The Canadian Trucking Alliance recently wrote the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Region V (Canadian jurisdictions), stressing the importance of graduated education for motor carriers and drivers as the trucking industry transitions to an electronic logging device (ELD) mandate and away from paper logbooks in Canada.
CTA wants the Government of Canada and all the provinces to move as expeditiously as possible in implementing a full ELD compliance regime nationwide by the end of Q4-2019.
In the meantime, CTA wants to avoid a repeat of the delays and ad-hoc exemption waivers that transpired in the United States after the December 2017 ELD compliance date and is calling for a Canadian-wide education and information sharing campaign on ELDs with industry to fully prepare in advance of the ELD mandate.
CTA envisions an effort that gradually introduces information on ELDs for both drivers and carriers through information gathering and education first and slowly transitioning to focus on drivers who continue to use paper logbooks and then to a hard enforcement date, whereby all drivers must comply with their hours of service obligations through ELDs.
To kick start this effort – perhaps beginning with CVSA’s RoadCheck campaign by end second quarter of this year – CTA would like to see drivers/carriers that are not in possession of an Electronic Recording Device (ERD) or an ELD to be handed an information pamphlet indicating the transition to ELDs is coming by the end of 2019 with appropriate information on where to find information on the new requirements.
“RoadCheck’s focus this year is on hours of service compliance so we believe this is a good fit to start the educational piece on ELDs in the Canadian jurisdictions,” said Geoff Wood, CTA’s senior VP of Policy.
Similar messaging could then be sent to fleets by the third quarter 2018 as part of their IRP and IFTA renewal packages issued by provincial licensing agencies. By the end of the year CTA recommends the campaign to gradually increase the number of Level III (driver only-paperwork) inspections that will focus on drivers still using paper logbooks.
“Planning and education between industry and our enforcement partners is key as we transition towards ELDs. By starting with a broad awareness piece, 18 months or so out followed by a plan that gets the right information to drivers and carriers on ELDs as we move toward the required compliance date, is a logical approach,” said Wood. “There are several things to consider during the ELD conversion and making everyone aware of the requirements well in advance of the compliance date sets up for a successful transition. Doing nothing on education and awareness shouldn’t be an option.”.
By end of Q1 2019, enforcement could begin to document in the remarks section of the commercial vehicle inspection report whether drivers are not in possession of an ERD or ELD. That should be followed with official warnings by Q2 2019 of the impending ELD compliance requirements, which can serve as a historical record that drivers and carriers have been made aware of the forthcoming ELD mandate.
CTA will be forming a committee of the board and team Canada elite supplier members to address these issues in concert with CCMTA and CVSA Region V. Work in this area will include clearly defining the differences between ELDs and electronic recording devices, understanding the accepted protocols for showing compliance during a roadside inspection, establishing consistent policies for fleets transitioning to ELDs in all Canadian jurisdictions as well as ensuring enforcement officials are addressing how to deal with potential emerging tactics that may be used to circumvent ELD systems.