Canada to mandate e-logs and Electronic Stability Control for new trucks

by Truck News

TORONTO, Ont.—The Canadian Trucking Alliance has announced that officials from Transport Minister Marc Garneau’s office have confirmed reports that the federal government  is moving forward to replace current requirements for truck drivers to complete paper log books with a mandate that trucks be equipped with Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).

The confirmation followed a weekend report from The Canadian Press which suggested the mandate was coming soon.

It was also confirmed that a new manufacturing standard will be introduced to require that all new heavy trucks sold in Canada be equipped with an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system.

The CTA welcomed the news of the ELD mandate and says that the benefits of ELDs and ESCs outweigh the costs for both the trucking industry and for government.

“We have been advocating for both of these key safety measures for over a decade now,” said CTA president, David Bradley. “We know that Transport Canada has been working on both issues but with a new government in charge we needed to confirm the commitment is moving forward at the political level. I am satisfied that commitment is in place.”

There is no firm date on when Transport Canada plans to formally introduce the regulations yet, though the CTA expects it to align implementation as closely as possible to the timetable for similar measures in the US – in late 2017 or early 2018.

CTA said that though the federal government has stepped up to the plate regarding both safety measures, it is calling on the provinces to implement an identical ELD mandate for those trucking operations that come under provincial jurisdiction.


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  • So does that mean we will all get a pay rate increase with all this garbage that Mr Bradley’s is shoving at every one .what is it the CTA is looking to get from this they brought the speed limiter in under false pretenses. So they can get the government to let the lcv in. Maybe if all these so called best paying transport co.pay a driver for what he or she does but they just say that you have to operate smarter.yet you cannot control all this so called new technology which is garbage. So Mr Bradley how does a one truck operator exist without any further cost to them. To manage their hours of service cause they cannot have the database with the truck.they will have to hire someone to manage it.I wish that for once they can just keep their noses out of are business just take care of their own.

  • Mr White you are wrong the ELD works gd you can manage it yourself.I have used ELD for 7 years an i have made gd money an i was well rested an the end of the day.It;s just old drivers do not like change.Well Mr.WHITE get with the times there are sunny days coming.ELD will make it more fair for all of us that way drivers an co. will not be taking more loads because they can run over there hrs. sunny days sunny days my brothers an sisters

    • mr. ernie luke. please define good money under the ELD. you never stated wether you were a lease-op or company driver, but I am an old truck driver.[4.5 million miles] as owner-operator & company driver. if you can tell me that the truck you are driving grosses $36,000.00 per month & the driver makes 25% of that and home on weekends like my guys do on a consistent bases without the ELD, then I will buy them. we
      have been through 3 dot audits in 10 years & no fines were issued

    • Ok so what about the shippers and receivers they are the weak link. I drive all day to get to my receiver ( Loblaws) on time but they only receive through the night during my mandated rest period and it takes many hours to get unloaded sometimes having to switch doors. Then I am expected to drive all the next day to get to my next point. This has been OK in the past because I could just make it work on paper logs. Now that won’t be possible the law should have addressed the problems that shippers and receivers create.

      • So Nancy, you illegally alter your log book to make your Loblaws delivery work? Is that what yo are suggesting? You would be able to use your “split shift” to get around having to move your truck, as long as the hours before and after are of the minimum required to make use of your sleeper.
        Yes or no?

        • So what you are saying FRED is to illegally show you are in the sleeper on your ELD when you are required to stand and do a count while you are being unloaded?? using sleep hours, then having to drive when your 8 is up to make the next appointment weather you have had any rest ?

    • Don’t bitch about drivers who get more loads and think it’s unfair. People are sick of the government control dictators telling us how much we can earn. Your an hour from home and you have to shut down for 8 hours and don’t make it home until Saturday morning instead of Friday night. Fuck that shit, I own my own truck and I will never put an elog in it.. the expenses to operate are high enough as it is, I’m not paying a monthly fee for a logging device that tells me when I need to park.

    • Sunny days, idk what your smoking but I don’t like being controlled, I don’t like being watched, and yes I had one of these brand new computer controlled trucks almost get me killed, fuel truck I might add, been doing this 20 years plus, I like the idea I can pull over and rest when I need too, not be pressed to drive because I know that 14 hour clock is not gonna stop, this all garbage, you know it same as us, you just don’t wanna admit it, I don’t care what your reasons are.

