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Safety fitness certificates/Registration identification number (RIN)
Owners or operators of a heavy vehicle registered in Québec and U.S. carriers operating in Québec are required to register in the Commission des Transports’ Register (Registre des propriétaires et des exploitants de véhicules lourds).
The registration is a means of tracking the safety performance of carriers operating on Québec highways. The regulation applies to the following vehicles:
- A road vehicle or combinations of road vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 4,500 kilograms or more;
- Buses;
- Minibuses;
- Tow trucks; and
- Motorized road vehicles transporting dangerous substances.
The regulation applies to intermediaries (load brokers, freight forwarders, etc.) and also U.S.-based heavy vehicle owners and operators.
To obtain registration, fill out the “Application to Register as a Heavy Vehicle Owner or Operator” (Form CTQ-330A) and submit it to CTQ with the required fees. Fees are provided on Form CTQ-321A.
Once registered, a registration identification number (RIN) number will be issued as well as a safety rating of satisfactory, conditional, or unsatisfactory. Upon initial registration, a carrier will usually receive a satisfactory rating. As long as a carrier operates safely and meets CTQ’s expectations, the carrier will keep the satisfactory rating. CTQ and the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) monitor the carrier’s safety performance through roadside inspections and facility audits. Carriers who disregard highway safety rules can be downgraded to conditional or unsatisfactory. A conditional safety rating allows carriers to improve their safety ratings by implementing more effective safety practices and procedures. The conditional rating is a temporary rating and CTQ can upgrade the safety rating to satisfactory if it feels the carrier has taken the necessary steps to change the unsafe behavior. Carriers that receive an unsatisfactory safety rating are no longer allowed to operate but can reapply for heavy vehicle registration after the time period established by CTQ (up to five years).
Carrier profiles
The Société keeps a file on each heavy vehicle owner and operator registered in the Commission des Transports’ Register, entering the following information in the file, where it remains for two years:
- Offences committed by the owner, by the operator or by the drivers.
- The results of inspections on the mechanical condition of the owner’s vehicles.
- Accidents in which the drivers of heavy vehicles registered under the operator were at fault, or the vehicle was not in compliance with safety standards.
The Société assesses the conduct of both the owner and the operator according to their record. This assessment can lead to either of two types of action:
- The sending of warning letters to the person whose conduct is considered a safety risk, or detrimental to the highway system.
- Transfer of the file of those representing greatest risk to the Commission des transports, which decides on any penalty.
Assessment of an owner
The assessment of an owner of heavy vehicles depends on how often his or her vehicles have been ordered off the road as the result of a mechanical inspection done by the Société. An “out of service” order prohibits a vehicle with a major defect from being used on the road until repaired. As a general rule, the Société will take action when a high proportion of an owner’s vehicles have been put out of service, according to the table below.
| ACTION | PERCENTAGE OF VEHICLES ORDERED OUT OF SERVICE | |
|---|---|---|
| Truck Transport | Passenger Transport | |
| NOTE: This approach is used when an owner’s vehicles have undergone at least a minimal number of inspections. As an example, an owner who has up to 18 vehicles should have had them undergo a total of at least 10 inspections. Another approach applies when many of an owner’s vehicles have been ordered out of service after only a small number of inspections, and when the number of inspections is too small to establish a valid percentage. | ||
| First warning letter | 20% | 10% |
| Second warning letter | 25% | 15% |
| File referred to the Commission | 30% | 20% |
Assessment of an operator
An operator is assessed in four areas of conduct:
| Area of Conduct | Events Considered |
|---|---|
| Safety of transport operations | Traffic and safety-related offences |
| Involvement in accidents | At-fault accidents |
| Compliance with load limits | Load limit offences |
| Overall conduct | All of above events |
In each area of conduct, the events considered are assigned a number of points corresponding to seriousness, from one to five points. Points are added up until they reach the trigger of referral to the Commission des Transports.
The following threshold value tables are excerpts; see http://tinyurl.com/QCthresholds for the complete tables effective February 1, 2013.
| No. of vehicles | Safety of transport operations | Involvement in accidents | Compliance with load limits | Overall conduct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 15 |
| 5 | 33 | 13 | 18 | 42 |
| 10 | 50 | 17 | 26 | 66 |
| 15 | 65 | 21 | 30 | 83 |
| 20 | 77 | 24 | 33 | 97 |
| 50 | 138 | 44 | 45 | 164 |
| 100 | 215 | 72 | 68 | 260 |
| No. of vehicles | Safety of transport operations | Involvement in accidents | Overall conduct |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 8 | 10 |
| 5 | 13 | 10 | 14 |
| 10 | 15 | 12 | 19 |
| 15 | 17 | 14 | 22 |
| 20 | 19 | 17 | 25 |
| 50 | 28 | 31 | 42 |
| 100 | 44 | 51 | 66 |
Interventions
The Société intervenes when the operator’s record:
- Reaches 50% of the trigger point: first level warning
- Reaches 75% of the trigger point: second level warning
- Reaches the trigger point: file referral to the Commission des transports
The following occurrences will also cause file referral to the Commission des transports:
- Fatal at-fault accidents,
- Two critical events within one year;
- Failure of two facility audits within two years; or
- A critical event occurs along with the second-level warning and facility audit failure.
