Alliance wants ELDs in ’95 and later trucks

by Truck News

Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau announces plans for an ELD mandate.

OTTAWA, Ont. – The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is calling on Transport Canada to expedite a mandate for electronic logging devices (ELDs), and even include the devices in trucks back to 1995 model years.

The recommendations are among 10 points included in a formal submission concerning a proposed federal mandate, as published in Canada Gazette Part 1.

The rules as proposed would apply to trucks with 2000 and later model years, but the alliance wants that date pushed back to 1995.

“By excluding model years 1995 to 1999, CTA believes the number of vehicles excluded in Canada would be approximately 60,000,” it says in the submission. “When the speed limiter regulations were introduced in Quebec and Ontario, the 1995 date was chosen specifically because of the widespread use of electronic control modules in engines.”

That would admittedly apply to a broader range of equipment than the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s mandate, which took hold Dec. 18. At the very least, the alliance wants provinces to watch for “abuses” of the proposed model year.

While the group had originally asked for a two-year phase in for the devices, it is now asking for the rules to be enforced no later than the fourth quarter of 2019. Transport Canada currently plans a two-year rollout from the time a final rule is published in Canada Gazette Part 2, and that will likely happen by June 2018.

The CTA has also asked the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Road Safety – representing all provincial transportation ministers – to help ensure the rollout applies to inter-provincial and intra-provincial carriers at the same time. Transport Canada only has jurisdiction over the federally regulated carriers.

Still, the CTA is asking for more leeway when it comes to the time it takes to produce hours of service information for officers. The proposed rules require such data immediately.

“Officers have and will continue to use the term immediately to issue violations, and in more severe cases 72-hour out of service orders. This can cost carriers thousands of dollars per occurrence and if more time is provided it can be completely avoided,” the alliance says. “When officers refuse to allow drivers/carriers who are making a concerted effort to retrieve the HOS information from the ELD, such a punitive approach goes against the spirit of the regulation and against forming partnerships between industry and enforcement.”

The proposed rules require an ELD to function within a minute of an engine starting up, but the alliance is asking for a more reasonable period of time. It also wants the odometer readings to be required on ELDs, to avoid the danger of an officer recording a different odometer reading that might be found on the dash. An ELD is connected directly to the electronic control module and should be the most accurate, after all.

The group is also asking for those who tamper with hours of service records or don’t have an ELD to face the same out of service orders.

As for the data included in printouts and display, the CTA wants an NSC number to be included.

“All carriers and jurisdictions need to abide by the requirements in the [Motor Vehicle Transport Act]. U.S. carriers at present are not required to register and there is no historical record of the carrier’s safety performance outside of Ontario and Quebec. Canadian jurisdictions need to use the ELD proposal to finally address this outstanding issue,” the submission reads.

So, too, is there a call for more guidance to determine if ELDs comply with technical standards. In the U.S., suppliers self-certify their devices, although equipment can be removed from the list of approved devices if it is found to run afoul of the standards. Transport Canada has so far been silent on that issue.

While supporting a 30-day exemption for rented vehicles, the alliance wants the issue to be revisited if it begins to look like carriers and drivers are using the rule to avoid ELDs altogether.

Not every item in the brief is calling for change, though.

The alliance has come out to support Transport Canada’s plans to require no more than eight supporting documents for each 24-hour period relating to bills of lading, dispatch records, expense receipts, electronic mobile communications records, and payroll records. “Where there are less than eight records per day, any records generated would require driver name, location, and date,” it noted, referring to the proposed rules.

“ELDs will ensure optimum compliance with the hours of service regulation, reducing commercial vehicle collisions related to fatigue and cognitive driver distraction,” the CTA said, offering general support. “At a time when every province is looking to reduce fatalities and collisions related to commercial fatigue and distracted driving, we believe every transportation minister should be sharing [federal Transport Minister Marc] Garneau’s comment to see this important legislation take effect as soon as possible.”

The proposed mandate would not apply to those that operate within 160 kilometers of a home terminal, vehicles rented for less than 30 days, or work under federal hours of service permits.


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  • Fix the h.o.s. First,go back to the original h.o.s then the E.L.D.s will be a safer and more enforceable tool in the quest for safety and compliance.

  • Elogs have never been about safety, and never will. If you don’t believe me, research swift, prime, werner, jb hunt, Schneider….list goes on and on

  • As far as I’m concerned all you guys are doing is trying to kill this industry. Seems like Canada is turning into dictatorship. More money in the government’s pocket and less in small business and driver’s pockets. Good luck with your self drive trucks.

  • Cta doesn’t represent me as a trucker.time for all truckers in Canada park there units and see what happens to the economy.enough regulation let people work and feed there families.this is the only industry where we have big brother watching 24/7 how about doctors in hospitals etc.get out of our lives cta and government maybe they should talk to drivers out here on the hyway what they need to promote a safe work environment instead of just mandating laws.time to park the trucks drivers see what happens UNITY

  • This needs to happen… The trucking industry has been unregulated for way too long… This will force the industry to change for the better of all companies… Rates will change… That or wait times covered…

  • Have a buddy running ELD through out the USA and it sucks. Guy has learnt how to run it but u try and find a place to park at 2pm good luck. Lots are full!!! They are trying to make things safe. Start teaching guys how to drive not just hand out drivers licences to people who don’t have a hot clue about the industry. Been trucking for 20 years and this industry has got worse instead of better.

