The facility audit is a “risk based” assessment of the elements known to cause or contribute to commercial motor vehicle collision, and to reduce their livelihood by Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

Purpose of Audit

The purpose of the Facility Audit is to examine the safety – management controls are properly implemented and maintained, and to ensure the drivers are:

• Qualified to drive the operator’s equipment
• Performing the proper inspections of operator’s equipment add reporting defects
• Complaint with the Hours of Service regulation

The operators are assessed based on the following elements. Each element is rated on range from 0 to 100 points and reflects the operator’s safety performance both on-road and off-road.

3 primary elements

Hours of service

Six months period records are required of both the company drivers and owner operators.

Driver qualification

Two-year period records are required both the company drivers and owner operators or from the date the driver started with the operator (if less), or six months after the driver discontinues.

Vehicle Maintenance

24 months period records are required of all kinds of vehicles belonging to the operators or 6 months after the vehicle ceases to be operated.

These primary elements hold 100 points each and is divided into subcategory. Each subcategory has its own weightings.

Whether you are undergoing audits voluntarily or on request by MTO, the operators need to prepare properly to score high on carrier safety ratings. All the information related to what documents are required and how scores are calculated can be find under  Module 6  of Commercial Vehicle Operators’ Safety Manual published by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Although the ELD mandate went into effective on December 18, 2017 but FMSCA’s regulation have pushed the deadline of implementing ELD for automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRD) users (fleets) until December 16, 2019.

When is the right time to switch?

The fleet owners should switch sooner than waiting until the last minute for a smoother transitioning process. Any new process will bring along some minor kicks and would require enough time to get thoroughly trained and address any issues. Switching before the deadline will also help fleet owners and drivers to understand the benefits of ELD (fewer accidents and violations) along with adjusting to the new system.

How to switch?

Switching is very easy process. Fleet owners just need to contact their AOBRD/ELD providers to request the change.

What changes will be reflected after switching?

The main difference between the AOBRD and ELD is the way driving event is recorded. An ELD automatically records all the time a vehicle was in motion as driving time that cannot be edited or changed to non-driving time. In addition, all the edits are recorded with annotations (reasons for editing the logs). To understand the difference more deeply, please refer to our previous blog on Difference between AOBRD and ELD.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Whenever we come across term fleet tracking, we simply picture it as system providing the information about the location of the vehicle. Tracking technology is far more powerful than just tracking the vehicles. It can serve as an effective and affordable tool by fleet owners to excel in business and maximize profits.

Strong customer relationship– Provides real-time updates and ETA for deliveries to your customers.  It can greatly reduce the stress and concerns of the shippers, receivers, and customers. Thus, increasing customer satisfaction.

Reduce fuel and maintenance cost–Idling, speeding, fast starts and stops can cost companies to spend a lot of money on fuel and maintenance. Tracking technology can help in monitoring vehicle performance 24/7 leading to improve vehicle life expectancy.

Easy Dispatching – Have real time access to equipment location on the portal instead of calling, texting or emailing the drivers.  This increases operation efficiency, planning, and reduces cost.

Reduce Insurance Costs – Safe driving and safe vehicles are key to lower insurance costs. Implementing tracking system reduces the risk of freight theft and fast recoveries of the stolen cargo. In addition, monitoring driver behavior for hard brakes, speeding, sharp turns, etc. encourages driver to be more responsible behind the wheels.

IFTA – Tracking system calculates the fuel taxes in a fraction of the time. Saves you from all the time consuming and error-prone manual process.

Fleet tracking system is a great investment for all sizes of fleets.  It provides great ROI in addition to all the benefits listed above.  Follow the link: truck-tracking to learn more about our GPS tracking devices.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Split Sleeper Berth Rule

10 consecutive off hours can be split into two rest periods of 8 and 2 hours according to the split sleeper berth rule.

Purpose

Provides flexibility to the drivers in regards to their shift hours.

Requirements

• No more than 2 rest periods.
• At least 8 consecutive hours in sleep.
• 2 consecutive off hours
• These two hours can be part of sleeper berth, off duty or both.

Note: The rest period can be taken in any order.

Example: Explaining the split sleep in US:

After the first rest period, 2 consecutive hours off duty (6:00 AM to 8:00 AM), the driver will only get his rest of the unused hours back from his shift hours that started at 12:00 AM. So, in this scenario the driver will have 6 hours of drive time and 8 hours of on-duty.

After completing the second rest period, 8 consecutive hours of sleeper berth (4:00 PM to 12:00 PM), the drivers will not get their full 11/14 hours of drive/on-duty respectively but instead their shift will now start from the end of his first break (8:00 AM). New shift start time – 8:00 AM, 6 hours of driving (between two rest periods) have already used from 11 hours of driving. So, the available driving hours will be 5 hours.

