The latest CVSA Roadcheck results are in and they show it’s a mixed bag for the North American trucking industry. When ELDs were introduced in the U.S. in 2017, they were heralded as a solution to hours-of-service violations and, therefore, a way to reduce driver fatigue and fewer crashes. However, as we sit here in 2022, the CMV fatality rate remains stubbornly high and rising. Comparing the U.S. to Canada in this year’s Roadcheck data shows that the trend is clear, ELD’s don’t eliminate hours of service violations without strong carrier controls. For example:

• 2022 in Canada: Approximately 6.5% of drivers inspected were placed out of service for hours violations, while only 0.5% were parked due to false logs.
• 2022 in the U.S.: Less than 0.6% of drivers were placed out of service for hours violations, and 5.7% were parked for false logs.

While ELDs, by and large, have been a good thing for our industry, there are, unfortunately, still many unscrupulous operators trying to skirt the law. Enforcement is doing a better job at identifying these bad actors and taking them off the road. However, with enforcement resources often being stretched thin, identifying these less scrupulous actors is sometimes like finding a needle in a haystack.

Hopefully, Canada will learn from the U.S. experience and comes out of the gate in 2023 with a strong ELD compliance and enforcement regime to root out the bad actors and keep fatalities down.