Latest news on the implementation of the ELD mandate

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, May 4th, 2021 – The mandate, which in moment is limited to federally regulated transporters in Canada, requires that ELDs be certified by a recognized third party. As of today, the transportation industry is still waiting for the official announcement of the certified ELDs, including Geotab, which is in the middle of this certification process for its devices.

This requires a series of validations indicated in the technical standard that are laborious and complex, all with the aim of ensuring a high level of security and confidentiality of information.

In the meantime, Transport Canada recommends early adoption of ELDs, considering their many benefits: “Given the advantages of ELDs, it is important that the industry equip as many of its commercial vehicles with ELDs as soon as reasonably possible,” says Omar Alghabra, Minister of Transport.

Once the list of certified ELDs is announced, a transition period would have been recommended by the CTA, the AttriX team is waiting for an official announcement.

A different process from our neighbors

It is important to understand that the certification procedures and requirements include many differences between the two countries. The U.S. has a self-certification system, with approximately 670 ELDs and 430 suppliers in the market.

In Canada, before selecting an ELD, the carrier will need to verify with the device supplier that it meets all regulatory requirements and ELD technical specifications. At this time, only third party FPI Innovations has been contracted to perform the certification studies, and it is expected that others will be added to the list.

AttriX and Geotab awaiting certifications

Upon announcement in 2017, Geotab began the process of obtaining certification for its devices, but we do not know what other telematics vendors are doing the same at this time. In Canada, we estimate that about 5-15% of providers will be compliant with the requirements of the technical standard, as obtaining certification is costly and time-consuming. While waiting for this certification, AttriX technologies, powered by Geotab, still meet strict technical criteria in terms of cybersecurity, including FIPS 140-2 validation, FedRAMP certification, and ISO 27001.

Start your training

Until a future implementation date is announced, our team is ready to support and guide you through the process. Since the beginning of any transition to electronic logs starts with knowledge sharing and acquisition, plan your driver and administrator training now with our compliance team.

We will keep you informed of any developments.