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Ontario-based passenger vehicles
Under the Ontario Public Vehicles Act, bus and public vehicle operators in Ontario must obtain an operating licence before operating on Ontario highways. Permanent and temporary operating licences are available.
To obtain the operating licence, the operator applies to the Ontario Highway Transport Board. Fees are $300 for temporary licences and $500 for permanent licences. Once the application is approved, the operator must file with the Board a Certificate of Insurance covering the operator’s minimum liabilities.
Ontario-based operators can also apply for “Special Authority” that is valid for seven consecutive days. The fee for Special Authority is $150.
Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR)
The Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) is a safety authority to operate on Ontario highways. The CVOR applies to Ontario-based carriers operating buses with a seating capacity of 10 or more passengers.
Ontario-based property-carrying vehicles
Effective January 1, 2006, Ontario’s Truck Transportation Act was repealed under Bill 179 (2002), the Government Efficiency Act. For-hire and private carriers in Ontario are no longer required to hold an operating licence but are required to obtain the Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR).
Contracts of carriage
The repeal of the Truck Transportation Act removed the operating authority licencing requirements and moved the insurance and load broker trust account requirements to the Highway Traffic Act.
Trust accounts
The load broker provisions under the Truck Transportation Act were removed effective January 1, 2006. Because the load broker regulations are no longer in effect, the new trust account rules apply to persons who arrange with operators to carry goods (all classes of materials, wares, merchandise, and livestock) of another person for compensation by commercial motor vehicle. Persons involved in such transactions must hold any money received from the consignor or consignee of the goods in a trust account for the operator until the money is paid to the operator.
Carriage of goods insurance
The regulations require carriers to hold liability insurance for loss or damage to goods in an amount sufficient to cover the loss or damage of the goods carried. Contracts of carriage require specific information to be listed in the contract, depending upon what goods are being carried. The carriage of goods requirements do not apply to carriage of several types of goods including but not limited to fresh fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S. or Mexico or ready-mixed concrete. Refer to Ontario Regulation 643/05, Carriage of Goods Regulation, for more information.
Out-of-province carriers
Passenger-carrying
To obtain the operating licence, an interprovincial passenger vehicle operator applies to the Ontario Highway Transport Board, provides a copy of the operating licence from the home province, and pays the applicable fees ($300 for temporary licences and $500 for permanent licences).
If operators will be traveling to Ontario infrequently, the Board requests the operators apply for “Special Authority.” Special Authority licences are valid for 7 days. To apply for Special Authority, operators must submit an application, pay the $150 fee, provide a copy of the base province’s operating authority, and submit proof of insurance information.
Property-carrying
There is no operating licence required to operate in Ontario for property-carrying operators from other Canadian jurisdictions.
Effective January 1, 2006, Ontario no longer required carriers with vehicles base-plated in another Canadian jurisdiction to register for the CVOR. The exemption for Canadian-based carriers was federally mandated by the Canadian government.
Ontario accepts the safety fitness certificate and safety rating issued to Canadian operators based outside of Ontario.
U.S. carriers
Passenger-carrying
To obtain the operating licence, a U.S. carrier applies to the Ontario Highway Transport Board, provides a copy of the carrier’s U.S. operating authority, and pays the applicable fees ($300 for temporary licences and $500 for permanent licences).
If operators will be traveling to Ontario infrequently, the Board requests the operators apply for “Special Authority.” Special Authority licences are valid for seven days. To apply for Special Authority, operators must submit an application, pay the $150 fee, provide a copy of the base province’s operating authority, and submit proof of insurance information.
U.S. passenger vehicle operators traveling to Ontario are required to obtain the CVOR.
Property-carrying
For-hire and private carriers in Ontario are no longer required to hold an operating licence but must obtain the CVOR to operate on Ontario highways.
Insurance
Passenger vehicle operators are subject to the following insurance requirements in order to obtain operating authority in Ontario:
- Motor vehicle liability insurance;
- $5,000 insurance coverage for damage to property of all passengers; and
- The following minimum liability coverage against loss or damage resulting from bodily injury to or the death of one or more passengers:
| Seating Capacity | Insurance |
|---|---|
| 1 to 7 passengers | $1,000,000 |
| 8 to 12 passengers | $5,000,000 |
| 13 or more passengers | $8,000,000 |
Under the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act, in order to cover bodily injury to or death of any person or loss of or damage to property of other persons, other than cargo, an extraprovincial truck undertaking must hold the following minimum liability insurance coverage:
- $1,000,000 for each motor vehicle; and
- $2,000,000 for each motor vehicle used to transport dangerous goods.
Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR)
The CVOR is the registration system for operators of commercial motor vehicles. It is designed to monitor the performance and compliance of carriers operating in Ontario. It includes buses with a seating capacity for 10 or more passengers and commercial motor vehicles having a gross weight or a registered gross weight of more than 4,500 kilograms (9,900 pounds). An “operator” means the person responsible for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle including the conduct of the driver and the carriage of goods or passengers, if any, in the vehicle or combination of vehicles. Trailers are not counted.
The following vehicles are exempt from CVOR requirements:
- An ambulance, a fire apparatus, a hearse, a casket wagon, a mobile crane, a motor home, or a tow truck;
- Buses when used for personal transportation;
- Empty commercial motor vehicles operating under dealer plates or in-transit permits;
- Vehicles leased no more than 30 days for personal use; and
- Private, out-of-province carriers not operating under an IRP cab card.
To register, complete an application for a CVOR certificate and mail it directly to the Ministry at the address listed on the top portion of the form. Include the $250 application fee with the application. Subsidiary companies that are registered as separate companies are each required to obtain their own CVOR certificate. Everyone, including operators and drivers of operating divisions of a corporation must carry proof of:
- The CVOR certificate issued to the operator of the vehicle; or
- The lease of the vehicle if it is a leased vehicle.
Unless exempt, a CVOR certificate or a legible copy must be carried in each vehicle being operated, regardless of ownership. It must be surrendered for inspection upon the request of a police officer or an enforcement officer of the Ministry of Transportation.
The CVOR registration system provides a structured method of monitoring operator performance on Ontario’s highways. Every operator is held responsible and accountable for all aspects of driver performance (e.g. the rules of the road, prescribed hours of work), the vehicle condition (e.g. inspection and maintenance standards) and carrier operations (e.g. maintenance of records of vehicle inspections and repairs).
Any conviction registered against a driver or an operator is recorded into the operator’s record for a period of five years. Safety detentions, accidents, and defaulted fines are also added to the operator’s record. Violations reported to MTO by other jurisdictions may also be recorded. Corrective action will be taken if an operator’s record becomes unsatisfactory. The operator’s fleet size determines the number of convictions allowed before corrective action is taken.
The progressive range of actions against offenders includes written warnings, personal interviews and, if necessary more severe sanctions. Possible sanctions could include temporary fleet size restrictions, suspension or cancellation of vehicle permits and plates, temporary suspension or even cancellation of the CVOR certificate.
Effective April 2, 2007, the Ministry of Transportation updated the CVOR under a new “intervention model.” The new model takes a more proactive instead of reactive approach to tracking operator safety performance. After much study and analysis, the Ministry found that an operator’s past safety performance can be used to predict future incidents.
The new model will be phased-in over the next two years. The new CVOR will now be based on kilometres traveled in Canada instead of an operator’s fleet size. All incidents occurring on Canadian roads will also be included on the new CVOR record.
The old CVOR rules will apply to incidents before April 2, 2007. After April 2, 2007, the new rules apply. For the next two years, the violation rates will be blended. Eventually, all violation rates will be based on the new rules.
Expiration
Effective December 1, 2008, if a CVOR is issued on or after December 1, 2008, the CVOR expires:
- On the second anniversary of the issue date if issued before December 1, 2009; or
- On the first anniversary of the issue date if issued on or after December 1, 2009.
Renewals
Effective December 1, 2008, CVOR certificates must be renewed. Existing CVOR certificates will be assigned expiration dates over a two-year period. The fee for transition from a non-expiring certificate to an expiring certificate is $100. After the transition period, annual CVOR renewal will be required, which carries a $50 fee. If, at the time a CVOR is renewed, the operator’s safety rating is “Excellent” or “Satisfactory,” the renewed CVOR certificate expires two years after the date of issue.
CVOR Updates
Notify the Ministry in writing within 15 days of any change in the certificate holder’s name, head office business and mailing address, fleet size, and/or the partners/officers and their residential address(es).
Obtaining CVOR Abstracts
An abstract of an operator’s or driver’s record can be obtained by mailing a request form to MTO Data Management, 268 Keele Street, Downsview, Ontario, M3M 1E6, and the prescribed fee of $5 ($10 for a certified copy) in Canadian funds, payable to the Minister of Finance. You may also request abstracts online at https://www.cvor.rus.mto.gov.on.ca/scripts/Products.asp