  • There is so much hatred towards trucks/drivers; how about this Mr. Bradley that we get ELD and Speed Limiters on all the vehicles which operates on the highways? In my opinion that will be lot-lot more safer and our country could save money by reducing highway patrol cars/officers.

  • Where do you get this if you own a older truck. Can we do all the logs ,maint, etc, or just part of it half paper half electronic. Im all for no paper hurricanes in my cab. Can i use a , I pad to get all the required functions or is this a one lung abotion fix . The government should all ready know all of this if its going to work ? We are not rich and we are not able to buy new trucks with the best results. The dead are leading the blind here . Were is the tec, to do this . To me a smartphone is not enough even if it works . Its screen is too small for most of us and kb load cost is unknown . We need to know before 2017 Were is it , no more cliff jumps.

  • Im back with more questions personal security of the log books function. ? who gets my personal info . is it sold to my competition . or just made publicly available to every body Insurance companys ,all types would love this. All operating systems , electronic have a gloda . The gloda is your ability to use that prouduct whether softwear or hardware , you must agree to there exclusive demands or dont use the prouduct. Now thats a cliff jump into the black. It as of today it appears the internets ability to be secure is very gray.

  • This is the second phase of destroying the trucking industry in North America! Deregulation was the first step!!! Owner operators are a thing of the past! I know , I am one. 45 years in the business and I’m being told I’m obsolete! All my knowledge all my experience along with every little contribution I have made to the profession means nothing. Suddenly I am not capable of doing my job without some piece of high tech SHIT telling me how to do it. The bone heads making the rules don’t have to live by them!! Let them lose 30% of their pay a month and then you’ll hear some squaking!!!!!!

  • you want eld? Then you want to pay $8 for a loaf of bread!
    the gov. should then look at the cost of building real rest stops in western canada because my trucks turn engine of at night and the shoulder of the road is not safe.

  • Carriers with ELDs crash MORE

    Andrew King of the OOIDA Foundation says “FMCSA’s own data demonstrates that carriers with ELDs crash MORE than those carriers without such devices.”

    He goes on to say “FMCSA’s final rule was founded on nothing more than assumptions and what the OOIDA Foundation refers to as ‘we believe science.’ ”

    Considering that the FMCSA purports “the final rule stands to prevent an estimated….” (some fictitious number) “loss of lives and…” (some other fictitious number) “crashes annually while significantly strengthening compliance…” it would be interesting to take them to task for this.

    Based on ACTUAL STATISTICS from companies that have “voluntarily” implemented ELDs, is there ANY STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE in number of crashes and/ or deaths before and after? Has anyone found an improvement?

    Before implementing anything this costly industry wide there better be SCIENTIFIC PROOF behind such “mandates” and the many kinks in the system must be resolved beforehand.

    Normally in science there are TRIALS to make sure that the HYPOTHESIS is actually backed up by scientific evidence.

    Normally in science the hypothesis is checked out through SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (TRIALS) BEFOREHAND to make sure that our hypothesis actually works and we do more good than harm. When it turns out that the hypothesis is wrong, it does more harm than good, or it is economically unviable, we go back to the drawing board before mass implementation.

    That’s “science”.

    “Experts” have admitted the new US HOS rules are “ABSURD”. So how did the FMCSA get away with changing something that worked and was tolerable to something that is “ABSURD” and violates every principle of healthy sleep known to man: maintaining a regular circadian rhythm (regularity, consistency, and not changing start times & sleeping patterns every day, which is what the “new rules” do)?

    And how can they justify forcing everyone to use ELDs if they have the exact opposite effect of what was hypothesized? I would “hypothesize” the major “problem” is the ill conceived “new rules”.

    ELDs force drivers to follow ABSURD rules to the minute or risk fines with no tolerance for traffic/ unforeseen delays/ complications. These NEW rules not only do not take into consideration a driver’s CIRCADIAN RHYTHM, they totally destroy it.

