New Regulations for Transportation Industry on January 1

New regulations for commercial vehicles that will improve safety and align Nova Scotia with federal requirements will take effect January 1.

In the new year, drivers of federally regulated commercial buses and trucks will need to have an electronic logging device which will help them accurately record their driving time. Having this device will make drivers compliant with this requirement in the federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations.

“It is critically important that drivers in the trucking sector have accurate logs to help avoid fatigue-related incidents,” said Public Works Minister Kim Masland. “These devices eliminate the need to record and maintain paper logbooks by hand and allow drivers to use their driving time more effectively and efficiently when delivering goods and services.”

The Province has been working with industry and other governments for more than a year to raise awareness of the coming changes. Initially, these changes were scheduled to come into effect on June 12, 2021, but the deadline was extended to January 1, 2023.

Quick Facts:

• Nova Scotia’s changes are under the Motor Carrier Act, which regulates commercial passenger vehicles including buses and vans, and the Motor Vehicle Act, which covers commercial trucking operations
• drivers who stay within the province or travel less than a 160-kilometre radius from their base are not required to have a device
• there are more than 55 devices available that are approved for use
• Canadian drivers have had to use these devices when travelling in the United States since 2019

Additional Resources:

Motor Carrier Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/motor%20carrier.pdf

Motor Vehicle Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/motor%20vehicle.pdf

Department of Public Works on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NS_PublicWorks