Some cross-border fleets are mistakenly under the impression that their ELDs are compliant with Canada’s upcoming third-party certification requirement, according to Kerri Wirachowksy, director of the Roadside Inspection Program at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
As CCJ magazine reports, Wirachowsky explained that most US carriers currently do not meet the new Canadian regulation, starting June 12, which will require carriers to use ELDs that have been third-party certified by a Canada-approved certification body. A soft enforcement period will follow for an undetermined period of time during which law enforcement will not issue citations but instead inform drivers of the need to switch to the new third-party platform.
Of the 600 or so ELDs listed on the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s website, Wirachowsky said none have been certified. However, some fleets are under the impression their ELDs are ready for the transition, reports CCJ.
“Right now there is not one certified ELD for Canada and I talk to carriers and they say, ‘Oh no, our ELD is good to go to Canada,’” Wirachowsky said. “No, it’s not. It is today. It won’t be after June 12th.”
Once ELDs meet third-party certification requirements, they’ll be posted on Transport Canada’s website.
FPInnovations spokesman Jan Michaelsen said Canada’s progressive enforcement period will “give sufficient time for industry to obtain and install certified electronic logging devices without penalty.”
Given the lackluster interest in third party certification, Michaelsen said “a great majority of the ELD vendors will presumably not be looking to certify in Canada” and recommended that U.S. fleets and owner-operators contact their current ELD providers with the following questions:
- Will you adapt/modify/program your ELD to be compliant with Canadian ELD and HOS rules? The adaptation is not a simple task and can take several months.
- If so, what are their plans to get third party certification? Have they applied to FPInnovations for certification?
- If so, have they signed a contract and submitted devices for testing?
Mike Ahart, vice-president of regulatory affairs at Omnitracs, also recommended contacting ELD providers and provided some talking points to help determine if an ELD provider is actually a safe bet for the Canadian market.
“Have a conversation about, ‘What roles are you playing in the Canadian ELD? In other words, what Canadian associations are you members of? How long have you been actively involved in the Canadian ELD? What education material have you published to your website and have you performed webinars for customers and clients to demonstrate your knowledge and level of understanding of the ELD? And finally, do you understand the process for certification and have you committed to the nearly $50,000 fee it’s going to cost to certify a device?’”
Full story here.