New legislation introduced in the U.S. House would prevent foreign-based dispatchers from manipulating electronic logging device (ELD) records. 

On June 22, Reps. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) introduced the Guarding Hours-of-Service Oversight and Stopping Tampering by Remote Unofficial Carrier Keeper Act, or GHOSTRUCK Act. 

The legislation would require that any edits or annotations to an ELD record be made only by a carrier, dispatcher, or driver physically located in North America. Current law does not bar foreign-based personnel from making such edits. It would also preserve an existing requirement that all edits remain subject to driver approval.

“Foreign dispatchers should not be able to manipulate trucking safety records from halfway around the world and put American lives at risk,” said Steube. “Reports have exposed how overseas actors are falsifying driver logs, overworking truckers beyond safe limits, and avoiding accountability when tragedies occur. The GHOSTRUCK Act closes this loophole and helps keep our roads safe.”

The legislation is backed by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), and National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC).

“By limiting access to a driver’s hours-of-service record and its annotations, this proposed legislation will stress the importance of accurate driver logs and those who are responsible for overseeing them, said TCA President Jim Mullen. 

In a statement expressing his support, OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer stressed the importance of the bill ensuring that a driver has final approval for any edits suggested by their motor carrier.