OTTAWA, Ont. — In a letter filed to the Ontario and Quebec Ministries of Transportation, the Owner-Operators’ Business Association of Canada (OBAC) has expressed concerns about privacy issues and potential ECM damage which could be incurred when enforcement officers tap into the ECM to measure compliance with speed limiter laws.

OBAC executive director Joanne Ritchie wrote that “We are particularly concerned about access to proprietary historical data and trip record information stored in an unprotected layer of the engine ECM’s memory. This data resides alongside the road speed limit setting enforcement personnel would seek during verification.”

“We strenuously object to Ministry inspectors viewing and possibly downloading that information for their own purposes,” she continued. “We assert that data contained in an engine ECM is in fact the property of the owner of the vehicle, and should not be available to anyone else, including the Ministries without permission or a warrant.”

OBAC is also advising members not to assist enforcement officers when they connect their equipment to a truck’s engine. That way if damage is incurred during the connection or downloading of data, the Ministry should be responsible for the cost of any repairs, she insisted.

“We know from discussions with the various engine manufacturers that corruption of ECM data – though unlikely – is possible as a consequence of improper connection procedures, as is the real potential for damage to the ECM itself,” wrote Ritchie. “We wish to know if your Ministries are prepared to warrant the process and stand behind any future warrantee or data corruption issues arising from an inspector not following procedures. We are recommending to our members that they do not assist inspectors in making the connections or participating in any way in the verification process so that should any damage occur, the responsibility would rest solely with the Ministries of Ontario and Quebec.”