CMV maintenance in Canada

Scope

Motor carriers with commercial vehicles are required to comply with the maintenance standards in NSC Standard 11, Part A.

Regulatory citations

National Safety Code Standard 11, Maintenance and Periodic Inspection Standards

Key definitions

• Commercial vehicle: Trucks, tractors, or trailers, or any combination of them, that have a registered gross vehicle weight exceeding 4,500 kilograms; or buses with a seating capacity of more than 10 persons, including the driver.
• National Safety Code (NSC): A set of safety and administrative standards developed and maintained by the CCMTA.

Summary of requirements

NSC Standard 11, Commercial Vehicle Maintenance Standard, was adopted by all jurisdictions and industry to provide guidelines on a minimum acceptable level of performance for commercial vehicle systems and components.

Though not identical, the standard is similar to U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR) Part 393, which covers parts and accessories for safe operation.

A number of Canadian jurisdictions exempt specific types of vehicles from the requirements of this standard, for example vehicles leased for 30 days or less, light trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kg or less, fire trucks or ambulances. Some jurisdictions further exempt farm (2 or 3 axle) vehicles used for hauling primary products and recreational vehicles.

Every commercial vehicle operator must ensure that each vehicle that is owned or leased by the operator, including trailers, meets the requirements contained in the maintenance standard. Every operator must have a system to inspect, maintain and repair each of the owned or leased vehicles at regular intervals.

No predetermined time intervals have been specified in the standard for the cycle of inspection and maintenance. When the standard was first drafted it was considered too difficult to attempt to specify time requirements because of the difference in equipment, the applications for which the equipment is subjected, and the distance which might be travelled by different types of equipment. In addition, industry representatives put forward the view that there was a need for flexibility in implementing fleet maintenance programs. It was acknowledged that carriers and operators were better suited to determine the intervals for regular servicing and maintenance of their vehicles. It should be noted however that some jurisdictions do specify the maximum mileage or time which can elapse between maintenance intervals.

Each carrier must establish a system of preventative vehicle inspection, maintenance and repair for every truck, bus, and trailer it operates, and keep an up-to-date maintenance and repair record for each vehicle under its control. As a minimum, the record or vehicle file should contain the following:

• Make, model, year and serial number (VIN) of the equipment;
• Lessor’s name if applicable;
• Date and nature of every repair and maintenance activity carried out on the equipment (parts replaced and invoices);
• Odometer reading at the time of every servicing or repair;
• Description of the type and frequency of regular maintenance and repairs to be undertaken on the equipment; and
• A record of every axle or suspension modification that affects the gross vehicle or axle weight rating.

Mandatory Periodic Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspection Programs Inspection Cycles by Jurisdiction

• For BC – log & dump trailers: 6 months, other trailers: 12 months
• For AB and SK – 11,794 kg for vehicles that operate solely within the province; vehicles travelling in other jurisdictions must comply with the inspection requirements applicable in the jurisdiction in which they are travelling.
• For SK – truck-tractors: 6 months, other trucks: 12 months
• For SK – school buses: 12 months, other buses: 6 months
• For ON – Accessible vehicles and vehicles used for school purposes are inspected using the bus criteria
• For NT – The program is administered by Alberta For NU – PMVI Regulation yet to be implemented.