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In pursuit of that goal, OTDS is working with ZOOM Video Communications Inc. to deliver the theory classroom segment of our vocational program as ‘Distance Education’. Students will be able to participate in this online classroom experience with an instructor. All they require is a laptop, desktop, or smartphone. The Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities has approved this mode of training to ensure students continue to receive education during this temporary interruption to normal operations.

Those students choosing to participate in distance education may have a head-start on their training, potentially reducing their wait times to road test. New students are permitted to register and begin training with distance education, before proceeding to practical training upon resuming normal operations.

Please see below for Zoom web conference tutorials.

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Participate in this new educational platform, let’s work together to achieve your career goals!

The industry caught a glimpse of the progress in late February when Transport Canada issued a note to ELD suppliers signaling the logistics of the certification regime is close to being completed and a final review of the ELD test plan will wrap up in a few weeks. This morning, additional information was posted by Transport Canada to its website with respect to general ELD information, the accreditation process for certification bodies and what ELD manufacturers / suppliers need to know at this stage.

The Gazette II notice issued by Transport Canada laid out a 12 month-time frame for addressing the complex certification process and then another 12-months for the rollout of the certified ELD software.

A preliminary draft of the test procedures was circulated immediately following the June announcement to a number of ELD suppliers who have been involved in the Canadian regulatory development since day-one and the most recent document sent to a wider group outlines detailed step-by-step testing requirements by which certification bodies will test devices and verify compliance with the ELD technical standard. The consultation package will also include suggested testing protocols (simulation, benchtop, in-vehicle, etc).

“The Canadian Trucking Alliance welcomes the news that Transport Canada is getting closer to opening up the certification process and sending a message to the industry that we are making progress and moving forward,” said CTA’s Senior VP, Policy Geoff Wood.

While governments have been hard at work on the technical standard, CTA has been working with the ELD supplier community on a communication strategy to promote early preparedness of the ELD mandate so ELD vendors can reassure carriers they will be ready with approved equipment and technical support. The focus of this strategy is that carriers work with their ELD vendors to secure a commitment stating the suppliers fully intend to have their ELD product offerings in Canada third-party certified to the Canadian regime. The commitment is key for carriers to understand their ELD suppliers will support them as the industry transitions to this important technology.

“By working with ELD suppliers that are committed to the Canadian process, carriers don’t need to wait until the last minute to address electronic HOS compliance,” said Wood. “They can begin working with suppliers now to install equipment, which can be updated when the hours-of-service software is certified, and begin training their staff to raise awareness with their shipping customers on the impact ELDs will have on the supply chain.” 

Once the ELD rule goes into effect across Canada in June of 2021, only devices certified and subsequently listed on TC’s website will be deemed compliant for use by federally-regulated motor carriers and their drivers in Canada.

The government also delivered on another CTA request by establishing a Certification Stakeholder Advisory Committee to ensure the technical standard can be reviewed on an evergreen basis to keep pace with the ever-changing world of electronics and to ensure any future non-compliant ELD designs are addressed. This group will provide an open and transparent venue for stakeholders to provide input to the certification regime. 

An article published in the Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) over the summer highlighted the impact the third-party mandate in Canada will have on ELD suppliers and potential issues that could test the credibility of some self-certified ELDs in the U.S.

“The FMCSA registry currently has 430 devices listed. Each is “self-certified” by the developer to be in compliance with the specifications of the ELD rule. Some ELD providers have registered multiple devices to meet the different needs in segments of the trucking industry, from fleets to owner-operators. At present, the market share of ELD providers in the United States is primarily concentrated among 14 companies,” the article stated.  

Meanwhile, a lawsuit in the U.S. is shining a light on ELDs that can be manipulated to sidestep hours-of service rules – a development which could further magnify the self-certifying regime in the U.S. as well as the importance of third-party certification in Canada. The lawsuit filed by a Tennessee trucker accuses shipping giant Amazon and one of its freight partners of ‘coercing’ him into exceeding hours of service rules. The driver claims the company would by “routinely edit” his ELD to make it look like he was operating within hours of service regulations.

With TC’s ELD weblink now live there will be a single source location for all developments on the transition to ELDs in Canada. The next phase of the website will include information for motor carriers, drivers, enforcement and generally people involved in cross-border transportation. The tables with the registry of accredited certification bodies and listing of certified ELDs are there as place markers for now and will be populated as information becomes available.

Source: CTA News Release

The Ontario government has announced some recent changes to emission testing relating to their environmental plan. Please click the link above for more details.

December 16, 2019

ARLINGTON, Va. – Driver turnover at large truckload fleets hit its highest level since 2015, according to the American Trucking Associations (ATA).

“So far this year, the turnover rate at large truckload fleets is up 10 percentage points,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “The extreme tightening of the driver market – driven by solid freight demand – will continue to challenge fleets looking for qualified drivers.”

