Canada’s ELD mandate will be similar to the U.S. ELD rule, says Geoffrey Wood.

Editorial update

It’s official: Canada will require the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) starting January 1, 2023. This latest and final extension will ensure that affected carriers have enough time to purchase and install ELDs.

“Based on updates from our government partners at CCMTA and provincial associations, it is our clear understanding all jurisdictions will be ready to start enforcement on January 1,” said Geoff Wood, senior vice president of policy for the Canadian Trucking Alliance. “But, if there’s unforeseen circumstances that lead to a jurisdiction not being ready to enforce, other jurisdictions that are ready and prepared will not be held back and will go forward. The industry has been well prepared for this rule for a long time and has waited long enough for enforcement. It’s time enforcement begins.”

The mandate, which will make the trucking industry more regulated in Canada, also applies to commercial buses and will require third-party certification of all ELDs.

According to Geoffrey Wood, Senior Vice President of Policy for the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), Canada’s ELD mandate will be very similar to the U.S. ELD rule.

Wood said, “The goal of this effort in Canada is to mirror the effort here in the U.S.”

Geoffrey Wood also said that the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) has been in favor of a Canadian ELD mandate for about a decade. He also said that the alliance does not want to see any conflict between the two countries over the use of electronic logging devices.

It is good news for truckers that Canada is actively working to mirror the U.S. ELD mandate. If the rules are more or less same on both sides of the border, drivers won’t have much to worry about when traveling in either country.

At the moment, the Canadian ELD proposal is in the Gazette 1 phase. Geoffrey Wood said that the Canadian Trucking Alliance would like to see it reach a final decision (or the Gazette 2 phase) by June 2018.

CTA also amended its position on the timeframe for ELD regulation in December ‘17. The alliance requested that the mandate should be enforced by the end of 2019.

According to Geoffrey Wood, “Talking to a number of folks both in industry and in government, this is a realistic timeframe.”

Talking about Canada’s ELD mandate, Wood assured that carriers don’t have much to worry about. “We don’t see a lot of issues with what’s been put forward,” said Wood.

Having said that, the Canadian Trucking Alliance has identified 10 minor issues with the Canadian rule. None of these issues are critical, according to Geoffrey Wood.

Differences over the model year

There is one big point on which the Canadian Trucking Alliance differed from Transport Canada as well the FMCSA.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has made it clear that the ELD mandate applies to vehicles with the model year 2000 or later. CTA initially wanted the Canadian ELD mandate to be applied to model trucks 1995 or newer.

It has been indicated by Transport Canada that they would resemble the standards set by the FMCSA.

Geoffrey Wood has confirmed that the Canadian Trucking Alliance wouldn’t insist on including vehicles up to 1995 if it causes synchronization problems with the U.S. ELD mandate.

As Canada’s version of the ELD mandate is coming soon, enforcement officers have already started training on how to conduct ELD inspections. This training is expected to continue until the mandate becomes effective.

“Goal is to have consistency across all the Canadian jurisdictions, and should something pop up, we have processes to deal with it,” said Geoffrey Wood.

What’s next?

The U.S. ELD mandate became effective on December 18, 2017. Canada’s ELD mandate is expected to become mandatory by the end of December 2019. Update: Canada will require the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) starting January 1, 2023.

In the meanwhile, the April 1, 2018 ELD enforcement deadline is fast approaching for truckers in the United States. April 1 marks the end of the “soft enforcement” period.

Non-exempt truckers without ELDs after April 1, 2018 will face severe penalties. If you want to learn more about ELD mandates and violations, read what happens if you don’t have an ELD after April 1, 2018.

If you want a reliable and FMCSA-registered ELD solution before April 1, try Motive.