Industry Business Advisor — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Learn about the notable differences between the Canadian and US mandate rules.
Written by:
Mark Samber
Industry Business Advisor — J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Canada’s electronic logging device (ELD) mandate was adopted on June 12, 2019, and is effective for all federally-regulated carriers.
The Canadian mandate closely follows the U.S. rules and operability requirements, which was a very intentional move by Transport Canada. Regulators and industry knew that Canada’s mandate must closely follow the U.S. rules to avoid disrupting cross-border transportation and the movement of goods across the border.
While the ELD operability requirements are very similar, there are a few notable differences between each country’s regulations. A few of the more prominent differences between the two countries are described below.
Canada | United States | |
---|---|---|
Implementation | Implementation June 2021, no grandfathering provisions | Mandate adopted Dec. 2015; mandate effective Dec. 2017; grandfathering for carriers using AOBRDs ended Dec. 2019 |
Certification | ELD 3rd party certification | ELD provider self-certification |
Exemptions | Limited exemptions for: drivers operating under a permit or statutory exemption; drivers operating a rental CMV for 30 days or less; drivers operating CMVs manufactured before the year 2000 | Drivers operating a rental CMV for 8 days or less; pre-2000 exemption is the same as Canada; also, multiple industry/situational exemptions |
Notifications | Compliance with the limits must be tracked, and the driver must be warned 30 minutes before reaching a limit | U.S. devices must only record; no warning required |
Malfunctions | 14 days to replace or, if the trip is longer than 14 days, upon return to the terminal; carrier must keep records of malfunctions | Up to 8 days allowed, no recordkeeping requirement |
Roadside Inspection Enforcement | Display or print the record of duty status; email records upon request by enforcement. Bluetooth/USB transfer is an option, not mandatory | Display or printout or Bluetooth/USB/web/email is required (must transfer using one of 4 methods.) Email direct to officer is not an option. |
North of 60N | Device must have the ability to change when crossing 60N (to Yukon and Northwest Territories) | Not applicable |
Read the Canadian hours of service and electronic logging device mandate FAQs.
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