The Canadian Recreational Vehicle Association (CRVA) will advocate this month for approving the Canadian RV industry’s Electronic Logging Device (ELD) exemption request for the RV tow-away industry.
CRVA will argue for the approval at the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators’ (CCMTA) annual general meeting, scheduled for July 17-19 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
“We are hopeful for productive conversations with CCMTA Provinces and Transport Canada Officials during the meetings,” said Shane Devenish, CRVA president. “Our goal is to establish an understanding with CCMTA that the RV industry in Canada wishes to maintain high safety standards on the roads while coming to an agreement that recognizes the unique needs of the RV tow-away industry.”
CCMTA is a non-profit organization comprising representatives from Canada’s provincial, territorial and federal governments. As a key Transport Canada partner, CCMTA helps administrate and coordinate various policies, regulatory changes and procedures.
CRVA said its exemption request is due to the industry’s unique characteristics. The association said it also wants to tell CCMTA the request aligns with precedents set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The U.S. granted a similar ELD exemption in 2015.
By adopting an exemption akin to the U.S. version, CRVA said the industry can ensure best practice reciprocity between the Canadian and U.S. transportation sectors.
Among the key points CRVA will emphasize at the meeting are:
- The RV industry does not operate under typical commercial transportation conditions. RV towing jobs usually involve irregular, shorter duration drives that do not justify the strict ELD requirements.
- Commercial vehicles used to deliver RVs by the contractor are usually the contractor’s personal vehicles, owned or leased. Contractors usually are either self-employed or employed by a small-medium sized transportation business.
- Once the RV is delivered to the dealer, the tow vehicle is no longer being used commercially and becomes the driver’s personal vehicle. Drivers typically do not haul another RV returning home. Because the vehicle is in commercial use for such limited circumstances, the ELD requirement is particularly burdensome.
- Individual driving service owner-operators would have to bear the (not inexpensive) ELD cost.
- Statistics for the driveaway-towaway companies providing these types of operations demonstrate a low accident frequency.
