Changes to impaired driving laws

Alberta’s impaired driving laws are changing effective December 1, 2020. A new Roadside Sanction program will keep our roads safer by providing serious and immediate consequences for all impaired drivers. Read Freeing up police and courts to make Alberta safer for more information.

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Overview

The Traffic Safety Act provides the Registrar with wide ranging powers, including the issuance of permits and the licensing and monitoring of drivers, commercial carriers and vehicles.

Registrar responsibilities

With respect to commercial carriers, the Registrar has the authority to:

  • issue or refuse to issue an Safety Fitness Certificate
  • issue or refuse to issue an Operating Authority Certificate
  • issue or refuse to issue a permit
  • change a carrier's Safety Fitness Rating
  • cancel or suspend a carrier's Safety Fitness or Operating Authority Certificate or permit
  • add a term or condition to a carrier's certificate or permit
  • cancel or suspend a carrier's vehicle registration certificates
  • issue a carrier an Administrative Penalty

Payments

If you received an administrative penalty from Carrier and Vehicle Safety, you can contact the Carrier and Vehicle Safety Branch for payment. Details on the payment process and contact information are included in the Notice of the Administrative Penalty. Clients may also provide their payment at an Alberta Registry, with an additional fee for service.

  • Payment by credit card: Contact the Carrier & Vehicle Safety Branch at 403-755-6111 (toll free in Alberta by first dialing 310-0000) to set-up a credit card payment by email or telephone payment services, in a manner that is compliant with Payment Card Industry (PCI) Compliance requirements.
  • Payment by cheque: A copy of the notice must be submitted along with the remittance, payable to the Government of Alberta.

Should you experience financial challenges and are unable to submit the payment by the specified due date, you can contact the department to review your payment options and arrange more time for payment. For more information contact Carrier & Vehicle Safety at: 403-755-6111 or by email [email protected].

How to request a reconsideration of a Registrar decision

The Traffic Safety Act provides a carrier the ability to have a Registrar's decision reconsidered by Alberta Transportation.

If you want to have a decision reconsidered by the Registrar you must complete an online application on the Registrar reconsideration page.

The only applications eligible for reconsideration are those that are able to provide the following:

  • indication of error made by Alberta Transportation on the original decision; or
  • new information that was not available to/considered by Alberta Transportation in the original decision.

If you have questions regarding the Registrar Reconsideration process, see the Registrar reconsideration page.

Reconsiderations must be relevant to the actions of the carrier and/or the Registrar leading up to the Registrar's decision. Actions taken by the carrier after the Registrar's decision may be pertinent to the carrier making a new application to the Registrar, but not for a reconsideration.

Prior to submitting an application for reconsideration, it is recommended you contact the Carrier & Vehicle Safety Branch of Alberta Transportation to ensure you fully understand the decision of the Registrar and its impact. Contact information can be found below.