Canada’s ELD Mandate
If you thought that the United States was the only country with regulations on electronic logging devices (ELDs) in the transportation industry, you would be wrong.
Geoffrey Wood, the Senior Vice President of Policy for the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), has recently stated that the ELD mandate will be similar to the ELD mandate in the United States.
He also said that he does not want to see conflict arise over ELDs between both countries.
Continue reading to learn more about the ELD regulations in Canada, and how they might affect you as a driver from the United States.
Canada’s ELD Mandate
Canada is creating an ELD mandate for their transportation industry, to standardize processes to prevent errors, logbook tampering, and driver harassment.
The mandate will be very similar to the U.S. mandate. Current regulations will be updated so that drive time is recorded and reported accurately. Plus, current Hours-of-Service regulations will remain the same.
The main reason why the CTA is developing an ELD mandate is to increase safety and accountability in the trucking industry. However, there are a few other reasons why.
Consider this: every year, over $650 billion in goods cross the border between the United States and Canada. Drivers and fleets that transport that cargo have to comply with regulations on both sides of the border.
Once Canada passes their ELD mandate, drivers and fleets will be able to drive around most of North America without having to worry about complying with different regulations.
Canada’s ELD Mandate Timeline
Right now, the Canadian ELD proposal is in the beginning stages. Wood said that the CTA would like to see it more finalized by June of this year, with enforcement of the mandate by the end of 2019.
In fact, enforcement officers are already beginning training on how to conduct ELD inspections. This training will continue until the mandate becomes effective.
Difference Between Countries
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the ELD mandate applies to vehicles in the United States that have a model year of 2000 or later. This is especially important to remember when the model year on the registration does not match the engine model year - the engine model year is what matters under the ELD mandate.
Meanwhile, the CTA wanted the mandate applied to trucks from 1995 or newer.
However, it looks like the CTA won’t push the issue if it causes synchronization problems with FMCSA’s ELD mandate.
Are You Prepared for April 1st?
When it comes down to it, to negate many of the numerous problems that can occur, transportation businesses need to ensure that there is strong communication between drivers and the back office once the ELD mandate has gone into effect.
In respect to the impending ELD mandate, if you need additional help, UTECH is here for you. With our knowledge and expertise, we will ease your fears, so you can continue doing your job efficiently.
We are leading specialists in the trucking industry, to help ensure safety for everyone on the roads. GPSTab has gone through a rigorous certification process, and we guarantee that it will make a great choice as an ELD solution for your business. With the well-known and tested GPSTab platform, our edition will provide more functionality to fleets of all sizes, while keeping drivers happy.
