ELD mandate in Canada: federal rules and each province

Canada's ELD mandate applies to federally regulated carriers: those whose trucks or buses cross a provincial, territorial or international border. Since June 12, 2021, the federal hours-of-service regulations have required them to record hours on an electronic logging device certified by an accredited third party, and provinces began issuing penalties on January 1, 2023. Whether a carrier that never leaves its province needs one is a provincial question, and the answers differ.

This guide covers the federal rule, certification, the hours an ELD enforces, a table for every province and territory, and what changes when a Canadian truck crosses into the U.S. The worked example is R. Diaz's Tuesday on load 48213, Mississauga ON to Joliet IL. Nothing here is legal advice; the regulations and your provincial regulator decide.

Who has to use an ELD in Canada?

The rule is in the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313), as amended by SOR/2019-165. Section 77(1) requires a motor carrier to equip each commercial vehicle it operates with an ELD that meets the Technical Standard, mounted in a fixed position and visible to the driver.

The regulations define a motor carrier as one operating an extra-provincial truck or bus undertaking. A commercial vehicle is a truck, tractor or trailer, or a combination, registered over 4,500 kg, or a bus built to seat more than 10 people, driver included. Transport Canada's ELD handout puts it plainly: if you travel between provinces or across the border and must keep a record of duty status "even occasionally," you need an ELD. U.S. drivers operating in Canada must use a device on Transport Canada's list too.

ELDs became mandatory on June 12, 2021. Enforcement belongs to the provinces and territories, and through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators they agreed to a period of education and awareness to January 1, 2023, without penalties. A Transport Canada Question Period note from January 2023 confirms that date.

What are the exemptions?

Section 77 of the regulations lists them:

• The 160 km radius. The driver stays within 160 km of the home terminal, returns there each day to begin at least 8 consecutive hours off duty, and the carrier keeps records of the driver's cycle and on-duty times for at least 6 months. Leave the radius once and the ELD is needed.
• Permits and exemptions. Vehicles operated under a permit, or by a carrier holding an exemption under the Motor Vehicle Transport Act.
• Short rentals. A rental agreement of 30 days or less that isn't an extended or renewed rental of the same vehicle.
• Older vehicles. Vehicles manufactured before model year 2000. Transport Canada's handout adds that a 2000-or-newer vehicle with a pre-2000 engine isn't exempt.

Exempt vehicles still need paper records of duty status under section 81, unless the 160 km rule also applies.

How are ELDs certified, and what if a certification is revoked?

Canada doesn't accept self-certification. Both the hardware and the software or app must be tested and certified by a third-party certification body accredited by the Minister of Transport, against the ISO/IEC 17065 standard (section 79). Transport Canada partnered with the Standards Council of Canada to run that accreditation, according to its Question Period note. The registry of accredited bodies lists two: COMDriver Tech and FPInnovations.

Certified devices appear on Transport Canada's list of ELDs, which also shows revoked ones. The list says the certification body "maintains the overall authority" over each model's status. Transport Canada's ELD page notes that CCMTA published version 1.3.1 of the Technical Standard on July 29, 2026, and that Transport Canada will set how it comes into force, with a transition for providers and certification bodies.

On revocation, we found no replacement period in the regulations or on Transport Canada's pages. The regulations define an ELD as a device certified by an accredited body, so a revoked model no longer meets that definition. If your device is revoked, ask the certification body and your provincial regulator what they expect, and in writing. Don't confuse this with the malfunction rule: under section 78(5), a carrier must repair or replace a malfunctioning ELD within 14 days, or when the driver returns from a longer planned trip.

What hours of service does the ELD enforce?

The ELD doesn't change the limits. South of latitude 60°N, the regulations set:

Every driver also needs 24 consecutive hours off in the preceding 14 days (section 25). North of 60°N, section 39 allows 15 hours of driving and 18 hours on duty before 8 hours off. Records are kept in the local time of the driver's home terminal (section 80).

