Assessing the Conduct of Heavy Vehicle Owners and Operators

Events entered in the records of heavy vehicle owners and operators are considered in their ongoing conduct review.

Owners and operators covered

All owners and operators of heavy vehiclesVehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,500 kg or more, as indicated on the compliance label. required to register in the register of owners and operators of heavy vehicles of the Commission des transports du Québec⁠ ⁠, namely:

• owners and operators of heavy vehicles registered in Québec, whether the vehicles are operated in Québec or in another Canadian jurisdiction
• operators of heavy vehicles that are registered outside Canada but operated in Québec

Events considered in the ongoing conduct review

The following events are considered in the ongoing conduct review:

• Facility audits (pass or fail)
• Major mechanical defects detected during a roadside inspection or during a mechanical inspection carried out by a road vehicle inspection agent at the request of a peace officer, and any offences committed by the owner
• Offences committed by the operator or by a driver while at the wheel of a heavy vehicle (points are assigned to each offence)
• “Driver” out-of-service ordersAn order temporarily prohibiting a driver from driving a heavy vehicle as a result of the driver's failure to comply with certain provisions of the Regulation respecting the hours of driving and rest of heavy vehicle drivers.
• Accidents in which a driver was involved while at the wheel of a heavy vehicle (points are assigned to each accident)
• Events related to alcohol-impaired driving (while at the wheel of a heavy vehicle) that involve a driver whose services are used by the owner or operator
• Critical events
• Events that occurred in another Canadian jurisdiction

A weightingThe point value assigned to events considered in the ongoing conduct review and to offences observed during facility audits. An event's weighting depends on the severity of the impact on road safety and the integrity of the road network. is assigned to every offence under the Highway Safety Code or the Criminal Code.

These events are considered for a period of 2 years, except for events related to alcohol-impaired driving, which remain in the record for 10 years.

For more information on the weighting of offences, consult Appendix 2 of the Conduct Review Policy for Heavy Vehicle Owners and Operators, entitled "Table of Offences With Their Weighting."

Conduct assessment tools

Two assessment tools are provided by the Conduct Review Policy for Heavy Vehicle Owners and Operators (PDF, 7.8 MB)⁠ ⁠:

1. ongoing review of conduct on the road
2. facility audits

1. Ongoing review of conduct on the road

The ongoing conduct review of owners and operators is carried out on the basis of events categorized according to the following 6 conduct areasA set of events grouped together based on their nature and used as a basis for the ongoing conduct review of heavy vehicle drivers.:

• "Vehicle Safety" (owner)
• "Traffic Rules" (operator)
• "Use of a Heavy Vehicle" (operator)
• "Involvement in Accidents" (operator)
• "Load and Size Limits" (operator)
• "Operator's Overall Conduct"

For each conduct area, operators or owners must not reach or exceed a certain number of points (threshold values) established on the basis of the size of their vehicle fleet.

For more information on the procedure for determining the threshold values on the basis of the size of a vehicle fleet, consult Appendices 5 and 6 of the Conduct Review Policy for Heavy Vehicle Owners and Operators. (PDF, 7.8 MB)⁠

2. Facility audits

The purpose of using facility audits to assess conduct is to ensure, by verifying records and documents that heavy vehicle owners and operators are required to keep on file, that the owners and operators fulfil their obligations, in particular with regard to:

• the qualifications and conduct of drivers (operators)
• hours of driving and off-duty time (operators)
• the circle check (operators)
• mechanical maintenance (owners)
• repairing any mechanical defects detected (owners)

Interventions by the SAAQ if the record deteriorates

The SAAQ intervenes in a series of gradually escalating steps based on the owner's or operator's record to inform them that their record has deteriorated and make them aware of the importance of modifying their unsafe conduct.

If the record continues to deteriorate, it is forwarded to the Commission des transports du Québec⁠ ⁠, which may impose various corrective measures and even prohibit owners and operators from putting heavy vehicles into operation.