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For the purpose of promoting safe operations, every Alberta-based carrier engaged in extraprovincial or intraprovincial bus or freight truck undertakings must comply with federal and provincial safety laws. Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation requires Alberta-based carriers to obtain a safety fitness certificate prior to operating on Alberta highways.
To apply for a safety fitness certificate, a new carrier must submit the $150 fee along with the required application. New carriers are required to complete a “Pre-Entry Program for New National Safety Code Carriers.” The program requires new carriers to:
Once issued, registered owners must place the original (or a copy) of the safety fitness certificate in each vehicle to which the certificate relates.
Safety fitness certificates are valid for up to three years. The safety fitness certificate renewal fee is $110.
If a carrier obtained a safety fitness certificate on or after March 1, 2019, an expiration date will be listed on the certificate.
However, any certificates issued prior to February 28, 2019, or that are marked with the word "Continuous," will expire on February 28, 2022.
Any carrier failing to renew on time will require the carrier to re-apply for a safety fitness certificate as a new carrier though the pre-entry program described above.
The safety fitness certificate will identify the carrier’s operating status. Carriers operating intraprovincially only will have “provincial” operating status, while those operating extraprovincially will have “federal” operating status. Provincial operating status applies to carriers operating only in Alberta registered at a gross weight of 11,794 kilograms or more or a bus with a seating capacity of 11 or more persons including the driver. Federal operating status applies to carriers operating extraprovincially at a gross weight of 4,501 kilograms or more or a bus with a seating capacity of 11 or more persons including the driver.
Carriers with provincial operating status operating into other provinces would be in violation; however, by policy, Alberta allows carriers with provincial operating status to operate into Saskatchewan under very specific circumstances without losing their provincial status. Such carriers will be considered compliant with the provincial operating status if they:
Provincial carriers that violate the terms of their provincial operating status, or the terms of the policy exemption, are subject to having their status changed to federal.
Once a carrier obtains federal status, all vehicles, even those operating intraprovincially in Alberta, are subject to rules applicable to federal carriers.
A carrier with provincial operating status may obtain federal operating status without a waiting period; however, a carrier with federal operating status may only obtain provincial operating status after operating intraprovincially for at least 24 months (consecutively).
A carrier operating under the authority of a safety fitness certificate is required to establish and maintain a written safety program. The program must contain procedures that relate to the safe operation of the carrier’s commercial vehicles, such as maintaining safe speed limits, training, hours of service logging, defensive driving, etc. Part of the safety program involves designating a person that will be responsible for implementing the safety program. This person also keeps up with regulatory changes and updates and maintains the safety program to ensure ongoing compliance.
Upon approval of the application, the carrier will be issued a safety fitness certificate. Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation will also issue a safety rating to the carrier. Possible safety ratings include satisfactory, satisfactory-unaudited, conditional, and unsatisfactory. A satisfactory-unaudited rating will be given where the Registrar is of the opinion that the carrier:
The Registrar may change a carrier’s rating as is necessary to reflect the carrier’s current compliance status. The Registrar may upgrade the rating to excellent if the carrier exceeds the standards for a satisfactory rating.
The records required to be maintained by a carrier under Alberta’s Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Regulation must be:
Traffic Safety Act
Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation AR 98/2007; Commercial Vehicle Carrier Profile Regulation, 99/2007
Alberta Transportation monitors the safety performance of the carrier through the carrier profile. The carrier profile includes:
Carriers having a violation record exceeding reasonable industry standards will be placed on notice that improvements must be made. A continued demonstration of willful noncompliance may result in the carrier being removed from service.
Carriers can obtain their profiles online by visiting https://www.trans.gov.ab.ca/TravisWebLogin. Two free carrier profiles will be provided to carriers each year.
Public carrier profile reports include the carrier’s conviction and Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) inspection summary data, a collision summary, a violation analysis and violation summary, and a monitoring summary and monitoring details. The report does not include driver-specific information or any type of personal information. The report is available online or hard copy and there is a fee to obtain a carrier’s public profile. For more information see www.transportation.alberta.ca/5613.htm or email carrier.services@gov.ab.ca.
A facility audit is an in-depth inspection of a carrier’s activities relative to applicable safety standards and recordkeeping. The audit covers the safety policies and procedures used by a carrier and consists of:
Audits may be conducted randomly, in response to a complaint or accident(s), and may consist of an examination of specific records or a carrier’s entire operation. Where noncompliance is evident, penalties may be imposed. Evidence of severe noncompliance may result in the carrier being given an “unsatisfactory” rating.
It is the carrier’s responsibility to have the required records for vehicles registered in Alberta (and for the operators of those vehicles) available for the inspector at the carrier’s main place of business.
Alberta’s Partners in Compliance (PIC) program rewards carriers that consistently meet and exceed safety requirements. Carriers must apply for and obtain membership to the voluntary program before they can take advantage of the program’s benefits.
One of the program’s primary benefits is the in-cab transponder which allows PIC members to bypass weigh stations. Other benefits to PIC enrollment include improving safety within the carrier’s operations and recognition for maintaining safe highways and workplaces.
Carriers are also given an “Excellent” safety rating and may save money when obtaining Alberta driver/commercial driver abstracts or through increased WCB rebates.
For information on becoming a PIC member, go to www.picalberta.ca.
In October 2009, Alberta and Saskatchewan adopted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Commercial Vehicle Harmonization. The MOU will allow improved commercial transportation between the two provinces by harmonizing certain commercial vehicle regulations and oversize/overweight permitting procedures. Under the MOU, Alberta and Saskatchewan agree to the following:
In the MOU, both provinces also agree to consider other opportunities for harmonization, such as joint commercial vehicle enforcement at weigh stations, the possibility of new weigh stations, and scale bypass allowance programs.