The truth about who can see your ELD data

Jeremy Baksht has spent much of his career working with data, from Bloomberg and Walmart to now, building Catena Clearing for the freight industry.

In this episode of Behind the Freight, Jeremy joins John Howland to make ELD technology easier to understand for owner-operators. They cover what an ELD actually records, how different devices vary in price and capability and why choosing the right one depends on your freight, your equipment and the information you need.

Plus, why carriers should know exactly what they are authorizing when another platform asks for access to their ELD data.

What You’ll Learn

What an ELD actually records and why Jeremy compares it to an airline black box
How to choose an ELD based on your operation rather than price alone
Why ELD data quality can vary between providers
Why Jeremy recommends checking the FMCSA registered list before buying
What to look for before sharing your data with an unfamiliar platform
How VIN and license plate mismatches can provide an early fraud warning
Why brokers only see the ELD information they are authorized to access
Why Jeremy expects autonomy to increase the amount of data and sensor information trucking relies on

Today, understanding your ELD is all about knowing what you bought, what it records and who you are giving permission to see it.

Episode Highlights

04:14 Your ELD is like a black box

Jeremy reframes the ELD as less of a surveillance device and more like an airline black box. It records operational information such as location, engine hours, mileage and vehicle or driver identifiers, then makes that data available where permission allows. For owner-operators, that distinction matters because the device itself is not automatically broadcasting everything to everyone. The real questions are what data your ELD captures, who you authorize and what each platform is allowed to use.

07:18 Choose an ELD for the operation you run

Jeremy says choosing an ELD should start with how you actually run your business. A basic compliance-focused option may be enough for a single truck, while more specialized freight can require richer engine data, trailer information or harder-wired equipment. Price matters, but so do cargo type, growth plans and the features you will genuinely use. His advice is to get the fit right upfront because switching providers later can be disruptive and contracts may run for years.

12:37 Know where your data is going

When an unfamiliar platform asks to connect to your ELD, Jeremy says the important question is where your data is going. He recommends looking at the terms of service, privacy policy and the company behind the request before sharing credentials. Data can help with routing, fueling, insurance and load visibility, but that usefulness depends on trust. You should know what you are sharing, why the platform needs it and whether you can control that access later.

16:40 Your broker isn’t stalking you

One of the biggest misconceptions Jeremy addresses is that a broker can automatically see everywhere your truck goes once you have an ELD. He clarifies that access depends on what you authorize and how that permission is scoped, often to a particular load or use case. For carriers worried about losing control of their location data, the practical takeaway is to understand the permission settings rather than assuming every connection gives someone unlimited visibility.

21:05 Autonomous trucking will need even more data

Looking five years ahead, Jeremy expects autonomy to move faster than many people think, particularly on middle-mile routes where operating conditions are easier to standardize. He is more cautious about first-mile, last-mile, weather and other situations that still require human judgment. What interests him most is the data behind that shift. More autonomous trucking will require more sensors, more reliable information and more ways for systems to share that data safely across the freight network.