The Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) is openly calling on its provincial government to mandate electronic logging devices (ELDs) for provincially regulated carriers.

That call — released late yesterday — specifically references a Today’s Trucking article, which shows Saskatchewan regulators appear to be leaning toward paper logbooks for truckers who remain within provincial borders. This is despite a commitment to enforce a federal mandate on federally regulated carriers.

“Saskatchewan’s culture of road safety has never been more important,” the association says in a press release. “Ensuring carriers are adopting new safety measures and are subject to a level playing field is crucial to promoting the highest level of safety in Saskatchewan.”

The crash involving a truck and a Humboldt Broncos team bus has been widely cited when justifying the federal ELD mandate.

The devices increase compliance with Hours of Service, keep drivers focused on responsibilities other than paperwork, ensure drivers are accountable for breaks, save time and reduce violations, and are “tamper-proof”, the association notes.

Any ELDs used to comply with the federal mandate will need to be certified as meeting a series of technical standards. While device suppliers certify their own models in the U.S., FPInnovations or CSA Group must certify ELDs used to meet the Canadian rules.

No devices are certified so far. The mandate became effective June 12, but jurisdictions committed through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) that they will not fully enforce the rules until June 2022.

“Carriers operating solely within provincial boundaries are not subject to the federal regulations. Saskatchewan’s paper-based system has worked well and will continue to be in effect to ensure we monitor driver fatigue and ensure safety,” a Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways spokesman previously told Today’s Trucking.

“There are differences between the federal and provincial hours of service regulations. Saskatchewan is a smaller market. It’s unclear at this time if a manufacturer would be interested in programming an ELD that conforms to the Saskatchewan regulations, instead of the federal ones.”

“The time is now for Saskatchewan to commit to having the safest roads in Canada,” the STA says in its bulletin.

“This cannot be done without adopting new safety measures. By implementing the federal commercial vehicle drivers Hours-of-Service Regulations, all carriers operating in Saskatchewan will be on a level playing field and will be subject to only one set of Hours-of-Service regulations, reducing any confusion.”