    Rather than the driver deciding/ feeling when he is sleepy, an unforgiving electronic device tells him when he must sleep. Dogs, Cats, Babies, Grand Parents, your parents, probably the “rule makers” and/ or their parents… all take naps. Whole cultures have taken afternoon naps for hundreds of years! (Mexicans, the Spanish…) Popular US “EXPERTS” have even written BEST SELLING books about the value of a “POWER NAP” for everyone, including top executives, to INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. But somehow the FMCSA disagrees, or is oblivious to this!?

    Further, with no partial sleeper possibility, drivers are FORCED to drive non-stop (except for the obligatory 30 minutes pre 8 hr “rest”) for fear of running out of hours at the end of the day, whether sleepy or not.

    Then with 10 HOURS OBLIGATORY CONSECUTIVE TIME OFF, TOO MUCH TIME AT THE END OF THE DAY, drivers tend to eat humongous quantities of food at the end of the day just before going to bed !!! ???

    This goes against everything we know about HEALTHY sleep, driver health, and healthy eating habits.

    Since CANADA still uses the “old” humane rules of split sleeper berth, and requires only 8 consecutive hours off at night allowing drivers to have a BIG 2 HOUR LUNCH without fear of running out of hours at the end of the day, would it be possible to compare Canadian Crash Rates for big rigs with US Crash Rates using the new US rules? Are big rig crash rates higher in Canada using the “old US rules”? I am sure they are lower.

    As a matter of fact, I believe if US Crash Rates were compared before and after the “new rule” change, the “old rules” would be found much safer.

    The FMCSA claims the “accident/death rates are now lower” due to their “new rules” in the USA. However, in Canada the accident/ death rates are down too, using the “old rules”. So this “improvement” has nothing to do with their “new rules”. There are clearly other factors at play. Probably pressure from INSURANCE COMPANIES threatening careless carriers with exorbitant insurance rates, or threatening to cease insuring them at all if claims don’t decrease.

    I pray that science and common sense one day triumphs over propaganda and manipulation.

    The whole premise behind ELDs is “SAFETY”. Either they (ELDs) don’t work, or the “new rules” they force drivers to abide by don’t work.

    MORE RESEARCH is required to find the problem(s) and develop a real solution. This is why in “science” there are TRIALS.

    Rick Blatter, B.Ed., M.Sc. holds a Master of Science degree in Exercise Physiology, and specializes in Employee Wellness & Fitness Programs. His thesis involved researching optimal sleep for HEALTH & LONGEVITY. He is Director of Safety, Loss Prevention & Wellness for a trucking company in Montreal, QC. He has been involved in trucking for 22 years, holds a CDL and has personally driven over two (2) million accident free miles all over Canada & the USA. Rick Blatter is a proud member of OOIDA.

  • Nothing wrong with ELD’s. But somehow this crooked trucking association and the liberal government ( deliberately ) forgot to restructure the pay structure. With ELD’s every commercial driver regardless ( long/short-distance) must get payed hourly with applicable overtime pay after 44 hours of work! Also waiting time also should be considerd as on duty time time!!

  • It’s coming, at least I hope anyway. Most of you nay sayers need to stop complaining. At least all drivers will be legal until you( and you know who you are) figure out a way to cheat the system as most of you do with your paper logs….if you’re going to the states it will be a requirement, for those who meet the FMCSA requirements. No one told you to be a trucker, you chose that job. Shit or get off the pot. We’re all tired of hearing that everyone else is the problem and making your life miserable because you chose to drive a truck. I’d say do something else for a living, but you’d find a way to complain about that too.

  • I find it amusing how some people think that ELDS are the greatest thing of the future.
    I don’t agree with the ELDS mandate for a couple of reasons. (Yes I have used one )
    1. I was more tired and found that I was under more pressure to get where I had to before out of hours.
    2. My scheduled run took 2 days more to complete for the same amount of money earned.
    3. It cost ME more money to run my truck cause I found my self rushing and heavy on the pedal burning more fuel.

    So to the people that think ELDS are great you just keeping pushing for it , and when the government and Mr.Bradley get there and announce that the all canadian tax payers will pay for this I can almost guarantee you people will start complaining. Cause I know that you all will complain when your pay cheque is all gone and you only went to the goricey store . Cause the price of home products are going to go threw the roof in price.
    The prices of products will have to go up cause trucking companies still have to pay for the over head cost.