Which provinces and territories enforce ELDs, and for whom?

B.C.'s NSC Bulletin 01-2023 says all provinces and territories began enforcing the federal mandate on January 1, 2023, by mutual agreement. The territories' own pages differ: the Northwest Territories made ELDs mandatory on June 1, 2023, and Transport Canada says the regulations don't currently apply in Nunavut. Rules for carriers that stay inside one province are each jurisdiction's own:

We couldn't load P.E.I.'s or Yukon's ELD pages when checking on September 27, 2026, so we don't state their rules. Provincial exemptions also differ: Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador exempt some school buses, and Ontario lists its own. Check each jurisdiction your trucks enter.

What changes when a Canadian truck crosses into the U.S.?

In the U.S., the truck is in interstate commerce as defined in 49 CFR 390.5, which includes trips to places outside the U.S., so U.S. rules apply:

• A registered device. 49 CFR 395.22(a) requires an ELD on FMCSA's registered list. U.S. devices are registered and certified by their providers; Canada requires third-party certification. B.C.'s bulletin notes that a U.S. ELD isn't a Canadian ELD unless it's certified here. One device can be on both lists; check both.
• Different limits. 49 CFR 395.3 allows 11 hours of driving within 14 consecutive hours after 10 hours off, a 30-minute break after 8 hours of driving (on-duty time not driving counts), and 60 hours in 7 days or 70 in 8.
• The same clock. 49 CFR 395.8 keeps the log in the home terminal's time, as Canada does.

For the other border rules on the same trip, see cabotage and ACE and ACI eManifest.

Worked example: R. Diaz's Tuesday on load 48213

Ashgrove Freight is an example carrier based in Mississauga, so its home terminal time is Eastern. On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, R. Diaz (unit 214) picks up for Prairie Foods at 06:12 ET, reaches the Blue Water Bridge at 08:50 ET and arrives in Joliet at 14:40 CT, which his log shows as 15:40 ET. The POD is signed at 18:00 CT, 19:00 ET.

The elapsed times include the border inspection and any stops, so driving time can only be less. Even 9 h 28 min of driving would sit 1 h 32 min under the U.S. 11-hour limit and 3 h 32 min under Canada's 13. If he came on duty at 06:12, his U.S. 14-hour window closes at 20:12 ET (19:12 CT), leaving 1 h 12 min to move the truck after the POD. Coming on duty earlier for a pre-trip inspection moves that back.

The U.S. break rule is the one to watch. With 9 h 28 min between pickup and arrival, his driving could pass 8 hours before Joliet, and once it does he can't keep driving without a 30-minute interruption. Time at primary inspection in Port Huron counts as on duty not driving, but only if it runs 30 consecutive minutes.

What his ELD must show: one log in Eastern time; Canadian rules and his cycle up to the bridge, then U.S. rules; and a device on both Transport Canada's and FMCSA's lists. If he goes off duty at 18:00 CT, his backhaul, 48233 from Elwood IL at 07:00 CT on Wednesday, starts 13 h 00 min later, above the 10 hours off that U.S. rules require.

How should a TMS hold this?

The ELD is the legal record of hours. A TMS should read it, not retype it, and plan around it:

• Hours left, by rule set. Each driver's remaining driving, on-duty and cycle hours under the rules of the leg ahead, Canadian or U.S.
• The device on the unit. Each truck's ELD model and its listings with Transport Canada and FMCSA, so a revocation can be matched to the trucks that carry it.
• Where each truck runs. Which provinces and states it enters, since that decides whose rules and exemptions apply.

Roadmark's part is narrower. As the carriers page says, hours of service come from your ELD every few minutes, and the plan uses them so it never sends a driver somewhere they can't legally go. The driver app doesn't replace the ELD: hours come from the device your trucks already run, and there's nothing new to install in the cab. Carrier registrations such as CVOR and NSC are covered in CVOR, NSC and safety fitness certificates.