ELD Rules For Agriculture: Exemptions & Best Devices 2026
Harvest doesn't care about the clock. When grain is ready, it has to move, and nobody hauling it wants to be shut down because they ran out of hours at 2 p.m. Federal rules recognize that. The agricultural commodity exemption takes most short ag hauls out of hours of service and the ELD rule completely during planting and harvest.
The catch is that the exemption has edges. Go past them and the normal rules switch back on in the middle of a trip. This guide explains where those edges are, what happens when you cross one, and which ELDs make sense for operations that only need logs part of the year. All rules were checked against FMCSA sources in October 2026.
The Agricultural Commodity Exemption
The exemption lives in 49 CFR 395.1(k). The part most haulers use, 395.1(k)(1), covers drivers transporting agricultural commodities during the planting and harvesting periods set by each state, within a 150 air mile radius of the source of the commodities.
Inside those limits, there's no cap on driving or on duty hours, and no record of duty status is required. No logs means no ELD.
What counts as the source
FMCSA guidance treats the source as the place the commodity is first loaded. If you pick up at several farms on one trip, the radius doesn't restart at each one. It's measured from the first loading point.
Empty miles
The exemption can include the empty trip to pick up the load and the trip back, as long as the trip is solely for transporting the agricultural commodity. If you stop to do unrelated work on the way, that's a different story.
150 air miles is not 150 road miles
Air miles are straight line distance, which is about 172.6 statute miles. Winding roads can make a trip that's 190 miles on the odometer still fall within 150 air miles. Measure it on a map tool that shows straight line distance, and keep a note of how you measured it.
Planting And Harvesting Periods
Each state sets its own planting and harvesting periods, and FMCSA publishes a table of them. Many states simply declare the whole calendar year. Others list specific months. Check FMCSA's State Planting and Harvesting Periods page for every state your loads touch, because the rules of the state you're in apply.
When The Exemption Ends
This is where people get caught.
Crossing the 150 air mile line
If the trip goes beyond 150 air miles from the source, hours of service apply from that point onward for the rest of the trip. The driver now needs to keep a record of duty status. If that driver needs logs on more than 8 days in any 30 day period, they need an ELD rather than paper.
Out of season
Outside your state's planting and harvesting period, the exemption doesn't apply at all. You're back to normal rules.
Non ag loads
Hauling equipment, fertilizer or general freight on the same truck doesn't fall under the agricultural commodity exemption. Farm supply hauling has its own separate rules in 395.1(k)(2), so check those if that's your work.
Related Exemptions
Livestock
Livestock haulers use the same agricultural exemption, and there are livestock specific details worth knowing. See our livestock hauler ELD exemption guide.
Short haul
If you don't qualify for the ag exemption, the short haul exception might work. It applies to drivers who stay within 150 air miles of their normal work reporting location and return there within 14 hours. Short haul drivers keep time records instead of logs.
The 8 day rule
Drivers who need to keep records of duty status on 8 days or fewer in any 30 day period can use paper logs instead of an ELD. That helps operators who only occasionally go beyond the ag radius.
Older engines
Trucks with engines older than model year 2000 are exempt from the ELD requirement, though they still need logs if HOS applies. See ELDs for older trucks.
Seasonal Fleets: A Practical Plan
Lots of ag operations are a mix: some drivers run local all season, some run long hauls to elevators or processors, and the work spikes for a few months a year. Here's how to keep it simple.
- Map your common routes. Mark which destinations sit inside 150 air miles of your usual loading points.
- Decide which trucks ever go outside. Those trucks need an ELD installed, even if they only use it some weeks.
- Keep paper backup. Drivers who rarely go beyond the radius can use paper logs under the 8 day rule. Count their logging days carefully.
- Train for the switch. A driver who crosses the 150 air mile line has to start logging right then. Make sure they know how.
- Keep proof. A simple log of trip origin, commodity and destination helps if an officer questions the exemption.
Custom harvesters and long seasonal runs
Custom harvest crews that follow the crop north through several states face the hardest version of this. The equipment moves are often beyond 150 air miles, and those moves aren't hauling an agricultural commodity at all. Plan on needing logs, and likely an ELD, for those trucks during the run. Keep the exemption for the short grain hauls from field to elevator, where it actually fits.
Best ELDs For Seasonal Ag Work
You want low or no monthly cost, no contract and the ability to pause. These fit that pattern well:
| ELD | Why it suits ag work | Published price |
|---|---|---|
| Garmin eLog | No subscription, so it costs nothing in the off season | $249.99 one time |
| HOS247 ELD Compliance | No contract, cancel when the season ends | $19 a month, device free with annual or $79 monthly |
| Blue Ink BIT ELD | No contract, includes IFTA if you run interstate | $40 a month or $400 a year |
Avoid long multi year contracts unless your trucks run all year. Paying 12 months a year for a device you use for four is the most common ag ELD mistake we see. For more options, see ELDs with no monthly fee and the ELD cost calculator.
What To Tell An Officer
If you're stopped while running under the ag exemption, be ready to say:
- What you're hauling and that it's an agricultural commodity.
- Where you first loaded it.
- That you're within 150 air miles of that source.
- That you're inside the state's planting or harvesting period.
Carry a printout of the state's period from FMCSA's table. It's a small thing that can save a long conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do farmers need an ELD?
Not when hauling agricultural commodities within 150 air miles of the source during the state's planting and harvesting period. Outside those limits, normal hours of service and ELD rules can apply.
What happens if I go past 150 air miles?
Hours of service rules apply from the point you cross the 150 air mile line until the end of that trip. You'll need a record of duty status, and an ELD if you need logs on more than 8 days in 30.
Does the radius reset at each farm?
No. FMCSA guidance measures it from the first place the commodity is loaded.
Who sets the harvesting period?
Each state. FMCSA publishes a table of state planting and harvesting periods.
Is the return trip empty covered?
It can be, if the trip is solely to transport the agricultural commodity.
Sources
- 49 CFR 395.1(k), ecfr.gov, checked October 2026.
- FMCSA, "The Agricultural Commodity Exemption in 49 CFR 395.1(k)(1)," fmcsa.dot.gov, checked October 2026.
- FMCSA, State Planting and Harvesting Periods, fmcsa.dot.gov, checked October 2026.
- FMCSA, 395.1 guidance, fmcsa.dot.gov, checked October 2026.
- HOS247, Blue Ink Tech and Garmin published pricing, checked October 2026.