  • A ban on pay by the mile (for company drivers) accompanied this when tacometers came into being in Europe. I am for ELD’s, but it is completely unethical to pay an employee driver by the mile and then completely restrain his ability to make money to the hour. You are providing incentive for aggressive driving & push behavior at your customers.

    And yes – leased op’s & o/o’s would benifit from such a ban because it will drive rates up across the board.

    We’ve moved to a blend of hourly pay, per diems (every day involving a night away from home, including days off resetting etc.), & mile bonus. The mile bonus is just enough to incentivise productivity but low enough that no one is going to run too fast through a snow storm trying to make time. Speaking of snow storms, it’s also a lot less painful for a guy to sit near a restaurant during a road closure when he’s making per diem while he sits, so he can at least afford to eat. It’s early days for us in this program, but it seems like the approach causing a shift – less violations due to aggressive driving (not a single speeding infraction since), no crashes of any kind, less complaints when sitting at a dock waiting to load (& yes we either charge out customers for detention, or if we know in advance this is a “long load/unload” customer, build a TON of time (aka money) for that into a flat rate quote), etc. YES – when you’re paid for your time, there has to be an accountabilty mechanism for your time, but we budget the time to do things realistically & feel that if you push your guys all the time, you’ll find it impossible to retain quality drivers, nevermind create a safety hazard that will beat the hell out of your DOT/NSC Carrier Profile, insurance costs, etc.

    Pushing your staff hard is short term gain for long term pain, & we’re done with it here (both field staff (drivers) & dispatch/office staff) – I have less customers and smaller fleet, but better customers and better staff, & we’re only working if it’s worth it now. Margins are now decent though we do make a little bit less due to lower volume/capacity, but I sleep better at night…

    The industry needs a mentality change. Those who don’t adapt will not survive…

  • Does an ELD need to be hardwired into the truck, or can the companies use an app. on a mobile phone as an ELD?

  • It’s hard enough to make your delivery on time and get to your pick up before they shut down for the weekend, especially in the produce business. I mean if the MTO and the DOT specialists who unanimously voted in favour of mandating the ELD’s found out that the benefits largely outweigh the losses, I think they owe us an explanation. And in case they have made their decision on a scientific research, which included the really experienced veteran drivers. Both the once with accidents and the once with a clean record, show us the results so that we can understand why …. NOTHING LESS.

  • why I’m driving for money ,for my family ,for my kids , nobody will pay my bills! Nobody will support my family , and yet I’m being told to prepare for more lost time and unnecessary more hours in the truck !!!! Now someone once said time is money !!! But does it apply for me for us the drivers where is our choice here ???now all this regulation all this rules and bullshit sorry for the world is just spent time for no money . If you control any bussness like this won’t be successful! People who like the e logs either don’t have family to wait for them at home are lazy not money makers and will get more worse once the adopt this system !!!!you don’t neeed 10 hours sleep who does it anyway and anyway drivers here in North America I’m from Europe but live in Canada are very unfortunate to have this happen we don’t we don’t have strong voice here so we have been played our life style is at stake

  • The only way to deal with this nonsense of elogs that the governments on both sides of the border are mandating is to bring both countries to it’s knees is by everyone or at least majority of drivers to take and do their reset all at the same time or days, which ever way one wants to look at it, we need to all not move for 2 days, then we will get their attention.

  • wat about those of us that have time sensitive loads like oil wen its 25/40 below out side u only have so long to unload it or it don’t come off it turns to molasses and eventually won’t pump off with out steaming it to warm it up so if I run out of hrs wat are ppl like me suppose todo nope I don’t think elogs will work at least not for everyone as for the cost of living going up I can sure see that happening as no one will want to be hauling & living in a truck wen they can make the same kinda $$$$ & be home every day and remember this ppl trains & planes don’t go everywhere like the Yukon & nwt it only goes by truck !!

