Overview
The Alberta Carrier Excellent Safety Program, ACES, replaces the Partners in Compliance Program (PIC) and will be administered by the Government of Alberta. ACES will provide benefits to carriers who have demonstrated superior safety practices and on-road performance.
ACES will launch on April 1, 2025 and will be available to Alberta carriers who qualify. Transportation and Economic Corridors will administer the ACES program. It is free to join and does not have application or membership fees.
Expanding on the Partners in Compliance (PIC) program
The Partners in Compliance (PIC) program was started in 1995 in order to support the commercial trucking industry which has evolved over the last 30 years. ACES was developed to provide a more comprehensive program that is accessible to all Alberta carriers and designed to evolve alongside the trucking industry.
How ACES members benefit
Participation in ACES is free (for example, no application or membership fees). However, carriers are responsible for costs incurred for mandatory third-party National Safety Code (NSC) facility audits.
ACES members will enjoy the following benefits:
- "Excellent" safety fitness rating
- recognition through Government of Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors website and newsletters
- certificates to display on websites
- highest bypass rate for all Alberta Vehicle Inspection Stations
- waived government fee on Commercial Driver Abstracts
- waived Vehicle Shop Licence fee
- waived Safety Fitness Certificate renewal fee
- waived fees on select permits:
- Oilwell Service Vehicle Cycle Exemption
- CAOEC Oil and Gas Well Service Rig
- Water Well Drilling Rig Exemption
- Municipal Firefighting Vehicle Exemption Permit.
Eligibility
Alberta-based commercial carriers who meet the Program Entrance Eligibility and the Safety Performance Measure Criteria are encouraged to apply for the program to receive the benefits and recognition for their superior safety performance.
Existing PIC members holding an Excellent rating on March 31, 2025 will be automatically enrolled in the ACES program on April 1, 2025. These carriers will be required to meet the ACES eligibility criteria to maintain program eligibility and their Excellent safety fitness rating.
To meet program entrance eligibility criteria, a carrier must:
- be a licensed carrier in Alberta
- have a safety fitness certificate from the Government of Alberta
- have commercial vehicles registered for the previous 12 consecutive months
- meet the Safety Performance Measure Criteria
Safety Performance Measure Criteria
The Safety Performance Measure Criteria are based on the commercial carrier’s safety fitness rating, NSC facility audit results, and the carrier’s compliance record. Listed below are the Safety Performance Measure Criteria.
- The carrier must hold a Satisfactory (Audited) safety fitness rating for the previous 3 consecutive years.
- The carrier must have an NSC Facility audit completed within the previous 12 months of ACES application, which indicates an Overall Violation Rate of 10% or less and a Fatigue Violation Rate of 10% or less. An NSC Audit is to be conducted and submitted by a certified third part auditor (TPA) upon each renewal term.
- The carrier must maintain a compliance record for the previous 12 months that:
- does not indicate significant out of service defects in Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspections
- indicates a clean violation record
- does not have any major safety events as identified in the Carrier Profile
- is not the subject of an ongoing investigation or audit
- is not on any stage of monitoring
Safety Fitness Certificates and ACES certificates will each be renewed every 3 years. When renewing your ACES certificate, the carrier will need to submit the results of an NSC facility audit conducted within the previous 12 months of the ACES renewal year and maintain the described safety performance measure criteria to retain their ACES eligibility.
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A clean violation record means the carrier has no audits, or investigations, and/or administrative penalties issued where non-compliance was identified that would not support an “Excellent” safety fitness rating.
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A major safety event is any occurrence where the operation of, or mechanical state of a vehicle/trailer, leads to or may lead to a significant safety risk that could result in serious injury or fatality. Some examples are:
- Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS)
- infrastructure strikes/collisions
- collisions that result in serious injury or fatality
- operating or permitting a person to operate an unsafe commercial vehicle
- a wheels-off incident
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For carriers to meet the review criteria to retain their ACES eligibility and Excellent safety rating, they must:
- continue to have commercial vehicles registered in Alberta
- not be on any stage of monitoring
- have a clean violation record
- not have any major safety events as identified in the Carrier Profile
- not be the subject of an investigation where performance is deemed unacceptable for an "Excellent" safety fitness rating
- submit the results of a National Safety Code (NSC) facility audit conducted within the previous 12 months upon renewal of your ACES certificate expiry, showing an Overall Violation rate of 10% or less and a Fatigue Violation Rate of 10% or less, (i.e. if your ACES certificate expiries October 31, 2028, your NSC audit must be performed between November 1, 2027 and October 31, 2028).
- NOTE: ACES certificates are renewed every three (3) years. If you intend to renew your ACES certificate, it will be your responsibility to complete and submit a NSC audit within 12 months of ACES certificate expiry date and maintain the described safety performance measure criteria to retain an “Excellent” rating and your ACES eligibility.
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The Alberta government will conduct monthly performance reviews to ensure that all ACES carriers are meeting the review criteria to maintain their ACES membership and their Excellent safety fitness rating.
Carriers are encouraged to implement their own internal carrier monitoring performance review system to ensure on-going safety performance measures and ACES criteria are being met.
Failure to meet review criteria
Carriers that do not comply with the ACES review criteria will be notified by the government, removed from the program immediately, and have their safety fitness rating downgraded to the appropriate level.
If a carrier is removed from the program, they are eligible to reapply to ACES when they meet the eligibility criteria again.
ACES application process
Carriers interested in becoming an ACES member can contact compliance.info@gov.ab.ca for an application.
Members of the Partners in Compliance program holding an "Excellent" safety fitness rating on March 31, 2025, will automatically be enrolled in ACES on April 1, 2025. These carriers will be required to maintain the required review criteria to remain in the program and keep their Excellent rating.
- An NSC audit is not required prior to the launch of April 1, 2025 for those PIC members already holding an Excellent rating on March 31, 2025.
- ACES certificates are renewed every 3 years. If you intend to renew your ACES certificate, it will be your responsibility to complete and submit a NSC audit within 12 months of the ACES certificate expiry date and to maintain the described safety performance measure criteria to retain an “Excellent” rating and ACES eligibility.