Calculation of available hours after having both rest period:

Driving = (Total drive hours) – (driving hours from the start of new shift)
               (11 hours) – (6 hours)
               5 hours
On Duty = (Total on-duty hours) – (on-duty hours used from the start of the new shift)
                 (14 hours) – (6 hours)
                 8 hours

In Canada

Split sleep in Canada is same as in US. The only difference is that the total of the elapsed times before and after each sleeper berth period should not be more than16 hours.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

What does rule state?

30 consecutive minutes of break is required:

• To start before 8 hours are completed of on-duty from last off duty
• To start before 8 hours are completed of on-duty from last 30 mins break

Example 1:

In this example, the driver was on-duty more than 8 hours by a minute. He is in violation for not taking consecutive 30 mins break. He needs to take break within/after 8 hours of on-duty.

Example 2: In this example, though the driver took the break within 8 hours of on-duty, but that break is of 29 mins not 30 mins. The driver is in violation now for missing the 30 mins break after 8 hours of on-duty.

Example 3: In this example, the driver did take 30 mins break but the 30 mins break rule starts again after the recent 30 mins break. The driver is in violation for being on-duty for more than 8 hours after his recent 30 mins break.

Our ELD, provides proper notification for next break which is every 8 hours of on-duty and gives warnings one hour before occurrence of any such violation.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Short haul drivers are given special exemption allowing them to remain on-duty for 16 hours instead of 14 hours by FMCSA. Though the allowed driving hours a day remain 11 hours. The exemption is granted to decrease HOS violation as these drivers might speed or drive recklessly in order to reach their homes. The rule ensures that the drivers gets a chance to reach their home safely instead of spending their day/night hours in sleeper berth or hotel.

Conditions:

• Must return to work reporting location everyday
• Must use 16-hour exemption once every 7 consecutive days
• Must take 34 consecutive hours off to restart a 7/8 days cycle
• Must be released from duty within 16 hours of on –duty
• At least 10 consecutive off hours

Note: This exemption does not apply to drivers who qualifies for non – CDL short haul exemption.
For more details on non – CDL short haul exemption please refer to our previous blog on short haul.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

100 mile exception

A CDL driver who operates within 100 miles radius of reporting work location are exempted from paper log book and e-log

Conditions

• 11 hours of driving
• 12 hours of on-duty
• Must return to work location everyday
• At least 10 consecutive hours off-duty
• No record of duty status

150-mile exception (Non – CDL short haul exception)

A Non-CDL driver who operates within 150 miles radius of reporting work location. Under this exception 14 hour driving window is extended to 16 hours for 2 days in 7 consecutive days. Also, the drivers who qualifies for non-CDL short haul exemption are exempt from the 30 min break rule.

Conditions

• Must return to work location everyday
• 11 hours of driving
• At least 10 consecutive hours off-duty
• No drive after 14^thhour of on duty on five days of any period of seven consecutive days
• No drive after the 16^thhour of coming on duty on two days of any period of seven consecutive days

Documentation to be maintained by motor carriers for 6 months

• The time the driver reports for duty each day
• The total number of hours the driver is on duty each day
• The time the driver is released from duty each day
• The total time for the preceding 7 day for drivers used for the first time or intermittently.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Electronic logging devices (ELD) record driver’s hours of service (HOS) directly from the truck’s ECM. ELD’s have proved to be a major break through for the transportation industry in North America after mandate enforced by FMCSA since December 2017

Expedited enforcement of ELD in Canada

Currently, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is finalizing the technical standards of ELDs. There is a good chance that the rule will be published by the end of 2019 for its mandate starting from 2020 with an extended compliance date in 2022. The ELD mandate in Canada is supposedly to be mirrored with the ELD mandate in the U.S. with ELD already mandated in the U.S., majority of fleet companies in Canada have started preparing for the ELD mandate and using them in advance to allow a smooth transition from paper logs to electronic logging devices.

Benefits for Fleet and drivers

More Safety– It is one of the main purposes of using ELD’s. Drivers are constantly reminded about their rest breaks. Hence, fatigue is reduced, and drivers are less prone to accidents. Thus, increases fleet’s overall safety.

Replacement of paper logs– Using Electronic logging devices allows drivers to be hassle free as ELD’s record automatic readings and data can be stored electronically. This saves driver’s time and money.

Compliance with regulations- By using ELD’s drivers remain in constant compliance with the U.S and Canada regulations. The ELD’s make sure the drivers stay in compliance by giving them a foretime warnings and indications of their violations.