  • So CTA,, if i have a 96 that has a mechanical engine how would i put ELD in that. You and your board of people are so greedy to fill your back pocket. You keep saying its for safety. I smell bull crap on that. If its paper or eld when a driver of a truck or car gets tired no eld or paper is going to save anyone if they fall asleep behind the wheel or are fatigued. The main reason for the eld is to point the finger at the driver if something goes wrong. So CTA when we start putting autonomous trucks on the road and they start running over cars who ya go blame then.. i bet your going point the finger at your co workers. Get a grip people.

    • My speed limiter says I am doing 105 but limits my speed on my 95 inter to 96 km per hour I have been pulled over 7 times for driving to slow on the freeway mainly 401 in Ontario before disconnecting it after spending over $3000 At detroit over 2 years I told the O.T.A 8 years ago and many others farmers have had the same problem. I friend put a E log in a 2005 western star had to change the E. C M . Took into team in London 2 months ago they could find the problem truck was down for 5 weeks after spending almost $10,000 in repairs and 5 tow bills the truck was fixed 226 889 9299 . UNLESS the O. T.A. Will assist with the problems with E logs and speed limiter in older trucks back off.

  • It’s bullshit .Canada doesn’t have near the parking or truck stops to accomadate driver’s maybe befor forcing the elogs on us Canadian driver’s 1st make sure we have enough parking spots and truck stops 1st
    Or do you expect us to park on the side of the roads in many rural areas of our country
    Our trucking association in Canada are the most USELESS MORONS . Learn to be like OOIDA in the USA at least they fight for truckers . Unlike you useless pricks in canada

  • That’s all fine as long as your load is already dead. Thus is the reason the U.S. is struggling with the elds and livestock which are currently exempt until March then will need to put out another exemption because live loads cannot sit for 8 or 10 hours just because a clock told you to

    • There is NEVER going to be a piece of technology able to tell me when I’m tired and should sleep. Not sure bout the rest of you but, sleeping from 6pm till 2 am and then driving is suicidal instead of tacking on till 9 pm and up at 5

  • All BS. No raise in over 5 yrs. I would suggest big companies be investigated for fixing wages paid to drivers. Everybody pays the same??? More and more responsibility put on drivers but no increase in pay. Same money can be made at Tims. All BS.

  • Well that’s to much. No we’re to stop no rest area no wash room’s. No services. Only regulations maybe the guys that make all the rules should drive the trucks. New trucks that are always in the shop. How in good name CAN we make a living. Let’s go home and let them drive. For free and safe.

  • The government needs to step out of transportation except when a company is non compliant with training. Most companies make newbies trainers after 6 months and those that train just do it for the miles and not to train new drivers properly! Eld’s Won’t change a thing except when we have to wait for a shipper or receiver to load or unload trucks. As it stands when we reach the end of said service day when we have no hours available, we are not allowed to move thus, we are stuck where we load and unload having to take our required 10 hour break before resuming driving! The point is with ELD’s we are, for all intensive purposes, held captive until said required break is over! Agree with me or not, when you think about it, what I’ve said makes a whole lot of sense aka, common sense!

  • If the government and big Trucking really cared about safety,they’d make sure that drivers were properly trained and push to have professional driving considered a legitimate profession.
    The only reason the push is on for ELD’s,is to drive small business truckers out of business,thus eliminating competition,and to push drivers to drive every second that they possibly can.
    You can’t legislate bodily functions and all the electronic junk on the planet won’t change that,so how about hiring and training people that don’t need their hands held,and stop treating them like slave labor to bolster your and your customers bottom line.
    If drivers were paid for their time like everyone else,there wouldn’t be any reason to cheat and everyone would be happy to go to bed. If they can find somewhere to park that is.

  • you fellas , ( and ladies) in Canada need o push back hard an unite now like never before, the same forces are at work in your country as are pushing it in the us, band together NOW, do not be complacent like we have been in the us, we have a lot of work to do here now that ours has passed

  • I live and work in Canada I am a trucker Canada should use the European Elog system it’s so much easier you get a card like your drivers license with a chip built into it all the info goes on the card you can take it out and down load it in the office the unit in the cab is the same size as a CD player so no bulky keyboards on dash should standardize through out Canada much easier for every one

  • How about road signs with English on them in Quebec. They want french everywhere else. If you want to talk about safety any good answers for this one!!!!!

  • Cta along with the ota should be kicked to the dust bin of history. They are pathetic excuse of a representaive group that appear to be in lock step with liberal parties across canada…….regulate, regulate, regulate. The more things get regulated the more they f the industry up. As they have done with every sector they stick their nose in. Canadians in all industries need to wake up and stand up to these tyrants. These greedy s.o.b’s are distroying our country and are trying to turn it into their marxist european utopia. To the driver that thinks canada should adopt the european e-log system, might i humbly suggest he can take that idea right back to europe with him. Not all of us need the government to help us stumble through life. Most of us grown up’s can do just fine on our own. Beat them at their own game. Tie the shit up in court and stop funding these boondoggle organizations like the cta and ota. They are pathetic.