After a delay of several months, Quebec will soon be joining the rest of Canada in enforcing the country’s new electronic logging device mandate.
According to a report from The Canadian Press, an ELD will be required on heavy vehicles traveling through the province beginning April 30.
Canada’s ELD mandate took effect in June 2021, but jurisdictions planned no penalties or hard enforcement for the first year. Then in March 2022, enforcement was postponed until Jan. 1, 2023.
Since the start of the new year, the use of ELDs has been mandatory in most Canadian provinces and territories. However, citing “administrative delays,” Quebec chose to postpone its enforcement until June 1, 2023.
According to the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, “to make mandatory the use of the ELD mandate in Quebec, amendments are required to the Highway Safety Code and the requirements of the federal regulation must be incorporated into the regulation respecting the hours of driving and rest of heavy vehicle drivers.”
That process took several months to iron out. The agency added the process was further delayed by October’s provincial election.
Marc Cadieux, president and CEO of the Quebec Trucking Association, said the delays in ELD enforcement have been counterproductive to carriers being prepared for the mandate.
“The tendency of delaying offered a negative message to carriers that are not yet equipped with ELDs,” Cadieux told Truck News. “They say ‘they are going to postpone this again so I don’t need to buy these devices right now,’” Cadieux said.
Under the new regulation, carriers will be required to equip all trucks with an ELD that meets the technical standard requirements. Exceptions are made for commercial vehicles that meet these criteria:
- Operated by a motor carrier under a permit.
- Operated by a motor carrier to which an exemption has been issued under the act.
- The subject of a rental agreement of no longer than 30 days that is not an extended or renewed rental of the same vehicle.
- Manufactured before model year 2000.
The regulations require truckers to keep daily logs for the past 14 days at all times. Additionally, companies are required to keep the logs in each driver’s file for at least six months.