    • how about us who drive tow truck.. go out out at 7 in the morning for 2 hrs, don’t work again till a call comes in at 6 that night can’t help that poor bastard who is out in the -30 because I have to wait till god knows when now.. am I on a reset, am I waiting an hour for the 10 off, eld says 14hrs from when the truck was started at seven am, so can’t go till 7am tomorrow? O/O and companies are not going to pay us to have 3 people per truck available, built into the pricing, and ICBC(BC) dictates hourly rates for ins. claims

  • It’s all about time management..thats all it is.. .you still have your 16 hour day you can work…only difference is….you have to take the time off…ive been driving since 2002 and I may not have as many miles as some on here but….ive ran both paper and elog and let me tell you I’ve made just as much with both….and I was a broker and a company driver….take that for what it’s worth

  • you ordered it you unload it….I’ll do it but it’s $350.00 a hr minimum 4 hrs payable in advance …don’t like don’t expect us drivers to unload your freight….

  • One of the most stupid and ignorant, thing the government is implementing this will make high unemployment, truckers won’t be able to afford to drive because they’ll be paid peanuts, they won’t be able to,put in the milles per day , they won’t be able to support there families there will be bankruptcy all over the place , good way to ruin the country you ass holes.

  • Electronic logs will be a nightmare drivers won’t be able to support there families, truckers will be paid peanuts, and there will be bankrucys, truckers will never make there destination on time, trucking companies will be forced to pay there driver by the hour, not to mention accidents road closures, and rushhour, not to mention prices going up, the high cost of fuel , truckers are good hard working people, that will be destroyed by electronic logs, remember if you got it a trucker brought it.

  • Electronic log books are the greatest take all the thinking and messy log books out og the equation,plus no cheating.The comapny I worke d for before had that and ut was the greatest thing,now Im with adiffrent company using paper,it is so primitive and useless.

  • so now that the gov is forceing the el on us its more money out of our pockets.if the gov wants them why shouldnt they pay for them.the only ones that will make money are the ones makeing and implomenting the els.

  • Why doesn’t the CTA put as much effort into getting truckers a rate increase. This would get the same results there trying to achieve but it would actually put more money in our pockets and less stress and fatigue on drivers.

  • What a bunch of dimwits! What you are all crying about is that e-logs will take your ability to falsify your paper logs away! E–logs don’t change the HOS regulations! You still have to abide by the same rules as with paper logs!
    What e-logs will do, is take your ability to screw yourself running illegaly by taking the incentive to do so from both the driver and the dispatch! Eventually this will result in drivers working LESS TIME FOR MORE MONEY, you donkey brains! Carriers can’t afford trucks sitting idle any more than drivers can afford wasting time away from home. So carriers will have to start charging customers more for freight so they can pay their drivers, otherways drivers will leave trucking for other kinds of work. Eventually this will result in drivers paid for all hours worked instead of mileage only. Too bad an average driver, or o/o lacks the mental capacity to see the bigger picture. Like a stupid donkey all you can see is the “miles” carrot before your sleep deprived eyes. Don’t you realise, that your paper log, even if it appears legal, is but a piece of toilet paper to a lawyer, should you get involved in a serious enough accident? They can subpoena your cell-phone logs, your ECU logs and all kinds of other electronic traces you leave behind in your daily activities and your “legal” BS of a falsified paper log will only help them slam your stupid arse in jail that much quicker.
    All I hope, the e-logs come accompanied by draconian enough enforsement to make the industry transition to modern operating practices faster.

  • So today Tesla announced the new 2019 electric big rigs coming into production. Looks like all of those concerns for the ELD’s will not be an issue for our future generations? Every electronic devise available will be built into these new rigs, including a self drive feature? Hmmm! For a big rig that can only get 500 miles with 80,000 lbs of gross weight before requiring a recharge, the 11 hour driving rule with no split sleeper time should be out the window?

    My calculations make this about 8 hours max operating time? How long does it take to recover a full charge? And, where are the recharge stations that will allow a driver to make full use of his 8hours? Or will the stops be 4,5,6 or 7 hours in between? What will that do for your schedule?

    For all of you who basically say the old school drivers should just suck it up on the new technology, get ready for the future! Think your revenues are in jeopardy now? Cut that in half again, sometime in the very near future, as we let environmentalists and politicians dictate what the future of transportation looks like! May not be your wages that get cut, but the value of your dollar is going to take a dive with the escalating cost of living.