Reduction of Errors and Tampering of driver’s hours of service (HOS)- ELD usage has reduced the violations and editing of annotations. Only limited entries are editable, the mistakes by the drivers can be corrected by both the authorized carrier staff and driver with an annotation (note) explaining the reason for their editing. Also, the drivers are not permitted to tamper with the drive time and hours available for driving.

Our ELD, is fully compliant with both Canadian and U.S regulations with additional features such as driver behaviour. Easy to use, automatic switching to US or Canadian regulation when crossing the border, automatic switching from driving to on-duty during traffic. We offer wide range of integrated solutions for transportation industries such as Dispatch Software, Border Crossing, GPS Tracking.

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

What is 16 hour rule in Canada?

16 hour rule states that a Work shift can be extended to 16 hours

To understand this rule, first we need to know the meaning of the following terms: –

Elapsed time:

• Elapsed time is simply the time between two points. As an example, in below graph, elapsed time between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM is 3 hours

Work shift:

• Work shift is the time (Elapsed time) between 2 off-duty periods of at-least 8 consecutive hours

Work shift rules–

• Work shift starts from the last period of at-least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty or sleeper berth
• Work shift cannot be more than 16 hours. In other words, you must not be on-duty after the 16^th hour of Work shift.
• 16 hours (Work shift) includes on-duty, driving and off-duty hours. These off-duty hours are not part of the mandatory 8 consecutive off hours.
• 2 hours out of 16 hours of work shift should be accounted as sleeper berth and/or off duty
• Maximum driving allowed is 13 hours within a Work shift
• Maximum on-duty allowed is 14 hours within a Work shift
• At least 8 consecutive off hours must be taken after 16 hours Work shift.

Example describing the work shift (16 hours)

In the following example: –

• After having off-duty/sleeper berth for consecutive 10 hours, a driver came on-duty at 12:00 AM for an hour and started driving at 1:00 AM
• After driving for 3 hours, he went off-duty for 30 mins at 4:00 AM and started driving again at 4:30 AM
• At 6:30 AM, he went off -duty again for 30 mins followed by 4 hours of driving from 7:00 AM
• 1 hour of off-duty was taken from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Now, the shift was extended to 16 hours from 14 hours and the driver was on-duty till 4:00 PM instead of 2:00 PM
• The 30 mins and 1 hour off-duty periods are not calculated as part of 14-hours shift but are calculated as a part of 2 hours in the 16 hours Work shift. During this whole elapsed time period (12:00 AM to 4:00 PM), the driver still had maximum 14 hours for on-duty and 13 hours for driving

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.

Considering the safety of the drivers during the extreme weather conditions such as snow, fog, sleet, etc., a relief is provided to the drivers by the government in the form of two additional hours for Driving in the U.S. The driver is able to drive for 13 hours instead of 11 hours by choosing this option. Adverse Driving should not be used for normal traffic congestion. This specialized driving option is elaborated further by FMCSA

Conditions:

• No Driving more than 13 hours
• No Driving after the 14^th hour of On Duty
• 14 hours of On Duty maximum allowed
• Must comply with 30 mins Break rule

DEFERRAL

In Canada, as per O. Reg. 555/06, there is an option of Deferral for Off-Duty status. In this scenario, drivers get additional 2 hours for Driving and On-Duty in a day. The driver can be On-Duty for 16 hours and drive for 15 hours. In other words, deferring the required Off Duty of 10 hours by 2 hours. Hence, Off Duty will be for 8 hours in a day.

Conditions–

• Maximum 15 hours of Driving in a day
• Maximum 16 hours of On Duty in a day
• No Driving after the 16^th hour of On Duty
• At least 20 hours of Off-Duty in 2 days
• No Driving more than 26 hours in 2 days
• No On-Duty more than 28 hours in 2 days
• No split sleep in 2 days*

*Remark: In this example, 2 days means the current deferral day and the following day.

Note– 10 hours of consecutive Off Duty/ Sleeper Berth is required before the start of next shift. Also, the additional two hours of Adverse or Deferral Driving does not increase the allowed cycle hours. As the Driving conditions exception only applies to 11 or 13 hour rule of Driving and 14 hours rule of On Duty (Canadian Hours of Service). The requirement of cycle must be met by the end of the next day.

Our ELD, provides an option to choose Adverse Driving and Deferral whenever required by the driver. The Driving hours get updated automatically and are displayed for the drivers on the screen. In the Officer view, these chosen options are also visible for the inspecting officers

Disclaimer- The rules and regulations are subject to change any time. Readers must verify with the authority, FMCSA / MTO and must not rely on the contents of this blog.