Remove or Increase 60 Character Limit for Clearing Unassigned Events
The character limit should be increased to a number greater than 60, as this is not always enough for adding a notation.
Comments: 8
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25 Aug, '25
Vince AmatoreHighlighted comment
I believe this may have been misinterpreted by the JJK Compliance team. I've read the entire mandate and the only "maximum" limits I find are for the "ELD Username" and for the "GEO Location". The maximum of 60 for a Comment, as referenced above, is for the Driver's Entry of an Output File [4.3.2.5] (during a Transfer of Logs) and it states "An ELD must be able to accommodate the entry of an output file up to 60 characters long." There is no mention of a "maximum" in this section of the mandate.
Section 4.3.2.6 Driver's Annotation of Records states, "(a) An ELD must allow a driver to add annotations in text format to recorded,
entered, or edited ELD events. & (b) The ELD must require annotations to be 4 characters or longer, including
embedded spaces if driver annotation is required and driver is prompted by the ELD." There is no mention of a "maximum" in this section of the mandate.
Please review and improve this feature for all Encompass customers. -
27 Oct, '23
Wendy ryanNeed the capability to give a good explanation which may be more than 60 characters
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14 Mar, '24
DavidCompletely agree, oftentimes simply copy/pasting the Encompass error reason as to why you can't assign is more than 60 characters.
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17 Feb, '25
Eric Kind AdminHello,
Per ELD Mandate the maximum number of characters that are allowed for an event Comment/Annotation is 60. Increasing this field would not be in compliance with Mandate and result in a truncated comment that ultimately would be more difficult to read or understand.
Regards
Eric Kind - Product Leader -
02 Sep, '25
Eric Kind AdminHello Mr. Amatore,
Thank you for your response. You're absolutely right—section 4.3.2.6 does not specify a maximum character limit. However, section 7.6 titled Comment/Annotation in the Data Elements Dictionary of the ELD mandate provides further clarification, stating that the maximum data length for any comment or annotation is limited to 60 characters.
Regards
Eric Kind - Product Leader -
21 Nov, '25
Vince AmatoreThank you for looking into this Eric. The Disposition in Section 7.6 specifically states this character limit is "Optional in general; Mandatory if prompted by ELD." Admins are not entering this info into the Electronic Logging Device, and we require more characters to explain complex situations.
Data Type: Entered by the authenticated user via ELD’s interface.
Data Length: 0-60 characters if optionally entered; 4-60 characters if annotation is required and driver is prompted by the ELD.
Disposition: Optional in general; Mandatory if prompted by ELD.
I've used other platforms (Saucon & Samsara) and there is no character limit for Admins. I would recommend that your team drafts a letter to the FMCSA or CVSA to clarify the details surrounding this request. It would greatly improve this feature for all Encompass Admin customers. -
16 Feb
Eric Kind AdminHello Vince,
The FMCSA ELD mandate clearly defines character limits for annotations. When an annotation is optional, the allowable length is 0–60 characters. “Optional” refers to annotations added when not explicitly required, such as explaining why a driver exceeded HOS limits.
When an annotation is required by the ELD, the allowable length is 4–60 characters. This applies to any HOS edit performed by either the driver or an administrator within Encompass.
Additionally, the ELD is defined as the complete electronic logging system, which includes Encompass, the mobile application, and the telematics device installed in the CMV, not solely the mobile application used by drivers.
Regards,
Eric Kind - Product Leader