Do Tow Trucks Need an ELD? Rules, Exemptions and Setup (2026)

Quick Answer

Yes, if the tow truck is a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. A wrecker or rollback rated or weighing 10,001 lbs or more, alone or combined with the vehicle in tow, needs an ELD unless the driver qualifies for an exception, most often the 150 air-mile short-haul exception. A police tow request only pauses the hours limits for up to 24 hours. Logging still applies.

Key Takeaways

• A tow truck is a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) under 49 CFR 390.5T when its GVWR, GCWR or actual weight is 10,001 lbs or more and it runs in interstate commerce.
• A light wrecker under 10,001 lbs running empty is not a CMV, but hooking up a vehicle can push the combination past 10,001 lbs.
• Most local towing fits the 150 air-mile short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e), which replaces logs with time records.
• A police tow request lifts the 395.3 hours limits for up to 24 hours under 49 CFR 390.23(d). It does not lift the logging rule.
• Pre-2000 trucks (by VIN or engine) and drivers who need logs on 8 or fewer days in 30 can use paper logs. The driveaway-towaway exception doesn't cover tow trucks.

When is a tow truck a commercial motor vehicle?

The ELD rule applies to CMVs. Under 49 CFR 390.5T, a vehicle used on a highway in interstate commerce to transport property is a CMV when its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), gross combination weight rating (GCWR), gross vehicle weight or gross combination weight is 10,001 lbs or more, whichever is greater.

For wreckers, GCWR is the number that catches people. It is the greater of the GCWR on the truck's certification label or the sum of the GVWRs or actual weights of the truck and the towed unit. The truck's GCWR doesn't count when it isn't towing anything.

Here is how that plays out:

• A light-duty wrecker with a 9,500-lb GVWR, driving to a call empty, is under the threshold.
• The same wrecker hooked to a pickup with a 6,000-lb GVWR is a 15,500-lb combination, so it is a CMV for that tow.
• A rollback with a car on its bed is measured by its own GVWR or loaded weight, because the car is cargo, not a towed unit.
• Medium and heavy wreckers and rotators are usually over 10,001 lbs on their own.

CMV status, not the license class, decides the ELD question. A non-CDL rollback can still need an ELD, the same logic covered in our box truck ELD rules.

Do tow trucks need an ELD for interstate vs intrastate towing?

Under 390.5T, interstate commerce includes trips that cross a state line and trips inside one state that are part of a move starting or ending outside it. A tow that starts and ends in one state, and isn't part of a longer interstate move, is generally intrastate, so the federal ELD rule doesn't reach it. Your state can still apply its own logging rules, and those differ by state.

If you can't tell whether a run counts, treat it as interstate or ask your state's motor carrier enforcement office. Our guide to intrastate vs interstate ELD rules shows how to classify trips.

Are tow trucks exempt from the ELD under the short-haul exception?

Most local tow work is. Under 49 CFR 395.1(e)(1), a driver is exempt from logs (395.8) and supporting documents (395.11) if the driver:

• stays within a 150 air-mile radius (172.6 statute miles) of the normal work reporting location;
• returns to that location and is released within 14 consecutive hours;
• has at least 10 consecutive hours off between each 14 hours on duty.

The carrier keeps 6 months of time records: start time, total hours and release time each day. Non-CDL drivers of light and medium rollbacks can use 395.1(e)(2) instead, which allows driving up to the 16th hour on duty on 2 days in any 7. Either way, the 30-minute break doesn't apply.

The exception breaks on the day you take a long recovery, run a call 200 miles out, or stay out past the limit. That day needs a log, and once you need logs on more than 8 days in any 30-day period, you need an ELD. Our short-haul exemption guide covers the edge cases.

Does the police-call emergency exemption cover the ELD?

No. 49 CFR 390.23(d) says section 395.3 does not apply while you provide direct assistance during an emergency when a Federal, State, or local police officer has requested tow trucks to move wrecked or disabled vehicles. The relief lasts for the length of that assistance or 24 hours from the officer's initial request, whichever is less.

FMCSA's 2023 final rule (88 FR 70897, effective December 12, 2023) moved this provision from old 390.23(a)(3) to 390.23(d) and limited it to the hours limits in 395.3. The logging rule in 395.8 is not on the list, so your ELD keeps recording.

