Quebec will begin enforcing the federal electronic logging device (ELD) mandate on June 1, 2023.

The ELD mandate in Canada will require truck drivers who follow hours of service (HOS) regulations to switch from paper logbooks to ELDs. The mandate will not change the HOS regulations already in place and that are enforced throughout the country but will help monitor and bolster driver compliance with the HOS rules.

Marc Cadieux, president and CEO, of the province’s trucking association – Association du Camionnage du Quebec (ACQ), shared the news of delay with TruckNews.com after he and some of the largest carriers in the province held talks with Minister of Transport Geneviève Guilbault on Dec. 21.

Cadieux said that the minister said that she did not want another unexpected postponement and consequently, the application of the rules on ELDs would be postponed until June 1.

This decision contradicts the statement made by her predecessor François Bonnardel at the ACQ convention in April, to the effect that the enforcement would be implemented as of Jan. 1.

Industry representatives present on the call were “really disappointed by the answers we got from the transportation minister,” a source who did not want to be identified told TruckNews.com. “We shared the same opinion and reaction of being completely flabbergasted by the answer she was trying to package to us.”

Quebec will be a little late in enforcing the federal regulation, but B.C. hasn’t announced its plans, Dave Gravel, political advisor at the Quebec Ministry of Transport, said via email.

“But even with those delays, we will be the sixth province out of 12 to also put in place a provincial regulation for intra-provincial transportation,” he said.

Earlier, more than 20 carriers, some of which are among the largest in Quebec, had 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.

“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 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.

This story has been updated and includes comments from Quebec’s Ministry of Transportation.