British Columbia's new dash camera law will require a forward-facing dash camera in commercial vehicles over 11,793 kg. The camera has to keep 72 hours of 1080p video, see at night and do it at its factory settings, on its own storage. Here's what the law says, who it covers, why many dash cameras fall short, and a kit that meets all four rules.
Not in force yet: the province will set the start date by regulation. We'll update this guide when it does.
Recorder, windshield camera, cable and a 1 TB SSD, set up and tested by us before it ships. No cloud account, SIM card or subscription.
Built for M217
Keeps about 500 hours of 1080p from the forward camera on its own SSD, so it clears the 72-hour rule at its factory settings with room to spare.
$1,249.99 CAD
Order five or more kits and every kit is 5% off, applied automatically at checkout. No code needed. For larger fleets, or rear and side cameras, email us for a quote.
BC's dash camera law asks for at least 72 hours of recording, at the camera's factory settings. Pick a drive and see how long it lasts.
At the recorder's highest setting, one camera writes about 1.8 GB an hour, so the kit's 1 TB SSD keeps about 500 hours before it records over the oldest footage. Try a smaller drive: on this recorder even a memory card clears 72 hours, but an SSD is built for writing every time the truck runs.
Add rear or side cameras later and they share the same SSD. Even with all four inputs recording at the highest setting, the kit still keeps well over 72 hours.
A typical 4K dash cam writes far more data an hour, so a 512 GB card fills in under a day. The law doesn't let you turn the quality down to stretch it: the 72 hours has to hold at the camera's factory settings.
Try a different drive
Cameras recording
Example only: a 4K dash cam recording at 50 Mbps. Bitrates vary by brand, so check your camera's spec sheet.
We count 90% of a drive as usable, leaving room for formatting and the recorder's own files.
British Columbia is the first province in Canada to require dash cameras on heavy commercial vehicles. This guide covers what the Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act (Bill M217) asks for, which trucks it covers, why many dash cameras fall short of it, and when it starts. It's a plain-language summary from a company that installs vehicle cameras, not legal advice, so read the Act itself as well.
The law, why most dash cams fall short, and our kit, in about 2 minutes.
The Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act was introduced as Bill M217 by Kamloops-North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer, passed the BC Legislature with support from all parties, and received Royal Assent on May 28, 2026.
The Act covers commercial vehicles, as BC's Commercial Transport Act defines them, with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 11,793 kg (about 26,000 lb). In practice that means tractor-trailers, heavy straight trucks, dump trucks and other heavy vocational vehicles. Light-duty pickups, vans and passenger vehicles fall below the line.
The rule follows the road, not the plate: it applies to covered vehicles on BC highways, including trucks registered in Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or in the US. If you aren't sure whether a particular vehicle is covered, check with Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) or your carrier's safety advisor.
To count under the Act, the camera has to do all four of these:
The fourth rule matters more than it looks. It means the 72 hours has to work with the camera exactly as it comes from the factory. You can't meet the 72-hour rule by turning the video quality down, and cloud storage doesn't count toward it.
It comes down to storage. Video takes up space at a rate set by the camera's bitrate, and most consumer dash cameras record at high quality by default. A typical 4K dash camera recording at around 50 Mbps writes over 20 GB an hour, so even a 512 GB memory card, about the largest most dash cameras take, holds less than a day. Seventy-two hours at that rate would need about 1.6 TB.
The BC Trucking Association's dashcam task force has made a similar point about fleet systems: many keep 72 hours only at a lower resolution, or keep less than 72 hours when recording continuously in HD.
A fleet recorder with its own solid state drive (SSD) gets around this. Our LDS DV456 recorder's highest setting is 4 Mbps per camera, about 1.8 GB an hour. Seventy-two hours of one forward camera needs about 130 GB, and a 1 TB SSD holds about 500 hours. Because that's worked out at the recorder's highest setting, the factory default is covered whatever it's set to.
We put together the LDS BC truck dash camera kit for exactly these rules: an LDS DV456 recorder, an LDS FHD844 1080p forward camera that mounts inside the windshield, a 10 m camera cable and a 1 TB SSD.
We fit the SSD, set the recorder up and test-record before every kit ships. The recorder has three spare camera inputs if you want rear or side cameras later.
The Act received Royal Assent on May 28, 2026, but its rules aren't in force yet. It comes into force on a date the provincial government sets by regulation, and as of November 2026 that date hasn't been announced. The Act itself sets no penalties; details such as enforcement and exemptions are expected in regulations.
Equipping a fleet takes time: ordering, installing and checking every truck. If you run several covered vehicles, it's worth starting before the date is announced. We'll update this guide when the regulations are published.
The Act asks for "night vision capability" but doesn't define it. Because the camera has to record through the front windshield, infrared lights, the usual way security cameras see in the dark, don't work well: they reflect off the glass and wash out the picture. Windshield cameras rely on sensitive low-light sensors instead. If the regulations set a specific standard, we'll update this guide and our kit page.
The Act says recordings must be handled under all applicable privacy and security laws, including BC's Personal Information Protection Act. The law only asks for a camera facing the road; it doesn't require a camera on the driver. Let your drivers know the camera is there, decide who can view footage, and set how long you keep it.
Whether your trucks run out of the Lower Mainland, the Fraser Valley, the Interior or the North, we ship the kit across Canada set up and ready to install. Most fleet shops can install it: it needs constant 12 V or 24 V power, ignition, ground and one camera cable from the windshield to the recorder. If you'd rather not do it yourself, we'll introduce you to an installer near you. In the Greater Toronto Area, we install it at our Markham shop.
Ordering for five or more trucks? Every kit is 5% off, applied automatically at checkout. For larger fleets, email sales@lockdownsecurity.ca for a quote.
Last updated November 5, 2026.
Not yet. The Dashboard Cameras in Commercial Vehicles Act received Royal Assent on May 28, 2026, and comes into force on a date the province sets by regulation. As of November 2026, that date hasn't been announced.
No. The Act covers commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating over 11,793 kg (about 26,000 lb). Light-duty pickups, vans and passenger vehicles fall below that.
Yes. It applies to covered commercial vehicles operating on BC highways, wherever they're registered.
The owner installs and maintains it (for a leased vehicle, the lessee). The driver makes sure it's recording whenever the vehicle is operated and that nothing blocks it.
No. The Act only asks for a camera that records the road ahead through the front windshield.
Only if it meets all four rules at its factory settings: 72 hours of recording, 1080p, night vision, and its own storage. Most consumer dash cameras can't keep 72 hours at their default quality. Send us the make and model and we'll check it for you.
The Act doesn't define it yet. Because the camera records through the windshield, infrared lights don't work well (they reflect off the glass), so windshield cameras use low-light sensors. We'll update this guide if the regulations set a standard.
No. The 72 hours has to be on the camera's own storage, and our kit records to its own 1 TB SSD with no monthly fee.
The Act itself doesn't set any. Enforcement details and exemptions are expected in regulations, and we'll add them here when they're published.
Yes. We ship across Canada from Markham, Ontario, and shipping on the kit is free. For fleet orders, email us first and we'll confirm stock and the ship date.
Tell us what you run and what's in the trucks now. We'll tell you what you need, and quote a fleet if you need kits.
