Canadian authorities have announced that their country’s commercial vehicle drivers will be required to use Electronic Logging Device (ELD) technology within the next two years.
On Thursday, June 13, Minister of Transport Marc Garneau announced that Canada will be mandating the use of electronic logging devices by federally regulated commercial truck and bus operators.
The new ELD requirement will replace paper log books and will go into effect on June 12, 2021.
Officials say that the switch from paper logs to ELDs was made to cut down on driver fatigue and prevent crashes like the one involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, which resulted in multiple fatalities.
Authorities say that the use of ELDs will also cut down on the administrative burdens required to enforce Canadian Hours of Service regulations while supporting economic growth with the U.S. due to the fact that the required devices will be compatible with American Department of Transportation requirements. Transport Canada says that “Canadian and U.S. operators can use the same logging device in both countries.”
“These new mandatory logging devices in commercial vehicles will improve safety for drivers and for all Canadians. Collaboration with stakeholders and partners was key to putting these regulations in place. I thank my provincial and territorial colleagues in helping to develop this technical standard, and look forward to them introducing this requirement for operators within their jurisdictions. We know that fatigue increases the risks of accidents and that is why we are taking action across all modes of transportation,” said Garneau.
Transport Canada estimates that industry-wide use of ELD devices will reduce fatigue-related crashes by about 10%.