Washington, D.C. — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Friday that Falcon ELD and KSK ELD have been stripped from the agency's Registered Devices roster and placed on the Revoked Devices list, effective September 14, 2023.
The move follows a failure by both providers to satisfy the functional specifications outlined in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A. Those rules dictate how electronic logging devices must record Hours of Service, transmit data, and protect driver privacy. Non‑compliance jeopardizes the integrity of the HOS system that underpins safety enforcement across the nation’s freight network.
FMCSA warned carriers that any truck still equipped with the two revoked units must abandon electronic logging immediately and revert to paper logs or an approved logging software solution. The agency gave a hard deadline of November 13, 2023, giving motor carriers exactly 60 days to replace the devices with ones that appear on the current Registered Devices list. KSK ELD responded by email to CCJ, calling the revocation a "mistake" and promising updates once the issue is resolved. FMCSA officials stressed that drivers caught using the revoked units after the deadline will be treated as operating without an ELD and may be placed out‑of‑service under 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1).
What This Means for Drivers
CDL‑A drivers who rely on Falcon or KSK units must pull the hardware from their dashboards today and either fill out paper logs or install a compliant ELD before the November cutoff. Owner‑operators running a single truck face the same timeline; a missed swap could result in a citation for "No record of duty status" and a possible out‑of‑service order that stalls revenue. Fleet managers overseeing multiple OTR truck drivers need to inventory every vehicle, verify the serial numbers against FMCSA's online list, and schedule installations of approved devices. The agency also advised safety officers to accept paper logs or logging software as backup evidence rather than issuing immediate violations for the revoked hardware.
Industry Reaction
Trucking associations expressed frustration that two widely used ELDs were pulled without a clear remediation path. Some carriers reported that Falcon and KSK were among the lower‑cost options favored by small fleets and owner‑operators, making the abrupt change a financial strain. Others pointed out that the FMCSA’s swift action reinforces the agency’s commitment to enforcing HOS accuracy, a principle that many safety advocates argue has saved lives on the nation’s highways. While KSK claims the decision was erroneous, no other provider has publicly challenged the revocation, leaving the market to absorb the sudden demand for compliant units.
Key Points
- Falcon ELD and KSK ELD are now on the FMCSA Revoked Devices list as of September 14, 2023.
- Carriers must replace the devices with approved ELDs or revert to paper logs by November 13, 2023.
- Drivers using revoked units after the deadline face out‑of‑service orders under FMCSA regulations.
- KSK ELD labeled the revocation a mistake and promised to update the industry once the issue is cleared.
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