Despite concerns about the lack of certified electronic logging devices in Canada with a June deadline looming, the Canadian Trucking Alliance this week said the third-party system to certify ELD devices for the Canadian market is entering high gear.

The CTA is “strongly encouraging” Canadian carriers currently not operating electronic logging devices to meet with vendors and select their preferred system ahead of June 12. U.S. motor carriers that operate trucks across the border into Canada also will need to make sure they have ELD devices certified by Canadian rules.

The association said there are more than a dozen vendors engaged in various stages of the certification process. Some vendors in the process have even submitted multiple devices for certification, guaranteeing carriers operating in Canada have a "plethora of certified devices to select from" as the mandate approaches, CTA officials said.

This is in contrast to recent reports that with only one entity so far approved to certify Canadian ELDs, FPInnovations of Pointe Claire, Quebec, and no devices actually certified as yet, that motor carriers on both sides of the border would be in a tough place trying to meet the deadline.

Several ELD suppliers have issued announcements to assure Canada’s trucking industry that they will have devices ready to comply with the June 12 deadline.

Many U.S. ELDs may not be certified, given there are hundreds of devices in use in this country. Some estimates project that only about 10 to 15% of the ELD suppliers currently producing product for the U.S. market will even attempt to certify in Canada.

The CTA recommends carriers “complete their due diligence on various operating systems” so that once these systems are certified, carriers can make informed decisions in a timely manner for their onboarding process, officials said in a press release.

Phased-in Enforcement

In early March, the Canadian government announced that due to COVID-19, it would implement a phased-in enforcement approach, saying "we will work together on the successful and effective implementation of a progressive enforcement period."

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators has established a committee to develop an enforcement strategy to address the Canadian government’s electronic logging device mandate that will be federally regulated this June.

In February, the Canadian Trucking Alliance submitted a 12-month progressive enforcement strategy to CCMTA that would allow the enforcement community to deal with carriers operating paper logs and ELDs as the mandate takes shape starting in June, CTA President Stephen Laskowski said. The Private Motor Truck Council of Canada also has been pushing for a phased-in enforcement period.