FMCSA's guidance on RODS entries for police tows (February 28, 2020) says to enter the time as "exempt under Section 390.23(a)(3)," still citing the old paragraph. Exempt time doesn't count toward maximum driving time, and the ill or fatigued driver ban in 392.3 still applies. On an ELD, add an annotation with the time of the police request.

When the job ends, you may return empty to your yard, and a driver who says they need rest must get 10 consecutive hours off first (390.23(e)). A motor club call, a private-property tow or a repo is not a police request.

Which tow trucks can use paper logs instead of an ELD?

49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(ii)(A) lets a driver keep paper logs instead of an ELD in four cases:

• The driver needs logs on no more than 8 days in any 30-day period.
• A driveaway-towaway operation where the vehicle being driven is part of the shipment.
• A driveaway-towaway operation where the vehicle being transported is a motor home or RV trailer.
• The vehicle was manufactured before model year 2000, as shown by the VIN on its registration. FMCSA guidance reissued October 2, 2026 also excepts trucks running an engine older than model year 2000.

The driveaway-towaway point trips up tow operators. A wheel-lift tow of a disabled truck to a shop can fit the driveaway-towaway definition in 390.5T, but the ELD exception requires the vehicle being driven, your tow truck, to be part of the shipment. It isn't. FMCSA guidance doesn't say whether the motor home exception reaches a wrecker towing a broken-down RV, so don't rely on it without asking FMCSA.

For the pre-2000 exception, what counts is the chassis VIN year or the engine year. A wrecker body moved onto a newer chassis takes the newer year. Our ELD exemptions guide covers the details.

Who needs what: tow truck ELD table

How do you set up an ELD in a tow truck?

1. Check each truck's GVWR on the door label and the GVWR of the heaviest vehicles it tows, so you know which trucks become CMVs on a tow.
2. Decide, driver by driver, who works under short-haul time records and who needs logs. Count log days in every rolling 30-day period.
3. Choose a device on FMCSA's registered list. Our guide on how to check an FMCSA-registered ELD shows how.
4. Find the diagnostic port on each chassis (OBD-II on many light trucks, 9-pin or 16-pin on heavier ones) and confirm the device supports it.
5. Set up the carrier account, each truck and each driver, including spare drivers who cover night calls.
6. Put the ELD information packet in every truck: data transfer instructions, malfunction instructions, and blank log grids for at least 8 days, as 49 CFR 395.22(h) requires.
7. Train drivers on police-call annotations and on what to do when a short-haul day turns into a log day.

In towing, dispatch matters as much as logging. Lucid ELD's Standard plan pairs an FMCSA-registered ELD with real-time GPS tracking and proximity search, so dispatch can see which truck is closest to a breakdown before taking the call. The ELD fits OBD-II, 9-pin or 16-pin ports and installs in under 5 minutes.

The Premium plan adds a dual-facing AI dash cam. Dispatch can stream live or pull clips from a truck at a roadside scene without waiting for it to return, and the driver has an SOS button that sends live location and video. Listed prices as of October 2026: Standard $50 per truck per month on a 12-month plan ($60 monthly), Premium $70 ($89 monthly).

You can compare plans for your tow trucks on the Lucid ELD pricing page.

Need an FMCSA-registered ELD for your trucks? See Lucid ELD plans

Educational content, not legal advice. Confirm requirements against current FMCSA regulations and your state's rules.

FAQ

Do tow truck drivers have to follow hours of service?

Yes, when the tow truck is a CMV in interstate commerce. The 11-hour driving limit, 14-hour window and 60/70-hour limits in 49 CFR 395.3 apply, except during a police-requested tow, which lifts them for up to 24 hours.

Do I need an ELD if I only tow locally?

Usually not. If you stay within 150 air miles of your yard and get released within the 395.1(e) time limits, your carrier keeps time records instead of logs. You need an ELD once you need logs on more than 8 days in any 30-day period.

Can I turn off my ELD during a police tow?

No. The 390.23(d) relief covers the hours limits in 395.3, not the logging rule. Keep the ELD running and annotate the time as exempt under the police request.

Do I need a CDL to drive a tow truck?

FMCSA guidance on 49 CFR 383.91 says you need a Class A CDL when the combination is 26,001 lbs or more and the towed vehicle is over 10,000 lbs, and a Class B when the tow truck alone is 26,001 lbs or more. The ELD rule turns on CMV status, not the CDL.