New Safety Inspection Regulations for Highway Trucks

As of September 1^st, 2015, under amendments to The Highway Traffic Act, if you are the operator of a heavy T-plated truck or a heavy passenger vehicle, you will be required to hold a Safety Fitness Certificate and meet program requirements.

A heavy vehicle refers to:

• a truck or truck tractor with a registered gross vehicle weight (RGVW) of 4500 kg or more, or
• a passenger vehicle designed with a seating capacity for 11 or more persons, including the driver, or
• a school bus designed with a seating capacity for 11 or more persons, including the driver.

The Safety Fitness Program requirements will need to be complied with within 30 days after the effective date of your vehicle registration renewal/reassessment. The operator of the vehicle(s) must comply with the Safety Fitness Program requirements.  The operator is considered to be the registered owner of the vehicle(s). These rules will apply regardless if you own one or more heavy vehicles at a time.

The following are examples of effective vehicle registration dates:

• if the effective date of your vehicle registration is November 1, 2015, you must meet all requirements on December 2, 2015.
• if the effective date of your vehicle registration is February 5, 2016, you must meet all requirements on March 7, 2016.

According to Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation these vehicles will only need to pass a safety inspection annually. A major change for highway trucks is once every year the wheels will need to be removed to get an accurate measurement of the brake drum.

The Safety Fitness Certificate and program requirements do not apply to those whose vehicles are used for personal transportation only.

If your heavy vehicle(s) is not used exclusively for personal transportation, then you will need to know how to comply with the Safety Fitness Program requirements.

If you are not sure whether your vehicle is used exclusively for personal transportation, below are some examples of registrants that are and are not considered to be an individual:

 My Vehicle Is Not Registered To An Individual

The following are examples of registrants that are not considered to be an individual:

• corporation
• non-profit organization
• charity
• daycare
• religious organization or place of worship
• school (public or private)
• club
• colony
• municipality
• government
• First Nation community
• other entity that is not an individual

These and similar registrants must hold a Safety Fitness Certificate and meet all applicable Safety Fitness Program requirements.

My Vehicle Is Registered To An Individual

Is your vehicle used for any of the following purposes, either occasionally or regularly?

• by a tradesperson for transportation to job sites, to carry equipment, etc.
• as a tow truck being used to tow vehicles for gain
• as a food truck used for catering jobs, or to visit work sites
• by a door-to-door salesperson
• by a contractor to visit work sites
• other business or commercial purposes

If you vehicle is used for any of the above mentioned then it is not being used exclusively for personal transportation, and you must hold a Safety Fitness Certificate and meet all of the requirements for the Safety Fitness Program.

For more information on how to comply with the new rules and regulations and to determine whether your vehicle falls under being registered to an individual or not please visit: http://www.manitoba.ca/mit/mcd/mcs/hvsi/index.html.