    Countries around the world are phasing out hydro carbon vehicles through legislation. Most of those leading the pack are countries that could fit inside of one of the Canadian Provinces or a city the size of Los Angeles. Not too difficult to deal with an 8 hour driving day? Doesn’t fit too well though with the Canadian 13 hour driving day where the rest areas and fuelling stations are almost that far apart!

    Like most of you, I’m all for having drivers behind the wheel that are fit for duty. By that: not impaired by drugs, alcohol, fatigue, stress, financial headaches, bitchy spouses, or government intervention and policy that consumes the brain capacity and puts their driving abilities to sleep. Unfortunately the new rules and the ELD’s designed to enforce those rules are not, and will not, resolve those issues.

    What are we seeing today? Drivers attempting to comply will drive till they drop to utilize the maximum hours allowed. Then, eat one meal a day in their rest time, check out the casino or the bar for a few hours, maybe check out a movie if they were lucky enough to even find a truckers’ facility at the end of their push, call the family, suck up a little time on the I Pad, Facebook, Skype, or some other social media, and maybe even try to get some sleep? Usually, because the time doesn’t match their routine, sleep is evasive and they give up before they’re actually rested. When the 10 hour rest break is up…………………..they’rrrrrrrrrre off! Is that the 100,000 lb rig you want on your butt?

    After loving the trucking industry and enduring the changes of a couple of generations in the past 5 decades I am humorously entertained to recall a vision of semi-trucks with a bar code decaled onto the door where they could be scanned by roadside monitors for big brother. Hmmmm, I guess just like the flying Delorean in “back to the future” I wasn’t too far off?

  • Problem is that Canadians are too. Make that way too passive. When the first suggestion of log books in Canada came out we needed to shut down transportation of goods until John Q. Public would give any pollitition that mentions log books out into the street and stone them. We didn’t do that. Now we have an entire industry devoted to vacuuming the little money out of the trucking industry there may have been. The quick fix is simple. A Canada wide strike until ALL pro log people are permanently expelled from Canada. This won’t take more than 10 day’s.

  • I’m glad i am out of the trucking industry because of the bullshit today . And the trucks they build today are garbage because of the cheap electrical components they build in foreign countries This e.log is driving the cost of goods sky high and it’s putting stress on the drivers to make their deliveries .Here in NB the drivers have no rest areas and now they have no salt to keep the roads safe .We have a bunch of incompetent people ruining the trucking industry .The drivers should all be paid by the hour if they have to run by e.log system and when this starts the cost of goods will be out of this world

  • I find it sad how many people are OK with more government control. This has nothing to do with safety. Think about it? The only people now that have electronic logging devices are criminals and sex offenders released from prison or on parole. They watch where they go at all times. Is that ok to you that you’re in that group?
    Where does this stop?
    Where does it end?
    Where do we draw the line of our freedom being taken away?
    The people need to draw lines because it’s obvious the government won’t.
    With all the crime, corruption, sex offenses and problems with elected officials, the only thing we need to do is put the shoe on the other foot. We need ELLD’s . (Elected leader logging devices)
    How would they feel being watched 24/7? Every phone call recorded?
    One thing is certain,
    Interns would feel safer. Corruption would diminish, lobbyism would be under control.
    Think about the bigger picture and stop trying to make it about people bending the rules. (Cheating) to get the job done.
    Its not a standard industry and should not be controlled by standardized laws. That’s like putting the round block in the square hole.
    It doesn’t work.
    Those “cheaters” have racked up billions upon billions of accident free miles and should be given medals not ankle bracelets.

  • Lot of yakin on this site, if we don’t agree with this E-log system park the truck. Let them make all the deliveries, little bit of pane for long term gain.

  • Trucking Industry has been going there over the last 10 years. Gas prices are going up, cost of living has gone up. Minimum wage has gone up, why are shippers refusing to pay for cost of shipping accordingly? Over the last 40 years, rates have gone down and many truck owners are not able to stay in business because expenses cost more than what they can charge. Shippers are refusing to pay the correct rate accordingly. I mean, it costs more to take a cab from Mississauga to Toronto than to ship 1 skid 2000 lbs on a truck but it’s cost so much more gas on the truck. Is there anyone regulating rates? There should be a guideline. Many truck owners are left at the mercy of shippers. They have no choice but to take extremely cheap rates instead of having the truck sit there. If this continues, what will happen to the trucking industry?