CTA urges feds to go straight to universal EOBR mandate, unlike US

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OTTAWA, Ont. — The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) is urging the federal government to go straight to a broad, universal electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) mandate rather than phasing in a requirement like the US appears to be doing.

The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently announced it will require carriers with frequent hours-of-service violations to begin using EOBRs. The FMCSA also hinted of a broader mandate to come, which the CTA says is a signal a universal EOBR requirement is coming, it’s just a matter of when.

Rather than waiting for the US to roll out a full EOBR mandate, the CTA says Canada should lead the way by bringing in a universal EOBR mandate of its own.

“Obviously, you would still want to be harmonized with the US from a technology standards point of view, and it is imperative that industry and government reach accord on a fair and equitable enforcement policy, and a technology investment plan, but there is no obligation on the Canadian governments to introduce an interim, remedial step as the FMCSA is doing,” says CTA chief David Bradley.

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  • Here we go again; the wonderful large carrier dominated CTA trying to drive another nail in the coffins of the smaller fleets under the guise of safety,just as was the case for speed limiters this has nothing to do with safety its just another way to take away one of the advantages a smaller fleet or o/o might have in this deregulated market.The larger fleets in this country would like nothing better than to drive all the smaller fleets out of business so they may be able to access some of their driver pool which of course contain the vast majority of the better drivers in the country while they continue to have to hire newer drivers who are willing to put up with the bs and hope to get enough experience to move on to a better job with a company who actually knows their name and listens to their concerns.I’m sure I won’t have to wait long before the CTA also endorses the ban on CB radios as well;you know it’s a safety issue.

  • Mandating a universal electronic on-board recorder (EOBR)in all Canadian carriers kind of sounds like the speed limiter episode. Now I am just a dumb truck driver but here is my prediction.

    Driver income will be reduced by up to 25%.
    Carrier profits will be reduced dramatically.
    Freight charges will need to increase.
    Cost of goods will increase.
    Appointment times will rarely be met.
    Carriers will need to create a line haul system.

    Why? Because a driver will spend 6-8 hours a day unloading and reloading,1-2 hours preparing paperwork and crossing borders. That leaves 5-7 hours to complete a 10 hour drive to make his appointment. If he is late he suffers a penalty or layover to re-scheduled the appointment. That can cost the carrier their profit margin.

    The economic repercussions are severe in my view, unless the dispatchers, shippers and receivers work together using a common time over distance schedule and any delays are realized and costs forwarded to the shippers and receivers. Carriers will have to implement an hourly rate no less than $18.00 an hour to accommodate the present drivers standard of living. Do you really think this is possible ? Good Luck ! Tell me how it works out for you.

  • Besides the obvious hypocrosy of the socalled safety aspects of eobr’s I can’t help but notice that the CTA is not offering to cover any of the cost of equipping all of the trucks with this unnecessary equipment. Perhaps they would think things through more carefully before flapping their gums if they were spending their own money!