B.C. truckers given until Aug. 1 to adopt logging devices to combat driver fatigue

A big change is coming to the way the B.C. trucking industry logs driver hours.

As of Aug. 1, 2023, truck drivers will be required to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) to track the time they spend behind the wheel.

The province says the devices automatically record driving time and “accurately track hours of service and reduce the risk of incidents due to driver fatigue.”

The industry is being given several months to ensure the devices are installed on fleets and that training is completed.

“Using technology to ensure that commercial drivers aren’t on the road longer than they should be on a given day will protect their safety and the safety of others on B.C. highways,” said Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming. “It will also support a more efficient trucking industry, which is critical to keeping supplies moving across the province.”

Related article: Feds announce changes for commercial trucks, buses

In addition to logging hours, the B.C. government says ELDs will also reduce paperwork, “improving management of driver hours of service and reducing costs.”

“The BC Trucking Association is pleased that the province will bring into force a provincial ELD mandate, which will improve safety for all road users by increasing compliance with hours-of-service regulations,” Dave Earle, president and CEO of the BC Trucking Association, said.

“While there is no single fix for improved safety performance, a widespread requirement for technology that automates compliance and helps to promote effective safety programs will transform the industry for the better.”

In 2019, the federal government announced that it was going to make ELDs mandatory for all federally regulated commercial trucks and buses by June 2021 to replace paper logs.

The move followed a recommendation from a coroner’s inquest into the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash, which claimed the lives of 16 people.