Starting in June 2013, the Société will send a letter to operators that have yet to reach the 50% threshold in the accident involvement area. The letter will be sent to the operator each time an accident that causes injuries is entered on the operator’s record.
Critical and serious events
The following serious events on the road bring about immediate intervention by the Société:
- A critical mechanical defect;
- Driving a heavy vehicle with dangerous substances in a tunnel;
- Driving over the speed limit by 41 kilometres/hour or more; or
- Exceeding total loaded weight allowed by 20% or more.
As a result of events considered a serious road safety threat, the Société mails out warning letters. High severity events include:
- Exceeding the posted speed limit by 31 to 40 kilometres/hour;
- Offenses that carry four or more demerit points;
- Reckless speed or action; or
- Successively passing two or more vehicles in a zig-zag pattern.
Law
Act respecting owners, operators, and drivers of heavy vehicles
Facility audits
All motor carriers are subject to periodic inspections to ensure that they comply with the safety standards set out in the Highway Safety Code and with the applicable economic regulations (operating authorities) set out in the transportation laws. These verifications are conducted by specially designated Société personnel and include an in-depth inspection of files retained by the carriers.
A carrier’s records and activities may be reviewed at any time to determine the level of compliance.
The inspection will include an in-depth check of the following driver and vehicle records, after which fines may be imposed:
Driver Records:
- Copy of driver’s licence.
- Date of hiring.
- Driver logs or time sheets, as applicable.
- Trip expense receipts (hotel, meals, gasoline, fees, and all documents relating to trip).
- Driver notification of licence changes, suspensions or revisions, signed by the driver.
- When applicable, copy of the service contract between the carrier (operator) and the person who supplies the service of a driver.
Vehicle Records:
- Vehicle registration certificate and lease contract, if applicable.
- Record of type and date of scheduled inspection/maintenance activity (for last two years).
- Record of type and date of actual inspection/maintenance activity, and supporting proof of repair (time tickets, invoices, etc.), for last year.
- Daily inspection records and proof of repair.
- Liability insurance contract.
- Proof that manufacturer’s recalls have been carried out.
- Vehicle Interchange Agreement Reports.
A carrier is deemed to be in compliance with the requirements if his records are complete, if information can be substantiated with supporting documents, and if all documents are retained for the prescribed periods of time. The audit result also has an impact on a carrier’s evaluation.
Carrier audit
Société inspectors conduct audits to ensure heavy vehicle owners and operators comply with regulatory and record-keeping requirements. Points are assigned for each offence according to seriousness. An audit failure occurs when the accumulated points reach a pre-determined threshold. The threshold varies with the number of drivers or vehicles, for example:
| No. of vehicles or drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 50 | |
| Threshold Owner or operator | Truck transport | 6 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 24 |
| Passenger transport | 4 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 16 | |
NOTE: An audit failure also occurs where 20% or more of a driver’s vehicle records (that a carrier is required to keep) are missing.
Impact of a critical event or audit failure
A critical event or audit failure usually results in a warning letter. However, in some instances, the Société automatically refers the person’s file to the Commission. Examples of such instances are:
- A fatality resulting from the driver’s fault of the vehicle’s non-compliance with safety standards;
- A repeat critical event within a one-year period or a repeat audit failure within two years;
- When a second warning letter has already been sent for on-road conduct in the same area (owner or operator).
Commission des transports penalties
Once a file is referred by the Société to the CTQ, this body has the authority to decide whether or not a person’s safety rating should be changed. The CTQ may impose any condition it judges likely to correct the deficiencies observed. The CTQ may impose any condition it judges likely to correct the deficiencies and modify an owner’s or operator’s safety rating from satisfactory to conditional or unsatisfactory. Ultimately, the right to use heavy vehicles may be withdrawn from the owner or operator. As examples of conditions, the CTQ may:
- Require all the drivers working for a carrier to undergo training courses;
- Order that heavy vehicles be fitted with an on-board computer;
- Require the submission of periodic monitoring reports.
Law
Highway Safety Code