Pre-trip inspections - Quebec

Application

The following heavy vehicles are exempt from the circle check requirement:

• A heavy vehicle used when required by an emergency service or in the cases of a disaster;
• A heavy vehicle used by a person for personal use (consult regulation for details);
• A 2- or 3-axle truck being used to transport primary products of a farm, forest, or body of water, if the driver or operator of the truck is the producer of such products, or, a return trip of that transport (as long as the vehicle is empty or transporting products used in the primary operation of a farm, forest, or body of water);
• A combination of road vehicles in which the gross vehicle weight rating of each vehicle in the combination is less than 4,500 kilograms (except those displaying safety marks as required by the Transportation of Dangerous Substances Regulation);
• Tool vehicles (graders, loaders, etc.);
• Road vehicles that are subject to the Transportation of Dangerous Substances Regulation that have a GVWR of less than 4,500 kilograms and that do not require the display of safety marks, except minibuses and tow trucks;
• A farm tractor and farm machine that is defined in the Regulation respecting road vehicle registration; and
• A farm trailer owned by a farmer for personal use.

Requirements

Operators of heavy vehicles are required to provide drivers with inspection “schedules” that list vehicle major defects and minor defects. Operators may add items to the lists only under the category “Specific verifications required by the operator.”

Drivers must carry the schedules in the vehicle during operation.

For Québec-plated heavy vehicles, Québec will only accept the Quebec-specific schedule. A National Safety Code Standard 13, Schedule 1, is not acceptable in place of the Québec schedule.

For out-of-province carriers that are operating in Québec, Québec will accept the province-specific schedule (if applicable) or the National Safety Code Standard 13, Schedule 1 (if applicable). U.S.-based carriers are not expected to carry inspection schedules when operating in Québec.

See the FAQs at tinyurl.com/circlecheckFAQ for a comprehensive applicability table.

Recordkeeping

A heavy vehicle circle check report must contain the following:

• Vehicle’s registration plate or the unit number on the registration certificate;
• Operator’s name;
• Date and time of the circle check;
• City or place on the road where the check was completed;
• Defects found during the check (or if none were found, a statement indicating so);
• A statement signed by the driver (or the person that completed the check) stating that the vehicle was inspected according to applicable requirements;
• A statement signed by the driver attesting that the check was done by a person designated by the operator, if applicable;
• The name of the person that conducted the circle check in legible “block” letters (printed); and
• Odometer reading, if equipped.

If a driver finds a major defect during the circle check, the driver must record it on the circle check report and immediately give a copy to the operator. If a driver finds a minor defect during the circle check, the driver must record it in the circle-check report and give a copy to the operator prior to the expiration of the current circle check or before the next check, whichever occurs first. The operator must sign the copy.

If there is more than one driver assigned to a vehicle, each driver is required to perform a circle check of the vehicle (valid for 24 hours), unless the last circle check was done by a designated inspector and each driver countersigns the designated inspector’s report.

Drivers must send completed circle check reports to the operator within 20 days after the report was made. The operator must keep the records for at least six months.

Law

Highway Safety Code

Regulation

Regulation Respecting Safety Standards for Road Vehicles, effective 11/20/2016