2021-05-11
Canada’s ELD Mandate Won’t Be Enforced Immediately

Canada took a slower road than the United States to implementing its electronic logging device (ELD) mandate for commercial vehicles. In doing so, it added teeth: a requirement that ELDs undergo certification by a third party accredited by the government. 

When the Canadian ELD mandate takes effect on June 12, it won’t have any immediate bite. Initial enforcement measures, according to the Canadian government, will consist of “education and awareness.” The mandate approaches as no ELD has been certified for use under the Canadian rule. 

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced the soft rollout of enforcement last Tuesday. He did not explain why the government is taking that route but highlighted the challenges facing the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Full enforcement didn’t come immediately in the case of the U.S. mandate either. It came two years later, in 2019, when trucks using the legacy automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRD) had to make the switch.

The Canadian ELD mandate, unveiled in 2019, was designed to have a lot in common with the U.S. rule. The majority of Canadian trucking companies do cross-border operations into the U.S. and have already had to use ELDs as a result. 

The Canadian rule has been complicated by the fact that each province has also had to adopt individual mandates. While Canada’s provinces and territories have adopted ELD rules in harmony with the federal mandate, it hasn’t been without kinks. Quebec won’t be enforcing its mandate, initially.  

U.S. trucks entering in Canada will need a certified ELD

Canadian officials envisaged that the mandate and certification process would not mean that a separate ELD would need to be used for Canada. Existing ELDs, including those currently used in cross-border operations, can continue to be used once their software is updated after they are successfully certified.

ELDs are already in widespread use among Canadian fleets and owner-operators on account of the U.S. mandate and the prevalence of cross-border trucking operations. The rule also applies to any U.S. trucks entering Canada. They around accounted for less than 20% of all cross-border truck traffic in 2020, according to Statistics Canada data. 

But whether any given device used today will get approved for the Canadian mandate is another question.

Tougher ELD vetting process intended discourage hours-of-service manipulation

The additional certification requirement was intended, in part, to make it harder for carriers and drivers to circumvent hours-of-service rules by ensuring that the ELDs themselves can’t be tampered with as easily.

If you need more info on ELD or want to apply any US or Canadian permits, You can reach us at info@welocity.ca or call us at 905-901-1601

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