Operating authority - Newfoundland/Labrador

Newfoundland/Labrador-based passenger vehicles

The following public-service vehicles (passenger-carrying vehicles) operated for compensation require a certificate from the Newfoundland/Labrador Public Utilities Board (PUB):

• A vehicle designed or used for the transportation of ill or injured persons on a highway; or
• A bus that travels on the Trans Canada Highway for all or part of the time to transport passengers originating and terminating at points within the Trans Canada Highway corridor.

There are some services that do not require a certificate. For example, trips that start and/or end in St. John’s and/or Mount Pearl, trips that start and end in Corner Brook, and trips that start and end within a municipality whose boundaries are within 10 kilometres of the Trans Canada Highway. A certificate is also not required for services carrying passengers on chartered trips where the passengers (in a group) leave from and return to the same point within 31 days. Contact the PUB for more details.

To obtain a certificate, carriers must provide the following:

• Proof of the carrier’s safety rating;
• List of routes or information on the proposed area of service(s) (towns, cities, etc.) along with a detailed description of the service(s);
• Vehicle-specific information including weight, capacity, registration jurisdiction, and plate number;
• A certificate of good-standing (if a corporation);
• For bus services, timetables and fare details; and
• Applicant-specific information such as names, addresses, shareholder information, etc.

Certificates are valid for one year and must be renewed annually.

Carriers that have been issued certificates must inform all employees of the Motor Carrier Regulations, either by giving them a copy of the regulations or posting the regulations in the workplace.

Filing Fee — $200

Newfoundland/Labrador-based property carrying vehicles

The operating authority requirements for property-carrying vehicles have been eliminated. Newfoundland/Labrador-based carriers must obtain a safety fitness certificate plus applicable insurance to operate in Newfoundland/Labrador.

Out-of-province carriers

A non-Newfoundland/Labrador, Canada-based passenger carrier wishing to operate into Newfoundland/Labrador should contact the Newfoundland/Labrador Public Utilities Board for guidance. Visit www.pub.nf.ca for more details. Such carriers are required to obtain a safety fitness certificate from the base province and maintain liability insurance to operate in Newfoundland/Labrador. Either the original or a photocopy of the safety certificate must be carried in the cab of the truck and produced when requested by enforcement.

A non-Newfoundland/Labrador, Canada-based property carrier is required to obtain a safety fitness certificate from its base province and maintain liability insurance to operate in Newfoundland/Labrador. Either the original or a photocopy of the safety certificate must be carried in the cab of the truck and produced when requested by enforcement.

U. S. carriers

United States-based passenger carriers wishing to operate into Newfoundland/Labrador should contact the Newfoundland/Labrador Public Utilities Board for guidance. Visit www.pub.nf.ca for more details.

United States-based property carriers operating into Newfoundland/Labrador do not require authority or a safety fitness certificate.

Insurance

An owner of a bus must have:

• A motor vehicle liability policy that insures third parties against loss for amounts not less than $200,000, exclusive of interest and costs, against liability resulting from bodily injury to or the death of one or more persons and loss of or damage to property; and
• A motor vehicle liability insurance policy containing provisions which insure against liability arising out of bodily injury to or the death of or loss or damage to property belonging to a passenger arising from any one accident for:
  • A seating capacity of one to 21, $1 million; or
  • A seating capacity of 22 or more, $2 million.

An owner of a commercial motor vehicle other than bus used for the transport of dangerous goods listed under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act (Canada) must have a motor vehicle liability insurance policy containing provisions which insure third parties against bodily injury to or the death of a person or for loss of or damage to property of others other than cargo for the amount of $1 million ($2 million if the dangerous goods are set out in Column 1 of Schedule XII of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (Canada), or require an emergency response plan to be filed with the Director General of the Transport Dangerous Goods Directorate, Transport Canada, under Part VIII of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations (Canada)).

Safety fitness certificates

Carriers operating commercial vehicles in Newfoundland/Labrador must obtain a safety fitness certificate (also referred to as a safety fitness number or safety code number). A carrier or person may not operate, allow, or cause to be operated a commercial vehicle upon a highway unless the carrier responsible for that vehicle:

• Has applied to be registered and 90 days have not passed since that application was made; or
• Is registered and has a safety rating of “satisfactory-audited,” “satisfactory-unaudited,” or “conditional.”

A commercial vehicle is a truck, tractor, or trailer or any combination of them exceeding a registered gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kilograms, a bus, a school bus, a school purpose vehicle (as defined in the Bus Regulations), or a disabled passenger vehicle as defined in the Official Inspection Station Regulations.

An application for registration must be submitted no more than 60 days after the applicant starts operation as a carrier.