Carrier profiles and reviews - Northwest Territories

Safety fitness certificates

Carriers operating the following vehicles (also referred to as National Safety Code (NSC) vehicles) in the Northwest Territories must obtain a safety fitness certificate before operating on Northwest Territories highways:

• A truck, truck-tractor, or trailer, or a combination of a truck or truck-tractor and one or two trailers, where the gross weight of the motor vehicle or the combination of motor vehicles exceeds 4,500 kilograms; and
• A bus, other than a bus operated by the owner exclusively for personal use.

The safety fitness certificate requirements do not apply to:

• NSC vehicles operated on a highway that does not, at any time of the year, either directly or through a series of highways, connect with a highway in a Canadian jurisdiction other than the Northwest Territories; and
• Emergency vehicles and construction vehicles.

Carriers wishing to obtain a safety certificate must submit an application in a form approved by the Registrar. The applicant must provide proof of insurance coverage, evidence that the NSC vehicles are mechanically sound, and evidence that the applicant does not have an unsatisfactory safety record or criminal record relating to the operation of motor vehicles. The applicant must also prove to have knowledge of the Northwest Territories motor carrier safety acts and regulations.

Carrier profiles

The safety profile of a carrier may include records of:

• Warnings and notices given to the carrier and drivers of the carrier;
• Reports of accidents involving NSC vehicles operated by drivers of the carrier;
• Convictions of the carrier and drivers of the carrier for offences under:
  • The Motor Vehicles Act;
  • The Public Service Vehicles Act;
  • The Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act, 1990;
  • Regulations and municipal by-laws made under the Acts;
  • The Criminal Code in respect of offences involving a motor vehicle and for which no pardon has been granted; and
  • Enactments respecting road safety of a jurisdiction other than the Territories; and
• Demerit points that the Registrar may assign to the carrier in respect of a conviction.

Law

Motor Vehicles Act

Regulation

Carrier Fitness Regulations, R.N.W.T. 1990, c. M-26

Facility audits

Carriers may receive demerit points on the carrier profile for events such as accidents, vehicle inspections, and driver violations. The Registrar may, after reviewing the records in the safety profile of a carrier, assign an unsatisfactory safety rating to the carrier if the Registrar considers it necessary in the interest of road safety. The Registrar will then suspend or cancel the carrier’s safety fitness rating.

The carrier will be given a chance to improve the safety rating by meeting several conditions imposed by the National Safety Code Office; however, if the carrier does not improve or if noncompliance increases, the carrier may be issued an “unsatisfactory” rating. Carriers with an “unsatisfactory” rating may not operate commercial vehicles.

Law

Motor Vehicles Act

Regulation

Carrier Fitness Regulations