Pre-trip inspections - Saskatchewan

Application

Motor carriers in the province of Saskatchewan must ensure certain vehicles are inspected accordingly before they are operated on a public highway in the province. Trucks, truck tractors, trailers, buses, and motorcoaches, as defined below, must all undergo inspection according to the Saskatchewan regulations; however, the requirement to carry an inspection report and inspection “schedules” only applies to the operation of “commercial vehicles” also defined below. Carriers with vehicles plated in Saskatchewan and operating into other provinces must still ensure compliance with other provincial pre-trip inspection regulations and/or National Safety Code Standard 13, Trip Inspections, which may be more stringent than Saskatchewan’s regulations.

A truck, truck tractor, trailer, bus, or motorcoach is defined as follows:

• A truck is vehicle that is designed for the conveyance of goods, that is equipped with a lifting device, or on which any machinery is permanently mounted;
• A truck tractor is a vehicle that is equipped with a fifth wheel plate assembly and that is designed to and primarily used to pull a semitrailer;
• A trailer is a vehicle without motive power that is designed to be towed by another vehicle;
• A bus is a vehicle designed and intended to have a seating capacity of more than 10 including the driver and including a motorcoach; and
• A motorcoach is a bus of “monocoque” or unibody design if:
  • The body of the bus in an integral part of the chassis;
  • The bus is manufactured to provide intercity, suburban, commuter, or charter service;
  • The bus is equipped with under-foot baggage storage; and
  • The bus is equipped with air brakes, air ride suspension, and automatic brake adjusters.

A commercial vehicle is a vehicle that is used to transport goods or passengers and is:

• A truck, truck tractor, or trailer, or combination of them, that has a registered gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight of more than 11,794 kilograms; or
• A bus that is designed and intended to have a seating capacity of more than 10, including the driver, including motorcoaches.

A commercial vehicle does not include a two-or three-axle farm truck that is not towing a trailer, an emergency vehicle, road construction and maintenance equipment and farm equipment as defined in The Vehicle Weight and Dimension Regulations, 2010, a vehicle transporting goods or passengers to provide relief in a disaster situation, a recreational vehicle, or a vehicle registered in class PC as provided in The Vehicle Classification and Registration Regulations.

Inspection schedules

Saskatchewan regulations contain inspection “schedules” that drivers must use when performing a pre-trip inspection on a vehicle. The inspection schedules list vehicle parts and what defects would be considered minor defects or major defects of those vehicle parts.

Inspection schedules can vary in format from what is provided in the Saskatchewan regulation, but must be provided to drivers in either written format or an electronic equivalent.

Saskatchewan’s inspection schedules are as follows:

• Schedule 1, Truck, Tractor and Trailer
• Schedule 2, Bus
• Schedule 3, Motor Coach (Daily)
• Schedule 4, Motor Coach (30-days or 12,000 kilometers)

Schedule 4, Motor Coach (30-days or 12,000 kilometers), applies to the motor coach under-vehicle inspection required every 30 days or 12,000 kilometres.

Carriers must provide their commercial vehicle operators with a copy of any applicable inspection schedule, except for Schedule 4, which is not required to be carried. Inspection schedules must be available to officers upon request and can be available in hard copy or electronically on the display screen of an electronic device (capable of being read outside of a commercial vehicle).

Commercial vehicle drivers must carry the applicable inspection schedule with them while operating the commercial vehicle (either hard copy or electronically).

Requirements

A truck, truck tractor, or trailer must be inspected according to Schedule 1. A bus and any trailer towed by a bus must be inspected according to Schedule 2. Inspections must be conducted at least every 24 hours.

A motorcoach may be inspected according to Schedules 3 and 4. If a motorcoach is inspected according to Schedules 3 and 4, the motorcoach must be:

• Inspected according to Schedule 3 at least every 24 hours; and
• Inspected the earlier of every 30 days or 12,000 kilometers according to Schedule 4 (or if the motorcoach has been issued a licence plate by a jurisdiction outside of the province, a maintenance program equivalent to Schedule 4 that is approved by that jurisdiction).

A driver is not required to carry Schedule 4 in the vehicle.

A motorcoach under-vehicle inspection must be conducted while the motorcoach is raised over a pit and must be performed by a person holding a Journeyperson Certificate of Qualification, a person under the supervision of a person holding such certification, or a person that is capable of demonstrating through knowledge, training, or experience, the ability to conduct an inspection and has been working on the types or classes of vehicles being inspected for at least three years.

Inspection reports

The requirement for an inspection report applies to commercial vehicles defined as trucks, truck tractors, or trailers, or combinations of them, that have a registered gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight of more than 11,794 kilograms, or buses with a seating capacity of more than 10 including the driver, including motorcoaches.

A person conducting an inspection in accordance with Schedule 1, 2, or 3 is required to prepare an inspection report that contains the following information:

• Vehicle(s) licence plate or unit numbers;
• Odometer reading, if so equipped;
• Carrier’s name;
• Date, time, and location of the inspection;
• The driver’s name or the inspection person’s name printed, if the report is a written report; and
• The driver’s signature or the inspection person’s signature, indicating that the vehicle was inspected according to Schedule 1, 2, or 3, if the report is a written report.

If the driver conducted the inspection and the inspection report is an electronic document, the driver must mark a declaration box indicating that the commercial vehicle identified on the inspection report has been inspected in accordance with Schedule 1, 2, or 3.

If the person who conducts the inspection is not the person who drives the commercial vehicle, and the inspection report is an electronic document, the inspection person must mark a declaration box indicating that the commercial vehicle identified on the inspection report has been inspected according to Schedule 1, 2, or 3. The driver of the vehicle must also mark a declaration box on the same electronic document.

If no defects are found during an inspection, the person conducting the inspection must indicate that on the inspection report.

If a defect is found, the person conducting the inspection must record it on the inspection report, indicate if the defect was repaired, and report the defect to the carrier before the next required inspection. Defects reported to the carrier must be repaired before the vehicle’s next required inspection.

If a major defect is found, the person conducting the inspection must record the major defect on the inspection report, indicate if the major defect was repaired, and retain a certification of repairs for any repairs performed.

Major defects must be reported immediately to the carrier. A carrier may not allow its commercial vehicles to operate, and a driver may not operate a commercial vehicle, on a public highway with a major defect that has not been repaired.

Drivers of commercial vehicles must carry the vehicle’s current days’ inspection report and the previous days’ inspection report with them while operating the commercial vehicle. If the inspection report is an electronic document, the carrier must ensure that the driver is able to provide, and the driver must provide, peace officers with a written copy of the inspection report or an electronic copy of the report displayed on a digital display screen of an electronic device (capable of being read outside of a commercial vehicle). Carriers are responsible for ensuring that copies of inspection reports are carried by its commercial vehicle operators.

If a motor coach is inspected daily according to Schedule 3, then the driver must also declare that the motorcoach has been inspected according to Schedule 4, or an equivalent maintenance program, on the inspection report (see section 11, paragraph (2) of The Trip Inspection Regulations for details on under-vehicle inspection reports). Drivers may perform the declaration electronically. Drivers of motorcoaches inspected according to Schedule 4, or an equivalent maintenance program, must also carry a copy of the under-vehicle inspection report.

Recordkeeping

Drivers are required to forward copies of their trip inspection reports to their carrier within 20 days and carriers are required to keep the reports on file for six months. Any certification of repairs forwarded to the carrier must also be kept for at least six months.

Law

Highways and Transportation Act, 1997, Section 69

Regulation

The Trip Inspection Regulations