Highway, Motive Restore ELD Data Access

Highway and Motive have reached an agreement to restore electronic logging device data access. The resolution ends a disruption that began after Motive limited the API connection and indicated Highway would need to compensate it for carrier data, according to a joint statement from the companies.

No action is required from carriers or brokers. The companies said they are working to ensure uninterrupted service for those who rely on both platforms.

The Agreement and Open Questions

Both companies framed the resolution around carrier authorization. They share a commitment to giving motor carriers transparency and control over how their data is authorized and used. Discussions are underway to update their existing agreement to more clearly reflect current use cases.

“Motive and Highway both play important roles in the freight ecosystem, and we are committed to serving customers together,” said Jordan Graft, CEO of Highway. Shoaib Makani, co-founder and CEO of Motive, said they are pleased to have reached a path forward that supports their customers.

The announcement restores the data flow but does not resolve the question that stopped it. The joint statement makes no reference to compensation, licensing fees, or any payment between the two companies. Neither company has said whether money will change hands.

The statement is explicit that the underlying contract has not been rewritten. What has been announced is a restoration of service, not a settlement.

Performance Guarantee and Dispute Origins

One element is unaddressed. When Highway notified its customers of the limits, it said it could no longer back freight moved by Motive carriers under its Performance Guarantee. This commercial backstop sees Highway assume financial responsibility for outcomes on loads moved by carriers it has verified. Withdrawing that coverage moved risk back onto the broker.

The joint statement addresses data refresh frequency. It does not state that Performance Guarantee coverage has been reinstated for Motive carriers. Whether restored data access automatically returns those loads to covered status is a question for Highway.

Highway told brokerage compliance leaders this week that Motive had imposed new limits on the integration, effective immediately. The practical effect was that Motive ELD data refreshed less frequently inside Highway's platform, reducing broker visibility.

During the disruption, Highway offered an alternate tracking path for Load Lock Plus customers through its carrier-facing mobile app. The company also said it would work with the more than 275 other ELD providers it integrates with to offer discounted alternatives to carriers considering a change.

What Remains Unresolved

Three questions survive the announcement. Whether either company will pay the other, and on what terms. Whether Performance Guarantee coverage has been restored. And whether the updated agreement will establish a pricing framework for ELD data access that other integrations might follow.

That third question has reach beyond these two companies. Carrier vetting platforms depend on data connections to dozens of ELD providers. The commercial terms underpinning most of those connections were set years ago.

The speed of the resolution is notable. The dispute became public and was resolved inside the same week. A connection that brokers rely on to verify capacity went down and came back without carriers or brokers taking any action. The agreement that governs that connection is still being written.