GHOSTRUCK Act to Curb Foreign Manipulation of Truckers’ ELDs

A newly introduced bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, GHOSTRUCK, seeks to address a regulatory gap that lawmakers and transportation industry organizations say has allowed dispatchers located outside the United States to manipulate truck drivers’ electronic records.

Republican Representatives Greg Steube (Florida) and Dave Taylor (Ohio) introduced the legislation titled the “Guarding Hours-of-Service Oversight and Stopping Tampering by Remote Unofficial Carrier Keeper Act” (GHOSTRUCK), designated as H.R. 9369. The proposal is intended to strengthen the integrity of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), which are used to monitor commercial drivers’ hours of service.

GHOSTRUCK Act: Improving Freight Transportation Safety

The legislation would require that any modification or annotation to an ELD record be made only by a motor carrier, dispatcher, or driver who is physically located in North America. It would also maintain the current requirement that any changes receive final approval from the driver.

According to the bill’s sponsors, some dispatchers based in regions such as Eastern Europe and Asia exploit regulatory loopholes to remotely alter ELD records, enabling drivers to remain behind the wheel longer than federal regulations permit.

“Foreign dispatchers should not be able to manipulate trucking safety records from halfway around the world and put American lives at risk,” Representative Steube said.

The proposal comes at a time when ELD tampering has become a growing concern within the trucking industry. This year, the practice was added to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria and has also been cited in investigations involving so-called “chameleon carriers.”

The bill has received support from major industry organizations, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), the American Trucking Associations (ATA), and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

Todd Spencer, President of OOIDA, described the measure as a common-sense solution and emphasized that it ensures drivers retain control over any changes made to their electronic records.

“These provisions will improve highway safety, reduce driver coercion, and help combat fraud in freight transportation,” Spencer said.

Additional Changes to ELD Regulations

The introduction of the GHOSTRUCK Act coincides with another regulatory change affecting electronic logging devices. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced the elimination of the requirement that carriers keep a physical copy of the ELD user manual inside the vehicle.

According to the agency, the change reduces unnecessary administrative burdens on transportation companies without compromising operational safety, given that ELDs have been mandatory since December 2019.

The new FMCSA rule will take effect on July 22, marking another significant adjustment to freight transportation regulations in the United States.