How to Cancel an ELD Contract

Find the two documents that matter

Most ELD contracts are split across two pieces of paper.

• The order form (also called a quote, service order, or sales order). This is what you or someone in your office signed. It lists the products, the number of units, the price, and usually the term length and start date.
• The master terms (a master services agreement or terms of service). This is the vendor's standard contract, usually linked from the order form or posted on their website. Renewal, termination, and hardware return rules usually live here.

If you cannot find the order form, ask your account rep for a copy in writing. Also check whether the master terms have changed since you signed; many say which version applies.

Five things to find in the contract

1. The term and the end date

Look for the subscription term in months and when it started. Watch for terms that start at shipment or activation instead of signing. If you added trucks later, each addition may have its own term and its own end date.

2. Auto-renewal

Many ELD contracts renew automatically for another period unless you act. Find the renewal length. It is not always the same as the original term.

3. The written notice window

Auto-renewal clauses usually require written notice a set number of days before the term ends. Count back from the end date and put that deadline on a calendar. Note how notice must be sent: email to a specific address, a support ticket, or a letter.

4. Early termination

Leaving before the end date often triggers a buyout. Common versions make the remaining monthly fees due in full, or a percentage of them. Read whether the clause covers single trucks or only the whole account.

5. Hardware return

If the devices were leased or bundled into the monthly fee, the contract may require you to return them within a set time and charge for any that are missing. Get a return label or RMA number, and keep the tracking number.

How to send the cancellation

1. Export your records first. The motor carrier must keep records of duty status and supporting documents for at least 6 months (49 CFR 395.8(k)), and unidentified driving records for 6 months (49 CFR 395.32(c)). Download them before access ends.
2. Line up your next ELD. Your drivers need a compliant log the day the old service stops. See how to switch ELD providers without a gap.
3. Send written notice the way the contract specifies. Include your account number, legal company name, USDOT number, the units being cancelled, and the effective date you want.
4. Return hardware if required, with tracking.
5. Get written confirmation. A phone call is not proof. Ask for an email or letter that states the cancellation date and the final amount owed, if any.
6. Watch your next two statements. If charges continue, reply to the confirmation thread with the statement attached.

What a written notice can look like

Keep it short and factual. A notice usually covers:

• Your legal company name, USDOT number, and account number.
• A clear statement that you are cancelling, or that you do not want the agreement to renew at the end of the current term.
• The units or trucks covered and the effective date.
• A request for written confirmation, a final invoice, and return instructions for any leased hardware.

Send it to the address or channel the contract names, keep a copy, and note the date you sent it.

If the buyout is large

Ask what your options are before you pay. Some vendors will let you reduce units at renewal, move service to another truck, or end the term early on negotiated terms. Read the clause together with any written promises your rep made at signing. If the dollars are significant, have an attorney read the agreement.

What the big vendors' terms say

We have read the published terms for three large ELD and telematics vendors and listed the sources, including renewal and early-termination language: Samsara, Motive, and Verizon Connect. Your own order form controls, so use those pages as a guide to where to look.

Leaving DocuDrive

DocuDrive has no term, no auto-renewal, and no termination fee. You cancel from the billing portal, and the PT-40 is yours to keep. Read more on the no-contract ELD page, or see the full math on ELD cost.