Almost all provinces require commercial vehicle inspections to some degree. As we will see, many different methods are used to determine whether a vehicle requires inspection or not, from its weight, use, travel distance, and more. Understanding the rules in one jurisdiction means little when traveling interprovincially, so make sure to take precautions in these situations.
The Commercial Vehicle Inspection Program is the mandatory safety inspection program required by the government to operate any truck, tractor, trailer, or combination of over 4,500 kg (sometimes higher depending on the province) or a bus with a seating capacity of more than 10, including the driver, that is meant for transporting passengers.
It’s essentially a Safety for a large commercial vehicle, and it’s incredibly important for any businesses using such vehicles to make sure they’re on top of any and all things that could possibly make your vehicles ineligible for one.
If you don’t have it, your vehicle isn’t cleared to drive – plain and simple. Apart from that, regular inspections and exceeding the minimum regulations keep your drivers safe, other drivers safe, and you free from related liability.
The biggest problem with the CVIP is that the regulations and requirements you need to meet change from province to province, and even more so from mechanic to mechanic. No two pair of eyes are the same, the forms in every province technicians fill out are completely different, and even though someone in Alberta cleared your vehicle for travel, you could open up shop in Quebec and have to end up spending thousands of dollars making adjustments you didn’t realize you had to. To summarize – consistency is the main problem, and whichever province your truck, trailer, or bus home base location ends up being is the set of provincial guidelines you have to follow.
The Vehicle Inspection Search is an online application that quickly and easily allows you to search for the nearest commercial vehicle or motor vehicle inspection facility in Alberta.
When beginning your search, please be sure to select the appropriate vehicle inspection program (for example, commercial, out of province, or salvage). Upon reviewing the search results, take note of the vehicle types that each facility is authorized to inspect.
Alberta
Alberta has a commercial vehicle inspection program. This province also has additional requirements for vehicles that come from other provinces to help ensure that all vehicles are inspected to the same standards.
British Columbia
British Columbia has a vehicle inspection program for all vehicles, including commercial ones. This program is a little more stringent than its eastern border province, but the higher demands help ensure that all vehicles are roadworthy and regulated.
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan has a vehicle inspection program that varies depending on the type of vehicle. This isn’t necessarily unique to the province, but it is worth noting that different vehicles should have different inspection requirements. Of particular note is the inspection terms that vary depending on the vehicle, from 6 months to five years. Total loss vehicles and first-time registered vehicles only require a single inspection.
Manitoba
Manitoba requires commercial vehicle inspections every six or twelve months for most vehicles, excluding personal vehicles in all the various forms they may take. These include antique vehicles, tractors, farm trailers, new vehicles, public transportation vehicles and others. Many of these categories see similar exemptions in the other provinces.
Ontario
Both annual and semi-annual vehicle inspections are required for commercial motor vehicles in Ontario. These vehicles are categorized as those trucks and highway tractors over 4,500 kilograms and buses with seating capacity for ten or more vehicles.
Quebec
Quebec has similar vehicle inspection requirements to the provinces described above. Notably, they also omit snowblowers and snowmobiles from annual or semi-annual inspections.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia appears to have older information than the other provinces and puts a strong emphasis on following weight restrictions and capacities on their roads. It is not clear whether they have a vehicle inspection program or not.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland also provides a complete commercial vehicle inspection program but does away with any particulars about vehicle type by stating that all commercial vehicles must be inspected to the standard set out by the province.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick follows the lead of many other provinces in making commercial vehicle requirements a necessity and defines them by their unladen curb weight.
North West Territories
It doesn’t appear as though the North West Territories require commercial vehicle inspections at this time.
Yukon
Yukon follows suit with similar requirements on their commercial vehicle inspections as those other provinces that make weight a defining factor in determining the vehicle’s use.
Nunavut
Nunavut is also an outlier in the commercial vehicle inspection requirements realm. Since 2015, they’ve been conducting random inspections of vehicles weighing over 4,500 kilograms. This includes vehicles that are loaded or not, which is also a departure from the norm.
