Quick answer
Under 49 CFR 395.22(h), each driver must have an ELD information packet in the truck with three items: a data transfer instruction sheet, a malfunction instruction sheet, and blank paper logs for at least 8 days. The user’s manual requirement was removed effective July 22, 2026. FMCSA allows the packet in electronic form, but a printed backup helps if your phone fails.
What 395.22(h) requires in the truck
"Cab card" is trucking shorthand. The regulation calls it an ELD information packet, and 49 CFR 395.22(h) makes the motor carrier responsible for making sure each driver has it on board. As of July 22, 2026, the packet has three items:
| Item | What it must cover |
|---|---|
| Data transfer instruction sheet | The transfer methods your ELD supports and step-by-step instructions to produce and send your hours of service records to an officer |
| Malfunction instruction sheet | ELD malfunction reporting requirements and how to keep records during a malfunction |
| Blank paper logs | A supply of blank record of duty status graph-grids for at least 8 days |
The user's manual is no longer required
Until July 22, 2026, the packet had a fourth item: a user's manual describing how to operate the ELD. FMCSA removed it in a final rule published June 22, 2026 (91 FR 37050). The agency's reasoning was that drivers are still required to understand how their ELD works and present their records at inspections, and a manual in the cab adds nothing to that.
Many checklists online still list the manual, because they were written before the change. If an officer asks for it, the current text of 395.22(h) is your answer. Keeping a manual on your phone does no harm, but missing one is no longer a violation.
Paper or electronic
The packet does not have to be paper. FMCSA's ELD FAQ says the instruction sheets and the supply of blank graph-grids can be in electronic form under the electronic documents rule in 49 CFR 390.32, and that a logging software app meets the blank-log requirement. That FAQ was written when the manual was still required. The part about electronic copies still applies to the three remaining items.
The practical catch is that an electronic copy on the same phone that runs your ELD is only useful while that phone works. If the phone is the thing that failed, you still need a way to keep logs. Many drivers keep a printed card in the visor and a pad of blank logs under the seat for that reason. It costs a few dollars and settles the question at a scale house.
What a good cab card says
Write the card for a tired driver at a weigh station with an officer waiting. Include:
- The ELD's registered name, model, and ELD identifier, so the officer can check it against FMCSA's registered device list.
- The transfer methods the device supports and the exact taps to send a file.
- Where to enter the officer's safety official code.
- What to do if the transfer fails: show the logs on the screen.
- The malfunction steps below, and who to call at your company.
For DocuDrive drivers, the device details are: DocuDrive Logbook, model DOC-5, ELD identifier DDL996, registered by DocuDrive LLC, with telematic transfer by web services and email. Transfers start from the app's Inspection Mode with the "Send" button. DocuDrive customers can ask support for DocuDrive's driver documents at (720) 362-3783 or sales@docudriveapp.com. The full roadside sequence is on our DOT inspection page.
The malfunction procedure
This is the part of the packet drivers forget until they need it. Under 49 CFR 395.34:
- Note the malfunction. When the ELD shows a malfunction indicator or stops recording, note what happened and when.
- Notify the carrier in writing within 24 hours. Keep a copy of what you sent. If you are an owner-operator, you are the carrier, so keep your own dated note.
- Reconstruct your logs. Rebuild the current 24-hour period and the previous 7 consecutive days on paper graph-grids, unless you already have the records or can retrieve them from the ELD.
- Keep paper logs until it is fixed. Continue logging by hand until the device is serviced and back in compliance. At an inspection, give the officer the paper records.
- The carrier fixes it within 8 days. The carrier must repair, replace, or service the ELD within 8 days of discovering the problem or receiving the driver's notice, whichever comes first.
If 8 days is not enough, the carrier can ask the FMCSA Division Administrator for its home state for more time, within 5 days of the driver's notice. The request must include the carrier contact, the make, model, and serial number of each ELD, the date and location of each malfunction, and what the carrier has done to fix it.
A malfunction is different from a data diagnostic event. Diagnostic events flag data problems, such as missing required data or unidentified driving. For those, follow your carrier's and ELD provider's instructions. Paper logs are not automatically required.
Where this fits
The cab card is one of the carrier duties in the ELD mandate. Missing items are recordkeeping violations, covered on our violations and penalties page. DocuDrive is $20 per truck per month with a 14-day free trial.
Sources
- 49 CFR 395.22, Motor carrier responsibilities (registered ELD, in-vehicle information)
- 49 CFR 395.34, ELD malfunctions and data diagnostic events
- 49 CFR 390.32, Electronic documents and signatures
- Federal Register, 91 FR 37050 (June 22, 2026): Rescinding the requirement for the ELD operator's manual in the CMV
- FMCSA ELD FAQs, General (information packet in electronic form; no ELD at roadside)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the source before you rely on a figure.