On May 5, 2021 the Canadian Council of Motor Transportation Administrators (CCMTA) released an announcement providing details around the soft enforcement period, specifically highlighting that it will end on June 12, 2022. This deadline has since been extended to January 1, 2023. At the end of this period, drivers and carriers will be penalized for not using an ELD to record hours of service when required.
By investing in an ELD solution, cross-border and Canadian fleets can save money and time. ELDs are critical to business success and Geotab understands the importance of this.
In Canada, ELDs cannot be self-certified. Instead, Canadian ELDs need to be third-party certified. The certification can be done by an accredited organization that will make sure that the proper regulations set by the Canadian government are being followed.
However, in the U.S, ELDs are self-certified by the manufacturer and do not require a third-party approval. This means that vendors can self-certify their ELD but that does not necessarily mean they meet the requirements before certifications.
In Canada, the Technical Standard for Electronic Logging Devices outlines the requirements that are to be followed.
Geotab received third-party certification for its portfolio of electronic logging devices, confirming that they meet the requirements of Transport Canada’s ELD mandate. Read more about the certification.
Now that Geotab is certified, Geotab’s range of certified ELD hardware and software are posted on Transport Canada’s List of certified electronic logging devices.
The listing of each certified ELD also includes the following information:
Every year, ELDs in Canada will have to be retested for at least 25% of the tests.
Geotab’s ELD solutions include telematics hardware GO7, GO8, GO9 and GO9+, as well as its Geotab Drive mobile app for both Android and iOS devices. Geotab Drive has already implemented key features for Canadian fleets. One of the key updates is the new functionality of ELD data transfers in Canada.
In order to comply with Canadian ELD regulations, functionality for commercial vehicle drivers to transfer their compliance data at roadside inspections using an email service will become possible. To transfer data, drivers will enter an email address as well as any additional comments in the Drive App. The recipient will then receive an encrypted email with the driver’s compliance data in a CSV and PDF file of the compliance logs from the last retention period, which is usually 7-14 days depending on the ruleset. Refer to the Geotab Drive Compliance and Implementation Guide for more detailed information.
A majority of the changes for Canada exist within the development of the back-end software. For the driver, the experience will be very similar to their day-to-day use of the system in the U.S. or what users have already been accustomed to in Canada. The Geotab Driver Guides are available in English, Spanish (Latam) and French.
Many changes will continue to get implemented to enhance functionality for Canadian and cross border fleets. To learn more, view the latest Geotab Drive updates.
The process to become a certified Canadian ELD solution provider includes developing the features as required by the mandate, paying a fee to the certification body, testing hundreds of use cases with a real-world application and on-going yearly testing to maintain compliance.
Geotab is committed to making sure we have a solution that complies with Canadian regulations to support our customers.