Twenty free driver log and mileage log templates for recording driving hours, rest breaks, trips and vehicle mileage. Before you download one for commercial driving in the United States, read the next section — for most commercial drivers a paper log is no longer sufficient on its own.
Paper logs and the ELD rule. In the United States, most carriers and drivers required to keep records of duty status must use an electronic logging device rather than paper. A paper log will not satisfy that requirement. The exceptions are set out below. Rules outside the US differ, and this page is general information rather than compliance advice.
- Templates20 layouts
- FormatWord, Excel and PDF
- CoversDuty status, trips and mileage
- CostFree, no signup
When a paper log is still allowed
The FMCSA’s electronic logging device rule applies to most motor carriers and drivers who are required to keep records of duty status. Four exceptions matter here, taken from the FMCSA’s own summary of the rule (FMCSA):
| Exception | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Short-haul | Drivers operating under the short-haul exceptions may continue using timecards. They are not required to keep records of duty status or to use an ELD. |
| 8 days in 30 | Drivers who use paper records of duty status for not more than 8 days out of any 30-day period. |
| Vehicles built before 2000 | Drivers of vehicles manufactured before model year 2000. Note that a 2000 or newer vehicle is covered even if it has no engine control module. |
| Driveaway-towaway | Operations where the vehicle being driven is itself the commodity being delivered. |
If you fall outside all four and you are required to keep records of duty status, you need an ELD. Check your own situation against the current regulations or ask your safety manager — the exceptions have conditions attached that a summary like this cannot capture.
What these templates are genuinely useful for
- Drivers inside one of the exceptions above, particularly the 8-days-in-30 provision, where paper records of duty status are expressly permitted.
- Backup when an ELD fails. Devices malfunction, and carriers are expected to keep recording duty status while one is repaired. A printed pad in the cab is cheap insurance; check the malfunction provisions that apply to you for how long and in what form.
- Operations outside the United States, where requirements differ by country.
- Drivers not subject to federal hours-of-service rules — many local delivery, courier, trade and volunteer driving roles.
- Mileage logs for tax or expense claims, which are a different document entirely and not regulated by the ELD rule.
- Fleet maintenance and fuel tracking, where you are recording the vehicle rather than the driver’s hours.
The templates
Twenty layouts covering duty status logs, trip sheets and vehicle mileage records. The larger files are print-ready designs; the small ones are plain editable grids.
What goes on a duty status log
A record of duty status is built around a 24-hour grid divided into four lines, one for each status. The driver draws a continuous line across the day, stepping between statuses as they change.
- Off duty — not working and free to pursue your own activities.
- Sleeper berth — resting in the vehicle’s sleeper compartment, where fitted.
- Driving — at the controls and in motion.
- On duty, not driving — everything else that is work: loading, unloading, inspections, fuelling, paperwork, waiting at a dock.
Alongside the grid, a log normally carries the date, carrier name, vehicle and trailer numbers, the driver’s signature, total miles driven, the starting and ending locations, and the city and state at each change of status. The last of those is where handwritten logs most often fall down — a line that steps from driving to on-duty without naming the place is incomplete.
Two habits make a paper log defensible: fill it in as the day goes along rather than reconstructing it at the end, and make the totals add to 24 hours before you sign it.
Mileage logs are a different document
Half the templates here are mileage logs, which record trips and distance rather than duty hours. These are used for claiming vehicle expenses, reimbursing staff, and tracking fleet costs, and the ELD rule has nothing to do with them.
For an expense or tax claim, the thing that matters is that the record is contemporaneous and specific. Each trip should show the date, the starting and ending odometer readings or the distance, the destination, and the business purpose. A note saying “client visits” against a month’s worth of mileage is the kind of record that gets disallowed. Requirements differ by country and change, so check what your own tax authority expects before relying on a format.
Our travel log templates cover journey and mileage recording in more detail.
Keeping the log in Excel
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One row per trip, one sheet per month
Keep the structure flat — date, start odometer, end odometer, distance, destination, purpose. A monthly sheet keeps the file manageable and matches how most expense claims are submitted.
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Let the spreadsheet do the arithmetic
Make the distance column a formula subtracting the start odometer from the end, rather than typing it. It removes the commonest source of error and makes a transposed digit obvious.
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Record it the same day
Keep the file on your phone through Google Sheets or the Excel app and fill it in at the end of each journey. A log reconstructed from memory weeks later is both less accurate and less credible.
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Keep the file and back it up
Retention periods vary by purpose and jurisdiction, and are longer than people assume for tax records. Keep a copy somewhere that is not the device you carry in the cab.
General information, not compliance advice. Hours-of-service rules, logging requirements and record retention differ by country and change over time, and the exceptions above carry conditions this page does not cover. Check the current regulations that apply to your operation, or ask your safety manager or a transport compliance adviser, before relying on any paper record.
Common questions
Can I still use paper logs as a US commercial driver?
Only if you fall within one of the exceptions above — short-haul, 8 days in 30, a pre-2000 vehicle, or driveaway-towaway operations. Otherwise an ELD is required where records of duty status must be kept.
What happens if my ELD breaks?
You are expected to keep recording duty status while it is repaired, which generally means paper in the interim. The malfunction provisions set out how long and what is required, so check them and keep blank logs in the vehicle.
Do these work outside the United States?
The formats are generic and usable anywhere, but each country sets its own driving hours and recording rules. Check what yours requires rather than assuming a US-style log satisfies it.
What is the difference between a driver log and a mileage log?
A driver log records hours and duty status, and is regulated for commercial drivers. A mileage log records distance and purpose, and is used for expenses and tax. Both are on this page.
How long should I keep them?
Longer than you would expect, and it depends on whether the record is for compliance or for tax. Both have minimum retention periods set by the relevant authority — look up the one that applies to you.
Can I use these commercially?
Yes, for your own fleet and drivers. You may not resell or redistribute the template files themselves. See our Terms of Use.
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