For fleet managers and carrier executives, a new compliance mandate can feel like a surprise tax with real budget implications and an unforgiving timeline. In May 2026, one new regulation may have slipped under the radar for a lot of North American fleets. If you operate in Canada, or haul freight through it, you may be on the clock for compliance soon. 

What is the new law? 

The Canadian province of British Columbia, home to Vancouver and approximately 5.6 million people, recently passed the Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act. This makes B.C. the first Canadian province to mandate dash cams on commercial vehicles.  

The law requires all commercial vehicles operating in or traveling through B.C. to have a dash cam that records continuously while in operation. The vehicle owner is responsible for compliance; for leased vehicles, that obligation falls to the lessee. 

Proposed technical specifications for the mandate have the following compliance baselines: 

• Forward-facing  
• Minimum 1080p resolution 
• At least 72 hours of video retention 
• Night vision capability 

The law takes effect six months after Royal Assent, which is the formal step that brings the bill into active force. That clock hasn’t started yet, but fleets who haul in B.C. that wait will likely be scrambling when it does.

Why did BC pass a dash cam law? 

The bill was introduced by Ward Stamer, a member of the province’s Legislative Assembly. He first pushed for mandatory dash cams in 2023 after a series of fatal truck crashes on Highway 5 near Barriere, where he was then the Mayor of the small town approximately 260 miles from Vancouver.  

It passed with unanimous, bipartisan support. The B.C. Trucking Association endorsed it, as their data showed commercial drivers are not at fault in 75 percent of collisions in the province. A forward-facing camera captures exonerating evidence for a driver who wasn’t at fault automatically. 

“Dash cameras save lives. They hold drivers accountable. And they make sure that when a crash happens, the evidence is there, not lost, not disputed, not buried in a year-long investigation,” said Stamer. 

My company doesn’t haul in Canada. Why should I care? 

First, opportunities and freight lanes expand. If a chance to haul into or through B.C. presents itself from a new broker relationship, seasonal lane, or customer request, a compliance gap shouldn’t be the reason you pass on it. 

But the stronger argument starts with liability. According to 2024 FMCSA estimates, the average cost of recovering from a trucking accident that results in any injury is approximately $380,000. Fatal accidents average losses exceeding $14 million. 

Dash cam footage is often the difference between a claim resolved quickly and one that drags through years of litigation. Many insurers already price this into their premiums, offering meaningful discounts to fleets with camera systems in place. 

What are the chances of a dash cam mandate coming to the US? 

The B.C. Trucking Association is already pushing Ottawa to implement a national mandate, citing the risk of a patchwork of inconsistent provincial rules. At the federal level in the U.S., the FMCSA doesn’t currently mandate dash cams, but it formally accepts footage as evidence in its Crash Preventability Determination Program. 

A U.S. federal mandate isn’t imminent, but the trajectory is clear. Safety advocates, insurers, and industry groups are watching B.C.’s implementation closely. If the province has a demonstrable reduction in accidents and liability costs, there will be a compelling argument for broader adoption. 

Mandate or not, you can count on Geotab and Transflo 

Transflo is Geotab’s No. 1 reseller, and Geotab is a Canadian company, headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, with more than two decades of fleet safety technology behind it. The GO Focus Plus AI dash cam exceeds B.C.’s technical requirements and helps fleets immensely: 

In-cab voice alerts: GO Focus Plus detects distracted driving, tailgating, and hard braking — and delivers instant voice prompts to drivers as events happen. In one pilot, this reduced phone use by 95% and tailgating by 90%. 

AI-powered event detection: Detection and analysis happen on the device, not in the cloud. Faster alerts, stronger data privacy, and accuracy consistently above 99% for risks like distraction, fatigue, and tailgating. 

Full event context: Video paired with GPS location, vehicle speed, and telematics data gives your team the complete picture for faster insurance resolution or legal defense. 

Integrated coaching workflow: Every critical event connects directly to a coaching workflow in MyGeotab. Assign feedback, track progress, and recognize improvement — all in one place, with severity-based dashboards surfacing the drivers and behaviors that need attention most. 

Easy installation, always improving: GO Focus Plus pairs automatically with Geotab’s GO device, self-calibrates for every vehicle, and requires no IT support. AI models refine detection and coaching automatically with every update. 

Conclusion 

British Columbia has made a clear statement: forward-facing cameras protect professional drivers and the public when incidents occur. Whether a national Canadian mandate follows, or a U.S. version emerges down the road, the safety and liability case for dash cam technology doesn’t wait for legislation. Fleets equipped with the right technology aren’t scrambling when mandates arrive. They’re protected today. 

Transflo and Geotab can help you get there. Learn more about the GO Focus Plus AI dash cam and what it can do for your fleet’s safety program.