552 additional vendor applications. Overdrive, using federal inspection data compiled with its sister company RigDig, reported that as of mid-October more than 16,000 of the new tampering violations had been recorded against more than 5,000 DOT numbers.

The Deadline

DOT's release says motor carriers "have up to 60 days to replace the revoked ELDs with a compliant ELD," and that "after 60 days," carriers still using them will be treated as operating without an ELD. In the very next sentence, however, it says safety officials who encounter a driver using a revoked device "on or after November 24, 2026, should cite 395.8(a)(1) and place the driver out-of-service."

November 24 is 12 days after the announcement, not 60.

FMCSA's usual practice is consistent with a true 60-day window. Its August 6, 2026 notice removing five devices, for example, told carriers to replace them before October 6, 2026, exactly 60 days later, and encouraged inspectors not to cite drivers until then. We do not know whether November 24 is a drafting error, reflects an earlier revocation date for some of these devices, or is the date FMCSA actually intends to enforce. As of this writing, FMCSA has not clarified.

Our advice is to treat November 24, 2026 as your practical deadline until FMCSA says otherwise. If the agency later confirms a full 60 days, you will have lost nothing. If it doesn't, a driver stopped on November 24 with a revoked device faces a citation under 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1) and an out-of-service order.

What This Does Not Change

The revocation does not change the hours-of-service limits. It does not create a new tampering rule; 395.8(e) was already there. And getting a new device does not erase what the old one recorded. Under 49 CFR 395.8(k), carriers must keep records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months, and drivers must have the current day and prior seven days available at roadside. If your old provider shuts down your account before you export those records, that's your problem, not the provider's.

What Carriers Should Do Now

1. Check the Revoked ELDs list today. Look up your device on FMCSA's Revoked ELDs list by device name and ELD identifier, not just the provider's name. A provider can have some devices on the registered list and others on the revoked list. Don't rely on your vendor's word.

2. Switch affected drivers to paper logs or logging software immediately. That's what FMCSA's revocation notices direct. Make sure every truck has enough blank graph-grid logs and that drivers know how to use them correctly.

3. Replace the device before November 24. Pick a replacement that is on the Registered ELDs list today, and confirm the exact device and version. Export your historical records from the old system before you cancel it.

4. Audit your own logs. Look for unexplained edits, driving time that disappears, back-to-back "perfect" days, impossible speeds, or support-initiated changes. Under 395.8(e)(3), a carrier that permits tampering is in violation even if a call center did the work.

5. Vet your ELD vendor. Ask how edits are made and logged, whether support staff can alter records, and whether the device has ever been revoked or re-registered.

Administrator Barrs said in DOT's video that more revocations are coming, according to Overdrive, and the agency still has not explained the November 24 date. Trucksafe will continue to monitor FMCSA's guidance and update you as the situation develops. This article is general information, not legal advice. If you have questions about replacing a revoked device, auditing your hours-of-service records, or vetting your ELD vendor, contact our team.