Canada has been watching and learning from the ELD mandate that the United States put into place December 16, 2017. After observing the implementation and effects of it on our southern neighbours, Canada is now ready to put forth its own ELD mandate.
In fact, the Canadian Trucking Alliance feels that the Canadian ELD rule will put Canada ahead of the United States in trucking safety and compliance.
This decision started back in 2017, when Transport Canada put forth their proposal for making ELD’s mandatory. By 2019, Transport Canada had finalized the rules for Canada’s ELD mandate, and stated that June 12, 2021 ELD use will be enforced.
Now with the June 2021 deadline around the corner, commercial vehicles will need to start to implement ELD’s into their operations.
The Canadian ELD mandate is not set to come into effect until June 12, 2021. Those affected will be anyone currently required to keep a logbook to record their hours of service.
While Transport Canada is still planning to go with their June 12, 2021 start of ELD enforcement, the focus for the first 12 months will be on education and awareness.
With COVID-19 putting people under stress, Transport Canada felt it advisable to go with a progressive enforcement period. This means full enforcement will not go into play until June 2022.
After the Canadian ELD rule comes into effect, drivers will need to use a certified third-party ELD device to track their hours of service.
The hours of service rules as established in 2005 are not going to change. Just the method in which these hours are recorded. Using ELD’s should prevent any tampering of data and protect against non-compliance.
If you care to brush up on the Canadian Hours of Service rule you can refer to the Government of Canada’s site here.
The good news is if you have already put ELD’s into your fleet to comply with the ELD mandate in the United States, chances are pretty good that all you will need is a software update from your ELD service provider. This update will allow drivers to switch between Canada and the U.S hours of service requirements depending on current location.
ELD providers have advised Transport Canada that they will provide these software updates at no additional cost to their customers.
Are there any exemptions to the Canadian ELD Mandate?
There are 4 exemptions:
- Commercial vehicles that have a hours of service permit
- Commercial vehicles that have a statutory exemption
- Commercial vehicles that are subject to rental agreement of 30 days or less
- Commercial vehicles manufactured prior to the year 2000.
Why is Canada adopting its own ELD Mandate?
A few reasons have been put forward as to why Canada has decided to hop on board with the ELD mandate.
First of all- safety. Transport Canada wants to promote a system that supports safety and fairness in the industry. With attention on a few rule breakers after the Humboldt Bronco’s tragedy, lawmakers are looking for a way to track those that are trying to cheat the hours of service regulations.
Secondly, the ELD’s will help make enforcement and compliance easier. With the ability of ELD’s to digitally transfer information to inspection officers, making it quick and easy to verify driver records.
Transport Canada says that this new regulation is also to help keep competition in the industry fair and legal. The idea is that this new mandate is to prevent those trying to cheat the system and run longer hours and deliver more loads than their competitors.
There are approximately 9400 hours of service convictions per year according to Transport Canada. This mandate is intended to cut down on this number.
As per Stephen Laskowski, President, Canadian Trucking Alliance, “Third-party certification of ELDs is critical for hours of service compliance and fatigue management as the technology behind ELD devices is key to ensuring drives and companies follow their work-rest cycles. As we learned from the previous era of paper logbooks, the non-compliant segment of our industry while a minority, have a history of finding workarounds of the rules. We must ensure that there are no gaps or opportunities to manipulate the technology and that compliance is the only option.”
Looking for a reliable, reasonable ELD system? Motive has you covered.
If you need to update your fleet we highly recommend Motive (formerly KeepTruckin). They, hands down, offer the most bang for your buck. Check out their amazing system that streamlines your fleets operations. If you have questions whether this is the correct system for you and your operation, contact PSTC and we can go over the services and answer any questions you may have.
Getting started with Motive is fast, easy and affordable. As a partner of Motive it doesn’t cost you more to deal with PSTC, plus you get our years of experience to help you comply.
Motive ELD hardware plugs directly into your vehicle’s diagnostic port and automatically records drive time keeping your drivers in compliance with U.S. and Canadian HOS rules. Drivers can use their iPhone, iPad or Android device via Bluetooth to connect to the ELD device. Setup takes just a few minutes. Once connected, fleet managers can automate log auditing, IFTA reporting, GPS tracking, and more.
Another perk: Motive will audit for violations and real-time errors. From the dashboard you can track vehicle locations and send messages to your drivers.
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