The Canadian ELD Mandate is a fact of life for most drivers and trucking companies. This article presents some guidelines on how to choose ELD devices, how to stay on top of a trucking company and driver regulatory needs, who must comply with the ELD Mandate, trucking exemptions, and the ELD compliance timeline. HOS247 products provide complete electronic solutions for trucking fleets and owner-operators alike. The HOS247 family of products are designed to comply with the Mandate throughout the timeline, as well as other services such as GPS tracking, IFTA mileage reporting, and dispatch automation software.
What is an ELD
Carriers and fleets will soon be required to use an electronic logging device (ELD) to monitor driving hours. An ELD connects to the control module of a commercial vehicle and logs crucial duty service information such as distance, time worked and length of breaks. Along with the added HOS compliance benefits, use of an ELD improves driver safety, minimizes costly paperwork with the use of a central log management system and limits unfair competition.
These electronic loggers will be certified by the third-party organization to ensure that no ELD can be tampered with to violate regulations. The not-for-profit research group claims their accreditation process is rigorous so truckers will have the utmost confidence in the e-loggers they attach to their commercial vehicles.
A commercial vehicle driver shouldn’t be concerned about cracking down on hours of service using ELDs if they are not currently violating the HOS rules by improperly logging their hours. The ELD mandate includes no changes to the number of hours truckers are allowed to work, and it only helps enforce the pre-existing limits. In fact, in the absence of paper logs, the use of electronic logbooks will instead lighten the load for truckers due to lower admin responsibilities.
The compliance deadline is creeping up, but with the easy-to-install and simple to use nature of these devices, truckers can swiftly install electronic logging devices to ensure quick compliance before the deadline.
How to Choose an ELD System
Choosing, buying, and using an ELD system is essential, because drivers can be pulled over and stopped unless they have compliant systems. However, there are a lot of competing systems on the market today. Many options make it difficult to choose the one that best fits the needs of your trucking company or owner-operators.
Survey
Check out reviews of any product on the market. What are its strengths and weaknesses? Make sure that it is a right fit before you sign the paperwork to buy.
Simplicity
Is the product easy to use for drivers, dispatchers, and administration? If the product is too difficult to use, it will be another system of expensive hardware and software to gather dust. Rather than help your company meet its productivity goals, it will be a drag on the bottom line.
Support
If drivers, dispatchers, or administrators have a problem and they call the helpline to reach a top-rated live support team? Most people would much rather speak to a person than a robot.
The HOS247 Solution
HOS247 is a leader providing solutions for the ELD compliance. It is a complete system that provides electronic logging automatically, containing a logbook app and logging device. It works with the driver’s own smartphone system. The logging device installs within minutes, using Bluetooth systems to connect with the driver’s own smartphone or tablet. Hours of Service (HOS) for driving time, miles and locations are calculated automatically. Transport Canada inspections are a snap, as the drivers can simply show their daily logs to an inspector, providing a transparent level of detail. The systems are reliable, and no contract is required to start service. HOS247 provides exceptional customer service, with operators who speak your language, whether that language is English, Spanish, Russian, or Polish.
Canadian ELD Mandate and Timeline
Similar to the electronic logging device mandate created by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the United States, the Canadian ELD Mandate was created in an effort to keep drivers safe on the road, in addition to a variety of other benefits. Through the federal government, Transport Canada will require certain commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers to cease using paper logs to record their hours of service (HOS), and instead use an electronic logging device (ELD) that is approved by Transport Canada. An electronic logging device can be connected to a vehicle’s diagnostic port, where it automatically collects data used to process drivers’ records of duty status (RODS) as well as other information collected by the engine.
As for the series of events that lead to the implementation of the Canadian ELD Mandate and its enforcement, details are as follows:
- On Dec. 16, 2017, the Government of Canada published “Regulations Amending the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (Electronic Logging Devices and Other Amendments)” in the Canada Gazette.
- On June 13, 2019, The announcement was made by Transport Canada that it will be requiring commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and bus drivers to use electronic logging devices after a two-year period for comments and concerns.
- By June 12, 2021, certain CMV drivers and bus drivers who operate in extra-provincial commerce must use electronic logging devices. Transport Canada will enforce the usage of a registered ELD for applicable fleets.
As ELDs are manufactured by different providers, not all ELDs have the same features. Depending on the needs of a fleet, carriers should take time to research an ELD solution that will work best for them, far before the June 12 deadline.
Who is affected by the ELD Mandate?
The ELD Mandate applies to most federally regulated commercial drivers operating within Canada. Drivers that operate within provincial borders are not required by law to transition from paper logs to using ELDs. It is only once a driver actively crosses provincial borders he then is a subject to federal regulations and thus must comply with the ELD Mandate.
For example, a hauler operating within Quebec would be subject to the rules of that province and not the federal rules as a whole. Say, if a driver ran a regular route hauling timber from Trois-Rivières to Montréal, then he would not be affected by the ELD Mandate. However, once that same driver crosses the border to Ottawa, he would be required to comply, and would face penalties if he was not using an ELD to track his hours of service.
Electronic Logbook Must Support Trucking Exemptions
There are some exemptions to the ELD Mandate and if a driver meets any of the following criteria, he would not need to use an ELD.
Exemptions:
- If a driver holds a statutory exemption to the HOS rules or the mandate itself.
- If a driver holds a permit from a provincial or territorial HOS director.
- If a vehicle was manufactured before the year 2000, and ELD may be unsafe in it.
- If a driver is renting his vehicle for a period less than 30 days.
- A driver returns to his home terminal each day to commence a minimum of eight consecutive hours off duty.
- Operations are limited to within a 160km radius of the home terminal.
Other HOS247 Features
Fleet operators, drivers, and owner-operators agree that the HOS247 system is the best for automatic hours of service (HOS) solution. Transport Canada inspections are quick and easy, as all that drivers must do is show logs to an officer. Vehicle inspection reports are completed electronically. Multiple HOS rules are stored within the system, ensuring that drivers will follow the law no matter when and where the route takes them.
The HOS247 system also has other features designed to keep fleets of any size running smoothly and efficiently. In addition to the ELD services HOS247 GPS Fleet Tracking system allows to track where each driver is located and how far they are from their destination. With HOS availability, it is easier to plan routes and get shipments to customers on time. Electronic maps mean that drivers and loads find their way, even when the roads are unfamiliar.
Drivers no longer must save paper receipts from every time and place they fuel. The IFTA mileage reports are computed and stored electronically with the ELD system. Drivers can keep records of their own fueling with the automatic system. Automatic reporting of the state mileage is both effective and efficient.
With the HOS247 family of electronic solutions, the complex process of dispatching is streamlined. Dispatchers know where drivers are along the routes so they can organize and increase the jobs the company can handle. All jobs can be tracked and located throughout the service area. Buy the ELD system from HOS247, and discover how the electronic solutions will work for fleets of any size.
I’ve co-founded, built and managed several transportation-related businesses. Now, I’m a founder and CEO of HOS247 – an AI Transportation Platform for trucking companies, freight brokers and other logistics operations. We are transitioning old-style operations to technology-advanced logistics entities and help them to grow their businesses. ELDs (electronic logging devices), fleet tracking and management 2.0 combined with AI-powered dispatch tools.
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