Do you know how to spot falsified driver logs? Check out these tips to spot and prevent them!

Do you know how to spot falsified driver logs? Check out these tips to spot and prevent them! 

Photo: Work Truck/Canva

Falsification remains an hours-of-service problem, despite electronic logging device (ELD) advancements.

Motor carriers should familiarize themselves with common falsification methods to prevent them from happening. In the event of an audit, the violations noted in the table below may result in more than just exceeding hours-of-service (HOS) limits. Falsification is its own class of violation; a carrier could be fined up to almost $15,000 per occurrence.

To deter drivers and others from falsifying, motor carriers should audit their ELD data. If falsification is discovered, a motor carrier’s policies and procedures should clearly explain the actions they will take in response.

Fasification Strategies, Identification Techniques & Prevention

The following are log falsification strategies, how you identify them, and how to prevent them from happening:

Falsification Strategy How to Identify How to Prevent
  • Logging out and continuing to drive, or
  • Not logging in to bank hours for later in the day or creating a compliant break period.
  • Review unassigned driving time to determine which driver it belongs to, if possible.
  • Add the unassigned driving time to an identified driver’s hours.
  • Identify those who use unassigned driving time to exceed HOS limits.
  • Work with your drivers on logging in and out at the appropriate times.
  • Immediately counsel, retrain, or discipline drivers identified as creating unassigned driving time to hide their true activities.
  • Misusing a special driving category
  • Review all uses of the special driving categories (personal use and yard move).
  • Identify signs of falsification, such as:
    • The driver was on a company assignment or assigned route (personal use).
    • The driver was at a location other than a yard (yard move).
  • Train all drivers on when the special categories can be used.
  • Immediately counsel, retrain, or discipline drivers found misusing one of the special driving categories.
  • Editing previously entered on-duty time to off-duty time to create more hours
  • Review all edits using supporting documents.
  • Look for a driver (or a supervisor) who incorrectly changed logged on-duty to off-duty time.
  • Train on acceptable edits (to correct errors and omissions).
  • Immediately counsel, retrain, or discipline drivers found using edits to create more available hours.
  • Logging everything as off duty
  • Use supporting documents to look for known on-duty activities (inspections, fueling, loading, unloading, etc.).
  • Identify when there is no on-duty time during the activity.
  • Emphasize what must be logged on duty during driver training.
  • Immediately counsel, retrain, or discipline drivers found logging on-duty activities as off-duty.
  • Using another driver’s log-in credentials
  • Detect drivers off for the day or no longer with the carrier but shown as moving a vehicle (according to the ELD system).
  • Immediately counsel, retrain, or discipline drivers found using another driver’s credentials.


Are you curious about driver exceptions? Whether the IRP applies to smaller, commercial vehicles? Or just want to stay up-to-date on ELD-related news and changes? Be sure to bookmark our site so you never miss an update! 

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About the author
Kathy Close

Kathy Close

Transportation Editor, J.J. Keller

Kathy Close is a transportation editor at J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

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