Canada ELD mandate update: CCMTA says no penalties in first year

With just over a month left until the start of a new mandate for electronic logging devices, and with still no approved devices available for drivers, Canadian jurisdictions say they will delay implementing penalties until next year.

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators announced on May 5 that it has developed an approach for jurisdictions to consider when adopting an enforcement strategy for the ELD mandate coming into force on June 12.

“Jurisdictions plan to support the mandate through a period of progressive enforcement without penalties, including elevated education and awareness, until June 12, 2022,” CCMTA said in a news release.

Enforcement of Canada’s federal hours of service regulations and ELD mandate is a jurisdictional responsibility. The announcement came as more and more stakeholder groups voiced concerns that truckers won’t be able to comply with Canada’s mandate because of a lack of devices that have met the criteria established by the federal mandate and certified by a third-party.

In March, Canada’s minister of transport promised no hard enforcement in the beginning of the mandate. Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra said the impact of COVID-19 on commercial vehicle operations “has been unprecedented and must be acknowledged” and that a “progressive enforcement period” would be imposed.

CCMTA advised industry members to “research ELD device options and ensure any procured ELD is a certified device as approved by Transport Canada.” As of publication time, there were no approved devices listed on Transport Canada’s website.

Unlike the U.S., Canadian regulations require third-party testing and certification of all ELDs to ensure they are in compliance with federal rules regarding the use of the devices.

Last October, The PIT Group’s FPInnovations division was named the sole ELD testing agency in the country. Based in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, the company’s transportation research group conducted third-party verifications of several ELD systems for the U.S. market, according to a company blog. LL