Oil well service rig regulations

Overview

New regulation changes remove unnecessary rules limiting the movement of service rigs between work sites and across provincial borders.

These changes help cut red tape without compromising safety. Service rigs will continue to follow appropriate safety standards, including valid permits, regular inspections, and compliance with Occupational Health and Safety requirements.

Changes in effect

Transportation requirements

Vehicles with permanently mounted service rigs are classified as commercial vehicles, which means they must meet transportation requirements for the commercial trucking industry.

Since a service rig typically spends 95% of its time at a worksite and only 5% of its time on the road, not all commercial trucking requirements are suitable.

Changes to the Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation and Vehicle Inspection Regulation on June 28, 2019 mean service rigs:

• must be inspected every 5 years, instead of annually under the Commercial Vehicle Inspection Program
• are exempt from Safety Fitness Certificate (SFC) requirements
  • service rig operators do not have to carry an SFC or complete daily trip inspection reports
    • service rig owners must still ensure a daily trip inspection is conducted

These regulatory exemptions only apply to service rigs – however, members of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC) can obtain a permit to extend these allowances to support vehicles when operating in a convoy. Service rig carriers without this permit will still need to comply with all SFC and Commercial Vehicle Inspection Program (CVIP) requirements for any support vehicles.

Learn more about CAOEC permits.

Carrier profiles

We collect information about the conduct of commercial carriers from law enforcement across North America and compile it into a carrier profile, which tracks a carrier’s compliance with laws and regulations.

Learn more about carrier profiles and monitoring.

If you see violations on your carrier profile relating to your service rigs and have questions or concerns, contact us.

Permits

Service rigs require both provincial and municipal approvals for permits to operate across the province, as they exceed the maximum dimensions and weight.

Learn more about commercial vehicle oversize and overweight permits.

Contact

Connect with Vehicle Standards about commercial vehicle inspections:

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4:30 pm
Phone: 780-427-8901
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]

Connect with the National Safety Code team about Safety Fitness Certificates:

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4:30 pm
Phone: 403-340-5444
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)
Email: [email protected]

Connect with the Central Permit Office:

Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:15 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4:30 pm
Phone: 1-800-662-7138 (within Canada)
Phone: 403-342-7138 (outside of Canada)
Email: [email protected]