The Canadian government has mandated the Council of Motor Transport Administrators to implement a National Safety Code standard for electronic onboard recorders, in respond to a request from the Canadian Trucking Alliance.


The Canadian Trucking Alliance first urged the government to consider an EOBR mandate in 2004. Following that, Transport Canada (the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Department of Transportation) published a discussion paper, outlining key findings on the impact of introducing the mandate in Canada.

The agency found that technology for electronic onboard recorders was readily available and affordable and that a somewhat high percentage of drivers do tend to forge logs. An electronic onboard recorder program could also improve road safety and compliance with the hours of service regulations, help solve privacy concerns and level the playing field amongst carriers, it said.

At that time, Canada wanted to wait for six months to see what the American government was going to do in terms of a mandate. But the rule on electronic onboard recorders, which was initially expected to be unveiled late last year, was stalled when President Obama took office. The final rule was expected to be a precursor to a universal mandate.

The conventional wisdom in the industry is that a universal mandate in the U.S. is in the pipeline, according to the Canadian Trucking Alliance. This feeling prompted the organization to move forward, writing to John Baird, federal transport minister.

"Had Canada, for example, adopted a wait and see approach to the federal hours of service regulations, we would not have achieved one of the more constructive aspects of both the Canadian and U.S. regulations -- the voluntary rest and recovery provision, which was developed and proposed by CTA in the early 1990s," said David Bradley, CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance. "And, we would not have the flexibility we have under Canada's sleeper berth provisions."

Bradley is realistic about the challenges ahead in creating a national standard.

"No one, least of all CTA, discounts the amount of consultation and work that will be required," he said. "We do not under-estimate the significant challenges an EOBR mandate imposes on industry and government. It is essential that there be a smooth, orderly transition and implementation that allows industry and government the time to adjust and puts in place mechanisms and policies to deal effectively with concerns over costs, enforcement policy, etc."