Canada's ELD mandate took effect, with a year of penalty-free enforcement
In June 2021, the federal electronic logging device rule came into force before any device had been certified, so provinces focused on education instead of fines.
Canada's federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate came into force on June 12, 2021. It requires federally regulated carriers to use an ELD certified by an accredited third party to record drivers' hours of service.
When the rule took effect, no device had yet been certified. FPInnovations was the only accredited certification body, and approvals were taking longer than expected.
How enforcement was softened
- On March 2, 2021, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra confirmed the June 12 date but committed to a 12-month progressive enforcement period.
- In early May 2021, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), whose members enforce hours-of-service rules, said jurisdictions planned to rely on education and awareness, without penalties, until June 12, 2022.
Industry reaction
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) had wanted full enforcement from day one. It accepted the phase-in but pushed for full enforcement by June 2022. CTA chairman Jean-Claude Fortin said there would be no excuses for non-compliance after that date.
The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada (PMTC) had called for a delay. Its president, Mike Millian, said no carrier in the country would be compliant on June 12 because no certified device existed. He urged carriers signing with an ELD supplier to include contract protection in case the device was never certified.
Both groups supported third-party certification as a way to keep out devices that can be manipulated. Jacques DeLarochellière, president of Isaac Instruments, said certification was taking longer than the six to eight weeks first expected, but called that proof the process was working.
On July 29, 2021, Transport Canada certified the first device, the Hutch Connect ELD from Abbotsford, B.C.-based Hutch Systems, after testing by FPInnovations. By then, Commercial Driver Technology and CSA Group had joined FPInnovations as certification bodies.