Purpose of a Safety Fitness Certificate
The purpose of a safety fitness certificate is to encourage a culture of safety in Manitoba’s motor carriers and to protect the public from carriers who are known to operate in an unsafe manner.
Manitoba requires motor carriers and operators of regulated vehicles to hold a valid safety fitness certificate in compliance with s. 312.2 of the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act and s. 8(1) of the Canada Motor Vehicle Transport Act. A safety fitness certificate is essentially an operating authority for heavy vehicles. A safety fitness certificate includes a motor carrier’s safety rating, their National Safety Code number, and their legal operating name.
Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure uses a motor carrier’s safety fitness certificate, National Safety Code number, and the Carrier Profile System to monitor a motor carrier’s on-road performance record and assign a safety rating to the carrier. A carrier’s safety rating is communicated publically on the Carrier Snapshot, allowing shippers and members of the public to make decisions about carrier’s they may wish to hire based on their safety record.
On-road events such as accidents, inspections and convictions are recorded on the carrier profile. Although individual events are not publically available, the department monitors all Manitoba based carrier profiles. When a carrier starts to display unsafe operating practices, the department will intervene in an attempt to improve operator safety. If a carrier does not improve performance, their safety rating will be adjusted.
If a motor carrier does not display safe operating practices and compliance with applicable highway safety laws and regulations, and fails to improve their operations when ordered to do so under s. 322.1(3) of the Highway Traffic Act, their safety fitness certificate can be suspended or revoked. If a carrier’s safety fitness certificate is suspended or revoked the registrations of their regulated vehicles will be cancelled by the Registrar.
