Now that Canada has officially announced the date for the ELD Mandate, fleets will have a lot of prepping to do in order to stay in compliance. Although changes and exemptions could be modified over the next couple years, Alberta’s Section 63 of the Federal Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulation, “Oilfield Exemption” is still in effect. This allows permits to be issued that allows carriers to be exempt from criteria cycle requirements. The main intent for this exemption is to allow vehicles to transport to and from a well head using the “24 hour restart rule”, where instead of having to wait the standard 34 hours to drive again, drivers are allowed only 24 hours off.
Many drivers and organizations had questions about the exception and what it all covers. AssetWorks Field Service Solutions (FSS) wants to give you a little bit more detail regarding the two major rules that you should know about within this exemption.
The 24-hour restart rule
As mentioned before, drivers that are in direct support of operation for oil and gas well sites are able to take advantage of the 24-hour restart rule. Many organizations came forward after the exception was announced to get more clarification. Here’s what it means:
The “24-hour restart” provision of § 395.1(d)(1) is available to drivers of the broad range of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) that are being used for direct support of the operation of oil and gas well sites. This includes Vehicles transporting equipment and supplies (including water) to the site and waste or product away from the site. These CMVs do not have to be designed for well site use, while the operators do not need any special training for specific tasks.
The exemption doesn’t cover any vehicle traveling between two locations that doesn’t include a well head site.
Taking advantage of the “waiting time” rule
There is a provision in the Oilfield Exemption that has to do with drivers hauling special equipment used at a wellhead site that operators need extensive training on to use properly. Operators that use CMVs that have a complex, specialty function will sometimes be at jobs sites for hours until needed, which leaves them with a ton of down time, as well as less driving to do during the work process. Operators can use the “waiting time” function to show in activity while they’re on duty.
Not all CMVs fall under this rule. Examples of equipment that would qualify would be heavy-coil vehicles, missile trailers and wire-line pumps. Vehicles that are preparing or developing the site, such as lumber, gravel, backhoes, food, etc. do not qualify under this rule.
Many fleets should start the process of finding an ELD provider to make sure they stay in compliance before the deadline hits. In the oil and gas industry, ELD is only one small part of a bigger solution companies need. Electronic field ticketing, managing inventory and running powerful reports while tracking job locations are all major keys to giving your business the competitive edge.