For the first half of 2018, driver turnover at large truckload fleets was 96%, on pace to be the highest year for turnover since 2013. Meanwhile, turnover at small truckload fleets was 72%.

“There is something happening with turnover at these smaller fleets,” Costello said. “The driver market remains tight across the truckload sector, but the turnover rate at these smaller carriers is down 14 points from the same time last year. Like large carriers, small truckload carriers have been aggressively raising pay this year, which has helped their turnover rate level off.”

Driver turnover at LTL fleets rose 4% to 14%, reaching the highest mark since the first quarter of 2013.

“While much lower than the truckload sector, seeing this kind of jump in the LTL market tells me that this sector is struggling with drivers more than in the recent past,” Costello said, “and suggests the industry’s issues finding qualified drivers are continuing to deepen across the board.”

CTA and other stakeholders hoped that Canada Gazette II dealing with the final ELD rule would have been published by now. The main reason for the delay, though, is a policy decision to retain qualified third parties to verify ELD devices in the marketplace meet regulatory requirements, rather than allowing ELD suppliers to self-certify their equipment complies with the technical standards being developed by the Canadian Council of Transport Administrators’ (CCMTA).

The current definition of Electronic Recording Devices (ERD), outlined in the Canadian truck driver hours-of-service regulations, allows editing of drive time; whereas an ELD built to the new standard does not. ELDs have many additional requirements to ensure factual and accurate information about a driver’s hours of service are captured.

Last week CTA’s board of directors voted unanimously to amend its position from self-certification to third-party certification. Assisting in that decision was a presentation by representatives of the insurance firm the Guarantee Company of North America demonstrated how easily certain self-certified ELD devices for the US market (where self-certification is permitted) can be edited to amend the hours of service record for a driver.

“Our preliminary investigation shows multiple self-certified devices in the U.S. marketplace have the capability to allow fleets and drivers to edit hours of service, specifically drive time. We believe there are thousands of these units installed in trucks currently travelling cross-border into the United States,” says Angelique Magi, National VP of Transportation and Strategic Initiatives. “While we can’t speak for other insurers, I can tell you that when we discover these for devices within a customer’s fleet, we require they remove these devices or risk having their insurance cancelled mid-term for not meeting the US Federal Regulations.”

Consequently, CTA also called for the final ELD rule to include punitive federal and provincial penalties for aftermarket tampering of third party-certified ELD equipment.

CTA has been informed by several ELD and insurance providers that third-party certification requirements are already developed for the most part. Therefore, government officials should not be using the policy change to third party certification as an excuse to significantly delay implementation of the final rule, said CTA president Stephen Laskowski.

“Both Transport Canada and the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety are strongly committed to getting this rule on the road and we hope they will work directly with the ELD suppliers to expedite the publishing of Gazette II,” he said.

Furthermore, the CTA Board unanimously amended its position regarding the ELD transition period to 12 months from the publishing of Gazette II as well as eliminating the grandfathering provision for Electronic Recording Devices (ERDs), which would effectively harmonize the Jan. 20120 start date of the Canadian rule with that of the United States.

“This outcome would be highly desirable for road safety and ensuring the continued efficient transportation of US-Canada trade,” said Laskowski. “Since provincial enforcement officials are already dealing with ELDs on over half of the trucks in Canada, an accelerated implementation-enforcement schedule with a third-party certification system is absolutely achievable.”

In their official communication, the premiers stated:

“Some differences in provincial and territorial regulations may be appropriate to address local safety considerations but the trucking industry has raised some differences in regulations that can constitute barriers to fair competition and effective trade. Examples of barriers include restrictions on the use of wide base single tires, size and weight restrictions, and an area for future cooperation, electronic logging devices.”

The statement released by the premiers is meant to provide leadership guidance to the work of the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table (RRCT) established under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement to break down trade and regulatory barriers.

“The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) applauds the premiers for taking leadership on these important issues in our sector. We look forward to working with the RRCT and other government bodies to address these matters,” said CTA president Stephen Laskowski.

The premiers have also recognized CTA’s request to ensure that all provinces duplicate ELD requirements for intraprovincial fleets across Canada:

“As provinces and territories consider mandating for intraprovincial travel, a consistent in approach will enable more accurate monitoring of a drivers’ HOS, enhance road safety, and provide a level and competitive playing field for all carriers,” the communication states.

“ELDs ensure the highest level of compliance with federal hours of service rules for truck drivers, so the quicker we get them in every truck that currently requires a paper log book the better and safer we’ll be as an industry,” said Laskowski. “We want to see an ELD rule enforced on every commercial truck in Canada by 2020. Hopefully, this announcement by the premiers will remove any barriers which might have been in the way of achieving that timeline.”

The premiers also addressed single, wide-based tires by identifying a series of patchwork regulations and barriers for trucking companies wanting to use this fuel-efficient technology, as well as noting the many different spring weight restrictions across each province.