Regional (UK/Canada/EU) · PDF template
Free Canada ELD Compliance Checklist
A checklist for the Canadian ELD rules in SOR/2005-313 — third-party certification, the in-cab packet, the 14-day malfunction clock, and retention.
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What you get
- The certification check Canada requires and the US does not — a device certified by a Transport Canada accredited body, with its certification number
- The four in-cab items section 77(7) requires, including blank record-of-duty-status sheets for at least 15 days
- The four statutory carve-outs in section 77(1) plus the 160 km short-haul condition in section 77(3)
- The malfunction procedure: what the driver records, and the 14 days the carrier has to repair or replace
- The retention clock — 20 days to forward, 30 days to deposit, 6 months to keep
- Section references against every item, so an auditor's question has an answer
How to use it
- 1
Start with certification. Find your device model on Transport Canada's list of certified electronic logging devices and record its certification number — a device that is legal in the US is not automatically legal in Canada.
- 2
Walk one vehicle and confirm all four items in the ELD information packet are physically present and current, not filed at the office.
- 3
Check each vehicle against the section 77(1) carve-outs before assuming it needs a device: a pre-model-year-2000 vehicle, a rental of 30 days or less, and a vehicle run under a permit or an exemption are each outside the requirement.
- 4
For any driver you treat as short-haul, confirm all three conditions in section 77(3) hold together — the 160 km radius, the daily return to start at least 8 consecutive hours off duty, and the carrier keeping accurate records for at least 6 months.
- 5
Date your malfunction register entries. The 14-day repair clock in section 78(5) runs from the day you were notified or otherwise became aware, not from the day you ordered the part.
- 6
Re-read section 77 and 78 at laws-lois.justice.gc.ca before an audit. The CCMTA Technical Standard is being revised and the regulation is amended from time to time.
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Canada ELD Compliance Checklist
Device certification (s. 1, ss. 79–79.2)
- Device model appears on Transport Canada's list of certified electronic logging devices
- Certification number recorded for each model in the fleet
- Certification body is accredited by the Minister (accreditation is valid for five years, s. 79.1)
- Carrier — not the vendor — has confirmed certification in writing
- Cross-border units apply Canadian rules in Canada and US rules in the US
Installation (s. 77(1), s. 77(2))
+4 more items in this section
Carve-outs — confirm before you assume one applies
+5 more items in this section
In-cab ELD information packet (s. 77(7))
+4 more items in this section
Malfunctions (s. 78)
+5 more items in this section
Records and retention (ss. 78.2, 84, 85)
+5 more items in this section
Tampering — the out-of-service exposure
+4 more items in this section
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Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions buyers usually ask once the category, software, or rollout details start getting more specific.
No, not on its own. Section 1 of SOR/2005-313 defines an ELD as a device certified by a certification body accredited under section 79.1, and Transport Canada's handout for carriers and drivers says only devices tested and certified by a Transport Canada accredited body are permitted. US self-certification has no standing here. Find your model on Transport Canada's certified-device list and record the certification number.
Transport Canada's handout states that as of June 12, 2021 the Regulations made ELDs mandatory, and that the provinces and territories ran a period of progressive enforcement without penalties — focused on education and awareness — until January 1, 2023. Enforcement itself is a provincial and territorial responsibility, so practice can differ by jurisdiction.
Section 78(5) gives the carrier 14 days from being notified or otherwise becoming aware. There is one extension: if the driver's return to the home terminal from a planned trip falls after those 14 days, the device must be repaired or replaced at that return. Meanwhile the driver keeps recording the malfunction code in each day's record of duty status under section 78(4).
Section 77(3) removes the ELD requirement where the driver stays within a 160 km radius of the home terminal, returns each day to begin at least 8 consecutive hours off duty, and the carrier keeps accurate records for at least 6 months. Section 81(2) carries a similar exemption from the paper record-of-duty-status requirement, with the added condition that the driver is not operating under a permit or an exemption. All the conditions have to hold together — losing one loses the exemption.
Transport Canada's electronic logging devices page states that version 1.3.1 of the CCMTA Technical Standard was made public on July 29, 2026, replacing version 1.3 posted on September 29, 2025, and that Transport Canada will lead its implementation and coming into force with a transition period for providers and certification bodies. That wording means 1.3.1 is published rather than in force. Check the Transport Canada page for the current status before you buy, because we cannot tell you a coming-into-force date that has not been published.
No. It is a self-audit structured around sections 77, 78, 78.2, 84, 85, 86 and 91 of SOR/2005-313, read at laws-lois.justice.gc.ca on 8 October 2026. Provincial enforcement adds its own requirements, and the regulation is amended. Read the sections themselves before an audit.
Sources
Every figure, section number and deadline on this page was read at a primary source on the date shown. Regulations are amended — check the source before you rely on it.
- Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (SOR/2005-313) — read 2026-10-08
- Transport Canada — ELD handout for motor carriers and drivers — read 2026-10-08
- Transport Canada — List of certified electronic logging devices — read 2026-10-08
- Transport Canada — Electronic logging devices — read 2026-10-08
Related guides & tools
- ELD compliance software — Canada
- Fleet management software in Canada
- Canada Hours of Service Log
- Canada NSC Compliance Checklist
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