Table of contents

Overview

Safety Fitness Certificates that include Operating Status are required for commercial carriers operating in Alberta.

Operating status

Safety Fitness Certificates that include Operating Status are required for commercial carriers operating in Alberta.

  • solely within Alberta registered for a weight of 11,794 kg or greater
  • outside of Alberta registered for more than 4,500 kg, or
  • originally designed to seat 11 or more persons including the driver

Under the Canadian Constitution, an Alberta carrier who operates or intends to operate a truck and/or bus:

  • outside of Alberta is conducting an extra-provincial undertaking and falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government
    • carriers that fall under federal jurisdiction must comply with the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act (MVTA) and obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate with a "Federal" Operating Status
  • solely within Alberta falls under provincial jurisdiction.
    • these carriers must comply with Alberta's Traffic Safety Act and obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate with a "Provincial" Operating Status.

Carriers found to be operating outside of Alberta with a Provincial Operating Status are subject to prosecution and/or having their vehicle detained at roadside, and may have their Operating Status changed to Federal.

A carrier with a:

  • Federal Operating Status whose business has changed to the extent that they intend to cease conducting business outside of Alberta may request that their Operating Status be changed to Provincial
    • this option is only for those carriers implementing long term changes to their business and may not be used to address short term operational needs
  • Provincial Operating Status who now intends to operate outside of Alberta must apply for a Federal Operating Status

Alberta carriers changing their operating status from 'Provincial' to 'Federal' will affect the regulatory requirements they must comply with. A summary of the most notable changes are outlined in the following table.

Table 1. Operating status regulatory requirements

Provincial Operating Status
(provincially regulated)		 Federal Operating Status
(federally regulated)

Carrier must obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate with a 'Provincial' Operating Status if they operate the following vehicles only within Alberta:

  • commercial vehicles that are registered for a weight of 11,794 kg or more
  • commercial vehicles with a manufacturer's seating capacity originally designed for 11 or more persons, including the driver

Note: Farmers are exempt when transporting their own goods using farm-plated vehicles.

Carrier must obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate with a 'Federal' Operating Status if they operate the following vehicles in multiple provinces, territories or states:

  • commercial vehicles that are registered for a weight of more than 4,500 kg
  • commercial vehicles with a manufacturer's seating capacity originally designed for 11 or more persons, including the driver

Note: No exceptions

Carrier is required to comply with Alberta's Traffic Safety Act.

Carrier is required to comply with Canada's Motor Vehicle Transport Act.

Carrier must implement a safety program that applies all regulatory requirements to the drivers of vehicles registered for 11,794 kg or more.

Carrier must implement a safety program that applies all regulatory requirements to the drivers of vehicles registered for more than 4,500 kg.

Carrier must implement a maintenance program that applies all regulatory requirements to vehicles registered for more than 4,500 kg.

Note: Not required by provincial carriers who do not operate vehicles registered for 11,794 kg or more.

Carrier must implement a maintenance program that applies all regulatory requirements to vehicles registered for more than 4,500 kg.

Carrier and drivers must comply with the Alberta Drivers' Hours of Service Regulation.

Carrier and drivers must comply with Canada's Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations.

Note: There are major differences between the provincial and federal hours of service regulations. Carriers and drivers must comply with the appropriate regulation at all times. As the Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations are more restrictive, it is critical that carriers understand this prior to operating outside of Alberta as it may have a major impact on their operations.

For more information about federal and provincial regulatory requirements, consult our Education Manual.

Related

Operating status and name change – Existing carriers

Was this page helpful?

All fields are required unless otherwise indicated.

Your submissions are monitored by our web team and are used to help improve the experience on Alberta.ca.