Who this is for
This tool is built for drivers who run under the short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e): local and regional drivers who stay within a 150 air-mile radius (about 172.6 statute miles) of their normal work reporting location and are back and released within 14 consecutive hours. On a normal day you do not keep a graph-grid log at all — your carrier keeps simple time records showing when you started, when you finished, and your total hours.
But the exception is per day, not per driver. The day a load takes you past the radius, or a breakdown pushes you past 14 hours, you owe a full record of duty status for that day. And as long as that happens on no more than 8 days in any rolling 30-day period, FMCSA does not require an ELD — paper logs are enough (49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(iii)). Owner-operators of dump trucks, tow trucks, farm and construction haulers, and small local fleets live in exactly this gap: no ELD in the truck, and one or two days a month that need a real log.
The problem with how this works today
Search for a daily log sheet right now and here is the routine: find a PDF template on some carrier supply site, download it, print a stack of blank pages, keep them in the cab, and on the day you need one, draw the duty lines with a pen against a grid the size of a matchbook, add up the four lines by hand, and hope the math holds up at a roadside inspection. The alternative is buying a paper log book at a truck stop for 10 to 15 dollars and using 3 pages of it a month. Nothing in between exists: ELD subscriptions run 25 to 40 dollars per truck per month and are overkill for 8 days of logging, while blank PDFs make you do all the work a computer should do.
How it works
- Enter the header once. Date, your name, carrier, truck number, trailer, shipping document numbers, and total miles. Your browser remembers the fields that repeat, so day two takes seconds.
- Drag across the grid. The 24-hour grid has the four standard lines — off duty, sleeper berth, driving, on duty not driving. Tap where a status starts, drag to where it ends. The tool draws the trace and totals each line as you go; the four totals always sum to 24 hours, so arithmetic errors are impossible.
- Print or save the PDF. One button gives you a letter-size page in the standard log format, ready to print at the office or keep on your phone for the required period. Hand it over at an inspection like any other log sheet.
The 8-day and 30-day rules, in plain words
Two numbers decide whether this tool is all the logging you need, and both come straight from the federal rules:
The short-haul day (395.1(e))
You are excused from keeping a record of duty status on any day you (1) stay within a 150 air-mile radius of your normal work reporting location, (2) return to that location and are released within 14 consecutive hours, and (3) your carrier keeps time records of your start time, end time, and total hours. Break any leg of that and the day needs a full log — which is what this tool produces.
The 8-in-30 ELD test (395.8(a)(1)(iii))
If you are required to complete a record of duty status on 8 or fewer days within any 30-day period, you may keep those records on paper instead of an ELD. The 30 days roll continuously — there is no reset on the first of the month — so a busy stretch of over-radius days can quietly push you over 8. The full tool will count your logged days inside every rolling 30-day window and warn you at day 6, day 7, and day 8, before an inspector counts them for you.
Note that the short-haul exception excuses the log book, not the hours-of-service limits themselves, and vehicle inspection duties under Part 396 still apply either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes. The daily log tool is free and will stay free. It runs entirely in your browser, so there is no server cost per log to pass on to you. Early-access signup costs nothing and only gets you one email when the tool opens.
Do I need to create an account or upload anything?
No. There is no account, no login, and no upload. Everything you type stays on your own computer. Your name, carrier, and truck details can be remembered by your browser so you do not retype them every day, but they are never sent to us.
Who is this for? I run an ELD — do I need paper logs at all?
It is built for drivers who use the short-haul exception in 49 CFR 395.1(e): you normally keep simple time records instead of a full log. On any day you break the exception — go past the 150 air-mile radius or past 14 hours — you must complete a full record of duty status for that day. If that happens on 8 or fewer days in any rolling 30-day period, FMCSA lets you use paper logs instead of an ELD (49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)(iii)). Those are the days this tool covers.
Will the printed PDF pass a DOT inspection?
The output follows the standard record-of-duty-status format: the 24-hour graph grid with the four duty lines (off duty, sleeper berth, driving, on duty not driving), the header fields from 395.8(d) such as date, carrier name, main office address, vehicle number, and total miles, plus remarks and totals per line. It is the same grid inspectors see on any paper log book page, printed cleanly instead of drawn by hand.
Does it work on a phone in the truck?
Yes. The grid is designed for a phone screen first, because that is what you have at the dock. You can fill the day in about 30 seconds by dragging across the hours, then save the PDF to your phone or print it at the office. It also works offline once the page has loaded.
This page summarizes 49 CFR Part 395 (as published at ecfr.gov) for general information only and is not legal advice. Regulations change and states add their own variations — confirm your situation with your carrier, your state enforcement agency, or a qualified compliance advisor.