Lesson 3.2 — Shipping Document and Trailer Entry

Why this matters

The ELD asks you for two things every time the situation changes: the trailer number and the shipping document number. Miss either prompt and you have a citation.

The codes:

• 49 CFR 395.24(c)(2)(ii) — ELDTN — Driver failed to manually input or verify trailer number.
• 49 CFR 395.24(c)(2)(iii) — ELDSDN — Driver failed to manually input or verify shipping document number.

FMCSA inspection policy is one citation per code per day. Miss the trailer entry on three different days during an audit period — three separate violations. These add up fast and they're 100% preventable.

49 CFR 395.24(a) — Driver responsibilities, in general.

"A driver must provide the information the ELD requires as prompted by the ELD and required by the motor carrier."

The "information the ELD requires" includes (subsection (c)(2)):

• (c)(2)(i) — Power unit number
• (c)(2)(ii) — Trailer number(s)
• (c)(2)(iii) — Shipping document number

The ELD must prompt you for these. You must enter them. If you dismiss the prompt without entering, the ELD records the omission and it shows up at the next inspection.

1 Trailer number — at hook-up

The ELD prompts you the moment you go from On Duty Not Driving to Driving if no trailer is associated with the current trip. Type the trailer number stamped on the trailer (usually a 4-7 character alphanumeric — for example, "T-4521" or "TRL12345").

If you drop one trailer and pick up another, enter the new trailer number at the moment you hook up. Don't wait until the end of the day to "fix it" — the gap between drop and re-entry generates a citation.

For team driving or multi-trailer loads, enter all trailer numbers when prompted. Separate with commas or per your ELD provider's instructions.

Bobtail (no trailer): the ELD typically asks anyway. Enter "BOBTAIL" or leave the field empty per your fleet's policy — but answer the prompt either way.

2 Shipping document number — at load pickup

The ELD prompts you for the shipping document (bill of lading / BOL / PRO number) when you go on-duty at the shipper and prepare to leave. Type the number from the BOL paperwork.

Multiple stops per day: if you pick up a second load at another shipper, you have to update the shipping doc number. The ELD will prompt you again at the next hook-up or status change. Don't skip it.

Empty / deadhead moves: if you're moving an empty trailer with no shipment, enter "EMPTY" or your carrier's standard placeholder. The field cannot be left blank if the prompt fires.

A typical day on the road:

1. 0500 — Log in. Driver enters duty status: On Duty.
2. 0530 — At terminal, hook up trailer T-4521. ELD prompts: "Enter trailer number." Driver types T-4521. Confirms.
3. 0600 — Status change to Driving. ELD prompts: "Enter shipping document." Driver types BOL number ATL-2026-08234. Confirms.
4. 1100 — Arrive at consignee. Unload. Driver changes to On Duty Not Driving.
5. 1300 — Hook up trailer T-7890 at second shipper. ELD prompts: "Enter trailer number." Driver types T-7890.
6. 1330 — Driving again. ELD prompts: "Enter shipping document." Driver types new BOL SAV-2026-9911.

That day's record has two trailer entries and two shipping doc entries. Both pickups, both updates. Clean inspection.

Dismissing the prompt with "skip" or "remind me later." Most ELD apps have a button that lets you defer the entry. Don't use it. The ELD records the dismissal, the data field stays empty, and at inspection it reads as "driver failed to manually input."

Entering only once per day. If you swap trailers or pick up a second load, the data must update. Old trailer number against a new pickup = data integrity violation.

Typing the wrong number and not correcting it. If you mistype the trailer number, edit it from the ELD's review screen with an annotation explaining the typo. Don't leave it wrong.

Letting the carrier "fix it later." Carrier-side edits show up in the ELD record as edited by support personnel — that flags the inspector to look harder at every driver entry.

1. Never dismiss an ELD prompt. If it asks, answer it. "Skip" or "remind me later" is a violation.
2. Update at hook-up. Every trailer change, every load change — enter at the moment, not at end of day.
3. Type carefully. If you make a typo, fix it from the review screen. Annotate why the edit was made.
4. Don't let the office fix your logs. Carrier-side edits get scrutinized. Your edits with your annotations are clean.
5. Verify on the daily review. Before you certify the day's log (Module 3.3), scroll through the entries. Check trailer numbers. Check shipping docs. Catch the gaps before the inspector does.

• ○ Only the power unit number
• ✓ Power unit number, trailer number, and shipping document number
• ○ Only items the dispatcher pre-loads
• ○ Nothing — the ELD captures everything automatically

• ○ At the start of the next shift
• ○ At the end of the current day during certification
• ✓ At the moment you hook up — when the ELD prompts
• ○ Only if asked by the carrier

• ○ One citation total, regardless of how many days
• ✓ One citation per code, per day
• ○ One citation per week
• ○ No citations — it's a paperwork issue only

• ○ No issue — the ELD will ask again next time
• ✓ The dismissal is recorded as a missed entry; at inspection it reads as a 395.24(c)(2)(iii)-ELDSDN violation
• ○ The carrier auto-fills the field overnight
• ○ The ELD locks until entered

• ○ Trust the carrier to fix them
• ○ Wait for the FMCSA audit notice
• ✓ Scroll through the day's entries during your end-of-day certification (Module 3.3)
• ○ Print the logs once a week