So many Canadian cross-border carriers are simply not ready for the ELD Mandate of December 18, 2017, as many carriers are under the impression that enforcement begins in April of 2018. This common belief is confusing the shippers, some are even suggesting that the mandate will be overturned.
The mandate is real and will be enforced as of December 18, 2017, Collin Mooney executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has clearly stated. He added to not expect “soft enforcement” and warned that violations and citations will be written, “there is no delayed enforcement,” he said at ATA annual management conference on Oct. 21.
Carriers and drivers alike are confused by the out of service grace period from Dec.18, 2017, to April 1, 2018. During this grace period a driver will not be put out of service, however, citations, violations, and warnings will be written.
Amidst this confusion about enforcement times, there are numerous owner-operators’ who are falling far behind with their adoption status of elogs. According to Overdrive magazine, 26 per cent are not ready or unsure, while a whole seven per cent are willing to “take a chance with violations and fines, remaining non-complaint until the April 1 out-of-service enforcement date.”
Effective December 18, 2017 all vehicles without an ELD caught at an inspection will be written up and given 8 days’ notice to install an approved electronic log device. To be clear it will only apply to that particular unit and not the whole fleet. Full fleet enforcement will begin April 1, 2018.
Between confusion and ignorance, the impending electronic logging mandate date seems to be that out of a fiction piece. But we can assure you, it is real and extremely important to have your ducks in a row come December 18th to avoid violations and fines.
Dills, T. (2017, December 5). ELDs: What to expect form enforcement as the mandate descends. Retrieved from https://www.overdriveonline.com
Menzies, J. (2017, December). ELD Day. Truck News, 37(11), 1,8.