ELD Mandate Canada – What Fleets Need to Know

A new regulation is coming to Canada – how will it affect my business?
What is it that I need to know about ELDs in Canada versus the US?
There is an overwhelming number of ELD providers on the market - I don’t know whom to trust.

Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place.

Having our own industry expert at the table with Transport Canada – and 10 years behind our belts designing and developing ELDs that truck drivers love – we got your back.

And if you’re still not clear about something – you can always ask our expert to clarify whatever you need! It’s completely free.

The Load You Want When You Want It.

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Included with BigRoad ELD is BigRoad Freight, a load board built to help you find additional hauls wherever you are. No brokerage fees, no hassle. Post or search for a load and BigRoad Freight does the rest. The best part is, it's integrated within the BigRoad Mobile App!

Loads are suggested to you based on your GPS coordinates and typical routes. Gain hours-of-service (HOS) awareness and visibility.

Book loads 24/7 from within the BigRoad Mobile App.
Loads are suggested to you based on your GPS coordinates and typical routes.
Gain hours-of-service (HOS) awareness and visibility.
Keep more money in your pockets.
Improve your compliance with HOS visibility.

1. Getting ready for the deadline

Our VP, Safety, Compliance & Regulatory Affairs is a renowned industry expert and has strong ties with Transport Canada and its certification partner FPInnovation. With his guidance and expertise in HOS, ELD and Canadian regulations, our engineering team is confidently working towards certification by June 12th, 2021.

2. How confident are you with meeting the deadline?

As a Canadian company and industry veteran, we’ve been part of the conversation in developing Transport Canada’s ELD guidelines since the beginning. Our teams have full visibility of the requirements and technical specification to reach certification.

3. How does Transport Canada’s educational enforcement period impact the deadline?

What the 12-month ELD educational enforcement period in Canada means that is if you are operating a commercial vehicle, that is not otherwise exempt from ELD between June 12, 2021, to June 12, 2022, you and/your driver will not be cited for an ELD violation by a safety official during this time. All other hours of services requirements in Canada will continue to remain in force.

4. Who benefits from the certification?

These guidelines are being introduced at an opportune time. According to Canada Safety Council, 21% of fatal vehicle collisions are attributed to driver fatigue. These regulations will help to increase road safety while helping to improve operational efficiency. The safety of drivers and customers has always been Fleet Complete’s number one priority, and it will remain that way.

5. Do you support both English and French?

Yes, we have Canadian-based facilities and employees to support our clients in English and French. This includes requirements associated with staff and driver training, documentation, and addressing future Canadian regulatory changes.

6. What are the technical requirements to have an ELD device certified in Canada?

Here is a list of some of the key requirements:

ELD synchronizes with the vehicle’s engine and includes GPS tracking.
ELD captures driving time automatically, including unidentified driving.
ELD lets drivers use special driving statuses, Yard Move (YM) and Personal Use.
ELD has a mechanism to verify logs and agree to edits.
ELD has an on-screen display to show inspectors at roadside.
Both jurisdictions can generate an output file for inspectors but will be displayed in different formats.
Pre-2000 vehicles are exempt from the mandates.

7. If you’re working with Transport Canada Certification Stakeholder Advisory Committee to develop and deliver a certification program, why aren’t you certified?

Transport Canada is taking a very stringent approach to the review process. The assessments are ongoing, and Transport Canada has yet to announce any approved ELD providers via it’s approved third party.

8. Which hardware will be supported?

Fleet Complete is committed to provide a variety of solutions to meet our diverse customer base and any sized fleet requirements. Our teams are working to prepare different hardware solutions for certification. You can be confident regarding the safety, functionality, and reporting accuracy of our devices.

9. Are there ELD Mandate Exemptions for Canada?

There are four main exemptions from ELDs listed in Canada Gazette Part 2.
Commercial motor vehicles will be exempt if:

They are operating under a permit from a provincial or territorial HOS director;
Have a statutory exemption;
They are subject to a rental agreement with terms being under 30 days;
They are operating a vehicle manufactured before 2000.

Other existing exemptions in Canada's SOR/2005-313 HOS that were not included in Gazette 2 are:

Truck, tractor, trailer or any combination of them that has a registered gross vehicle weight less than 4,500 kg;
Bus designed & constructed seating capacity of less than 10 persons, including the driver;
160 Km Radius short haul exemption.

Similarities

Potential similarities include, but are not limited to:

ELD synchronizes with the vehicle’s engine, and includes GPS tracking.
ELD captures driving time automatically, including unidentified driving.
ELD lets drivers use special driving statuses, Yard Move (YM) and Personal Use.
ELD has a mechanism to verify logs and agree to edits.
ELD has an on-screen display to show inspectors at roadside.
Both U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions can generate an output file for inspectors, but will be displayed in different formats.
Pre-2000 vehicles are exempt from the mandates.

Differences

There are some functional requirements that are different. Specifically, the Canadian ELD mandate:

Does not include a central system for inspectors to use at roadside like the eRODS system in the US. This means each province will be responsible for developing and deploying their own inspection mechanism.
Driver’s will have an option to email driver logs via an output file to an officer’s email to view during an inspection (province specific), in addition to showing the screen at roadside.
Does not require capturing the VIN number.
There is no self-registration/certification process for ELDs.
An exemption is included for rental vehicles used for less than 30 days.
Requires the ELD to accurately and concisely track and manage deferred OFF Duty time.
Requires the ELD allow a mechanism to enter hours captured elsewhere (for example, driving done for another company).
Requires the ELD to include HOS cycle details and allow drivers a mechanism to switch between them.

Similarities between the US and Canadian ELD mandate includes:

Canadian requirements have been largely aligned with those in the US to make cross-border operations easier. This allows carriers to use a single ELD solution in both countries, given that the ELD is approved in both countries.

Among the similarities, here are the main elements that must be well understood by users:

Automatic detection of driving status from 8 km/h.
Automatic return to “on duty” status after a 5-minute stop.
“Yard move” feature.
Diagnostics and defect management.
Unassigned driving management.
Change approval by drivers.
Driving status cannot be modified.
No grandfather clause in Canada

While the FMCSA gave a two-year transitioning period for carriers who were already using electronic recording devices to make a formal switch to ELDs in the US, Canada will not give a transition period.

ELD mandate outcomes that Canada can anticipate:

Detention times unchanged
Parking shortages
Better hours of service compliance
Roadside issues

ELD mandate Canada: Implementation

How BigRoad can help you on your path to compliance: The BigRoad solution provides the simplest and most worry-free path to compliance you will find. Why? BigRoad was specifically founded to address the hours-of-service requirements facing drivers and fleets. So, we have been at this a long time!
How to pick the best ELD solution for your business: Choosing a fleet management solution is a big decision that will impact your business for years to come. The right solution can simplify operations, reduce costs, and accelerate growth. The wrong solution can cause unnecessary headaches, leave your business at-risk, and restrict growth.

Key fleet management features to look for:

Compliance

Does your ELD solution comply with the Canadian ELD mandate?
Complete pre- and post-trip inspection reports?
File International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) reports?

GPS tracking

Do you have trailers, equipment, or other high-value assets?
Do you frequently call or email customers with driver ETA updates?
Do you need to know how long drivers or assets spend at a job site? Or when they arrive and leave a facility?

Safety