Drivers log hours of service in their ELDs, but dispatchers, mechanics, yard and dock staff still need accurate time records. Keep both worlds straight.
Since 2020, the FMCSA’s 30-minute break can be taken as on-duty, not-driving time, such as fueling. Yard and dock workers who never drive still follow wage-and-hour rules; see FLSA overtime rules.
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Hours-of-service rules are about safety, not pay. For property-carrying drivers, the FMCSA generally limits driving to 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, within a 14-hour on-duty window, requires a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving and sets 60 or 70-hour limits over 7 or 8 days. Most drivers must record this on an ELD. Wage and hour law is separate: it decides what time is paid and whether overtime applies. EZTime is not an ELD and does not record hours of service; use it for the pay and attendance side, especially for non-driving staff.
Check DOL guidance for each role rather than treating the whole company as exempt.
Store these in each driver’s digital employee file with expiry reminders, so nobody is dispatched with an expired medical card.
Dispatchers often work long or split shifts and answer calls outside scheduled hours. Mechanics may be on call for roadside breakdowns. Yard and dock staff work shifts that follow inbound and outbound schedules. These employees need ordinary time records, overtime where it applies and on-call rules that are clear; see our on-call pay guide and dispatcher training guide.
Drivers of commercial vehicles must complete inspection reports under FMCSA rules, and defects must be addressed before the vehicle runs again. Your fleet or ELD system may handle this. EZTime digital forms can also capture inspections with photos, and our driver vehicle inspection report and vehicle maintenance log are useful templates. See our vehicle inspection app guide too.
Dispatchers, mechanics, yard and office staff clock in at a terminal kiosk or with the mobile app, with geofences around terminals and shops. Managers schedule dispatch coverage and on-call mechanics, approve swaps, get overtime alerts for non-exempt roles and send updates to drivers and staff by announcement in the app or by SMS. Driver documents live in digital employee files with reminders, expense management handles fuel and lumper receipts, and reports export to PDF and Excel.
A regional carrier with 60 drivers, 5 dispatchers, 6 mechanics and 10 yard and dock workers treated all employees as overtime-exempt under the motor carrier exemption. A review finds that dispatchers and most dock workers do not qualify, and that two mechanics spend part of their time on company pickups under 10,000 pounds. The carrier starts tracking hours for all non-driving staff, pays overtime where owed and separates mechanic work by vehicle type. It also discovers that dispatchers average 47 hours a week, and adds a third shift overlap to reduce burnout.
The carrier and numbers are fictional.
Driver turnover is expensive: recruiting, onboarding, road tests and lost loads. Predictable home time, clear communication from dispatch, fair pay calculations and quick answers about pay questions all help. Keep pay rules and documents easy to find, use announcements for policy changes and ask departing drivers why they left. Our trucking company guide covers more.
Drivers may be paid by the mile, by the load, by the hour or a percentage of revenue, often with extra pay for stops, detention or layovers. Whatever the model, make pay rules written and easy to understand, and give drivers a quick way to check how a settlement was calculated. Detention time at shippers and receivers is a common source of frustration; recording it consistently helps both pay accuracy and conversations with customers about detention charges. Where minimum wage applies, check that pay per mile or load covers hours worked in slow weeks.
No. Use a registered ELD for hours of service. EZTime handles time and attendance, schedules and documents.
Some are, under the motor carrier exemption for vehicles over 10,000 pounds in interstate commerce, with exceptions. Check DOL guidance.
Generally not under the motor carrier exemption. Most dispatchers need time records and overtime.
Typically at least every two years, sometimes sooner based on the examiner’s decision.
Yes. Schedule on-call rotations and record call-outs, including travel.
Yes. Announcements go out by app or SMS.
Yes. Recording detention at shippers and receivers supports driver pay rules and detention charges to customers.
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