The safety of the travelling public is our absolute top priority, and that includes the care and operation of commercial vehicles on BC highways. While commercial vehicle operators in BC have long been required to keep records of their hours of work and rest to be sure they aren’t driving over legal time limits, new regulations effective August 1, 2023, will modernize and simplify the record keeping process. This electronic logging device (ELD) requirement is intended to help prevent fatigue-related incidents and ensure the validity of drivers’ hours of service (HOS) records.
Mandating ELDs marks a major modernization milestone of the long-standing requirement to keep daily logs. By leveraging technology, we hope to make it easier for drivers and carriers to know they are in compliance with the regulations, which in turn will make BC highways safer for all drivers.
For general information regarding the provincial ELD mandate, please refer to NSC Bulletin #01-2023 on www.cvse.ca.
What is happening?
Effective August 1, 2023, most commercial vehicle operators will be required to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track their hours of work and rest.
If you need to use a daily log to record your hours of service, as of August 1, 2023 you’ll need to be using ELDs to create your record of duty status for each day unless you are exempt.
How did we get here?
In June, 2021, updates to the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (CVDHOSR) came into force, requiring commercial motor vehicle operators who cross provincial borders and territories to begin enforcing an ELD mandate on January 1, 2023. On February 13, 2023, the BC Government announced a plan for implementation and enforcement of a provincial ELD mandate which effectively mirrors current federal requirements.
What are ELDs?
The federal CVDHOSR and BC’s MVAR Division 37 define an ELD as “…a device or technology that automatically records a driver’s driving time and facilitates the recording of the driver’s record of duty status, and that is certified by an accredited certification body…”.
ELDs automatically record driving time in commercial vehicles. The devices connect to a vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM), making it easier to track and manage a driver’s hours of work and rest. The use of an ELD makes the record keeping a driver must do easier and also makes it easier for businesses to ensure their drivers stay inside legally allowed driving hours.
To be certified for use in Canada, ELDs must be displayed on the list maintained by Transport Canada. You can search for your device based on its certification number to ensure it is a certified device.
If you already have an ELD for trips into the US, make sure your device is certified for use in Canada and is on Transport Canada’s list. Being on the FMCSA’s list of certified devices for the US does not mean the device is considered an ELD in Canada. Did you know? The technical standards for ELDs in Canada and the US are different from Europe and do not record the vehicle’s speed. They record similar information to what a driver has always been required to record in their daily log.
Who is exempt?
A compliance circular published on August 1, 2023 grants a limited list of exemptions from ELDs. Please note: if you are operating outside of BC, the only ELD exemptions that apply are those that are available under s.77 (1) of the federal CVDHOSR. It is a carrier’s responsibility to ensure their drivers are able to comply with the federal ELD mandate when they are outside of BC.
This is another important step the ministry is taking toward improving commercial vehicle safety on BC highways. Other examples include enhancing road safety include the speed limiter mandate and Mandatory Entry Level Training (MELT) introduced in fall 2021.
Do you have specific questions about ELDs in BC? Please contact the NSC program office directly at NSC@gov.bc.ca or 250-952-0576.
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Hi there. I’m not sure if this is the appropriate page to inquire but I am wondering if I am able to drive a truck in BC with an Ontario truck license (AZ).
Hello there,
Thanks for connecting with us here. We would recommend you reach out to the Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch with your question. You can contact them CVSEgeneralinquiry@gov.bc.ca or at 250-952-0577.
why is there nothing you can get for exemption when running soil from a large dig site and is designated to a certain facility that is past the 160km local driver distance? our fleet generally is within that distance, but every so often we have to haul for a few days past> so now we can only send a driver once every 14 days. there is not much point in putting eld’s in our fleet.
Hello Chris,
Thanks for connecting with us. We would recommend reaching out to Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch directly with your question at CVSEgeneralinquiry@gov.bc.ca or 250-952-0577.
my pickup truck is insured at 10500kg GCVWR requiring an nsc# and inspections, ect. Now when I use that truck to take my family camping, towing my small rv, do I need the elv thing put in? all the info I could find said that “any vehicle requiring an nsc and traveling more than 160kms is required to have an elv.
Hi Tom, thanks for connecting with us here. If your vehicle requires an NSC safety certificate, and ELD is required unless you are operating with a 160km radius of your home or are eligible for an exemption. If you have any further questions, please contact our NSC program office at 250-952-0576, or NSC@gov.bc.ca. More detailed information about ELD exemptions are available in Compliance Circular 03-2023.
Yeah because a computer knows when I’m tired. What a joke.
Instead of pulling over and going to sleep it’s a race against the clock. You’re going to see more tired drivers, more substance abuse, and more speeding. Dispatch will see trucks aren’t moving and crack the whip.
There’s always unintended consequences.
We’ve seen this by seeing what goes on in the US.
The big offenders will just have a second license and login anyway.
Hi Brent, thanks for connecting with us here. We forwarded your comment along to our CVSE colleagues, and they have shared this reply:
“ELDs are not intended to know when a driver is tired. They help facilitate a driver recording their hours of service and help carriers be more aware of how many hours a driver has available.
ELDs also help CVSE officers to ensure carriers and drivers are being compliant with the hours of service rules by making it harder to create inaccurate records. If someone is found to be deliberately falsifying a driver’s log, the amended regulations now allow an officer to consider issuing an appearance notice for the offence and seeking a fine of up to $2000.
If drivers are being pushed to drive when they are tired even if they are compliant with the hours of service requirements, CVSE follows up on every complaint received and is willing to receive anonymous complaints. Please email NSC@gov.bc.ca or call 1-888-775-8785.”