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Part of Applications and permits

Safety Fitness Certificate

When a Safety Fitness Certificate (SFC) is required, how to apply for a certificate, and what is required during application.

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Applications and permits

Overview

A commercial carrier is the owner of one or more commercial vehicles used to transport goods, passengers, or provide a service. Carriers must obtain an Safety Fitness Certificate (SFC) in order to operate.

In Alberta, the requirement to obtain an SFC is based on 3 factors:

  • where you operate (within or outside Alberta)
  • registered weight of the vehicle or trailer
  • seating capacity

Carriers that register commercial vehicles must obtain an SFC for:

  • a truck or trailer, or any combination of the 2, with a registered weight of 11,794 kg or more, operating solely within Alberta
  • a truck or trailer, or any combination of the 2, with a registered weight of more than 4,500 kg that is used (or intended to be used) to transport goods on a highway outside of Alberta, including farm-plated vehicle(s)
  • a commercial vehicle originally designed for carrying 11 or more persons, including the driver, that is used (or intended to be used) for the transportation of passengers

Apply

Whether carriers are applying for a new SFC or renewing their existing certificate, much of the same information and documentation is required as part of the application process:

  • Vehicle registration: Carriers validate registration when applying.
  • Motor Vehicle Identification (MVID) Number: The MVID associated with your company can be located on your vehicle registration document.
  • Insurance: See ‘Insurance requirements’ below.
  • Operating status: Carriers need to indicate if they operate within or outside of Alberta.
  • Nature of business: Carriers need to identify if they haul commodities (and what type) or if they transport passengers.
  • Safety & Maintenance Program: Carriers need to identify the individuals in charge of their Safety and maintenance programs.

New carriers

Commercial carriers applying for an SFC for the first time or where their previous certificate was cancelled or made unsatisfactory, must apply for a new certificate and go through Alberta’s Pre-Entry Program.

The application fee for a new SFC is $150.

Visit our Pre-Entry Requirements web page for more details and access to the online application for new carriers..

Renewing an SFC

Carriers that did not renew their SFC prior to June 28, 2022 had their certificate cancelled and cannot legally operate in Alberta. Carriers with an expired certificate will need to re-apply and may be required to complete the Pre-Entry Program for commercial carriers.

Carriers wishing to renew their SFC must complete a Safety Fitness Certificate Renewal Application online. The application fee to renew the SFC is $110 and the certificates are issued for a 3-year term.

Insurance requirements

The Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation sets the minimum insurance requirements as follows:

Section 24

Cargo Insurance – requires carriers to maintain insurance to cover against loss of or damage to goods transported. Insurance requirements range from $600 to $32,000 depending on the gross vehicle weight of the vehicle.

Section 25

Liability Insurance – requires all carriers to maintain at least $1 million coverage and those transporting certain types of dangerous goods at least $2 million coverage.

Section 26

Passenger Insurance Requirements – requires carriers conducting a passenger service to maintain passenger hazard insurance of either $1 million or $2 million coverage depending on the number of passengers the vehicle can transport.

Section 27

Taxi Insurance – requires taxi companies to maintain at least $1 million of passenger hazard insurance.

The above is a summary of insurance requirements set out in legislation. For detailed insurance requirements for the passenger transport industry and cargo insurance, please refer to the Commercial Vehicle Certificate and Insurance Regulation.

Accessing documents

Safety Fitness Certificates, renewal reminders, and many other notifications and letters regarding your SFC are available for carriers to access online through Transportation Online Services.

Access is provided by the existing Carrier or Public Profile service through a new Carrier Document Portal service. Not all documents will be available online as some will continue to be delivered by email with attachments and by mail.

View the Email and Online Correspondences notice

Contact

Connect with Carrier and Vehicle Safety and sign up for updates.

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