Quebec ELD enforcement likely in March

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As most of Canada begins enforcing the federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate on Jan. 1, 2023, Quebec will be the only province not applying the rules.

Marc Cadieux, president and CEO, of the province’s trucking association – Association du Camionnage du Quebec (ACQ), predicts enforcement will begin in March “in the worst-case scenario”.

The ACQ will hold talks with Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault on Dec. 21, hoping to fast track the legislative process. More than 20 carriers, some of which are among the largest in Quebec, have already sent a letter to the minister, requesting that the adoption take place on Jan. 1. The Teamsters sent the same request, as did insurer Northbridge.

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“The legislative process for the coming into force of the regulation to amend the regulation respecting the hours of driving and rest of heavy vehicle drivers is underway,” Gino Desrosiers, coordinator of media relations and community management at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) told TruckNews.com via email.

Desrosiers added that the process was delayed by the Oct. 3 provincial election.

ACQ’s Cadieux, who foresees a couple months of delay in enforcement, said his association’s members are ready for it. He said the delays have had a “wrong effect” on the industry.

“The tendency of delaying offered a negative message to carriers that are not yet equipped with ELDs. They say ‘they are going to postpone this again so I don’t need to buy these devices right now,’” Cadieux said.

As to when the SAAQ plans to apply the regulations, a spokesperson told sister publication Transport Routier, “The legislative process for the entry into force of the regulation to amend the regulation respecting the hours of driving and rest of heavy vehicle drivers is following its classes. The date of entry into force will be communicated following the adoption of the regulations, in early 2023.”

Besides Quebec, the Northwest Territories have not committed to the deadline.

With a file from Steve Bouchard, Transport Routier

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Leo Barros is the associate editor of Today’s Trucking. He has been a journalist for more than two decades, holds a CDL and has worked as a longhaul truck driver. Reach him at leo@newcom.ca


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