Canada publishes federal electronic logging mandate

Electronic logging devices will become mandatory in June 2021 for most Canadian motor carriers that are federally regulated.

The new requirement will come into effect on June 12, 2021. Transport Canada, the nation’s top federal transportation agency, says it is “committed to aligning with vehicle regulations in the United States to the fullest extent possible provided that it is in the best interest of Canadians,” according to a June 13 news release.

The rule is similar to the ELD mandate that went into effect in the United States in December 2017. While the rule applies to federally regulated carriers who operate beyond a 160 km (roughly 100 miles) range from their home terminal. Provincial and territorial regulators will need to adopt the regulations to apply to provincial and interprovincial operations.

Short-term truck rentals of 30 days or less and carriers operating under the 160 km range from their home terminal would still be allowed to use paper logs. Trucks manufactured before model year 2000 also will be exempt from electronic logs.

Transport Canada estimates roughly half of all federally regulated commercial vehicles in Canada are engaged in cross-border trucking, meaning many of those drivers are already using electronic rather than paper logs when operating in the States. The agency has stated it believes the switch from paper to electronic logs will save an estimated $11 million per year.

Johanne Couture, an OOIDA board member from Brockville, Ontario, says the Canadian mandate is largely similar to the U.S. mandate, except for a few key differences. One of those differences is the Canadian mandate will require third-party certification of the devices rather than allowing an ELD manufacturer to “self-certify” that their device complies with the regulations as is allowed by the U.S. rule.

Couture also said that she does not expect Canadian truckers to pushback against the mandate

“Those who are going to be vocal are going to be very vocal about it but not to the extent that it was in the US. Just because of the sheer numbers (of drivers already operating with ELDs),” she said in a phone interview with Land Line Now’s Terry Scruton.

The Canadian rule also specifies that transfer of information from the devices during a roadside inspection will be done via email. Localized data transfers can also be done via USB 2.0 or Bluetooth.

Land Line News Anchor Terry Scruton contributed to this report.