How Do You Register a Commercial Vehicle in Strathmore?

In Alberta, vehicles used for commercial purposes are required to be licensed, insured, and registered. It’s not a difficult process to get a commercial vehicle registered, but it can be tough to understand if this is your first time doing it.

Your nearest, local Strathmore registry should have agents you can discuss with in-person or over the phone regarding your commercial vehicles’ registration needs. We hope this article will fill you in on anything that you might be confused about.

Requirements for Registering a Commercial Vehicle

To register a commercial vehicle in Strathmore, you will be required to provide information about your commercial vehicle(s) being registered. Typically, a registry may mandate the followjng:

• Estimated GW (include curb weight, i.e. vehicle weight when empty, fuel, passengers, cargo, and trailer tongue weight.)
• VIN
• Operating Authority Certificate
• Details on your specific operations, such as if you drive out of the province

For any commercial vehicle with a total GVW over 12,000kg or that has a passenger capacity of 11+ (driver included) the owner of the vehicle must obtain a Commercial Vehicle Inspection and a Safety Fitness Certificate.

A Commercial Vehicle Inspection is a requirement as a part of the process to obtain a Safety Fitness Certificate. It must be completed by an approved inspection facility. Once all the necessary forms have been stocked by the approved facilities, they will notify Alberta Transportation directly and you can move on to acquiring your Safety Fitness Certificate.

A Safety Fitness Certificate is obtained when one has completed an Application for Safety Fitness Certificate, which you are required to send to Alberta Transportation in order for them to view the application and issue a permanent certificate. Your vehicle can be registered during this time but it cannot transport passengers or goods until the Safety Fitness Certificate has been issued.

What Are the Classes of Commercial Vehicles?

There are three classes of commercial vehicles: 1, 2, and 3.

Class 1 commercial vehicles are vehicles that are used to transport owned or non-owned goods and/or transport passengers for compensation. Examples include public service buses, taxis, rental trucks, rental vehicles, etc.

Class 2 commercial vehicles are commercial vehicles that transport good within 10km of their registered address or conduct a specific industry service. These include farm vehicles and private buses.

Class 3 commercial vehicles are commercial vehicles that are operated by and registered to governments, hospitals, school boards, and municipalities. They cannot be used for commercial vehicles that transport goods for compensation.

How Much Does Strathmore Commercial Vehicle Registration Cost?

As of the year 2020, in March, the cost of commercial vehicle registration in Strathmore ranged between $82 to $3461/year, so long as it was within the province. If you are leaving the province and/or country regularly and your commercial vehicle weighs more than 4500kg, your vehicle must be prorated. Prorating means that registration taxes and fees will be calculated for multiple jurisdictions and split between all of them.

The following factors may impact your registration rates:

• The vehicle usage
• The nature of the goods being transported (if any)
• If your goods are owned by you or another party
• How many passengers are being transported (if any)
• If you are leaving the province
• The total weight of your vehicle

You may be able to receive discounts on your registration rates if the goods you are hauling are deemed “exempt” or if you are operating a welding truck that has permanently mounted equipment.

What is prorating for commercial vehicles?

Prorating is essentially the process of determining taxes and registration fees for vehicles that are registered in multiple jurisdictions. Vehicles that are being considered for prorate registration must travel outside of the province to other provinces or into the United States.

Prorate commercial vehicle registration fees are typically calculated based on the total distance traveled within each other jurisdiction. Alberta Transportation Prorate Services will centrally process all applications for vehicles being prorated. Once complete, Prorate Services can then provide the commercial carrier with a “Fee Notice,” which ultimately serves as a comprehensive breakdown of all the respective fees being applied.

Hopefully, this article has given you some insights into registering commercial vehicles in Strathmore, what you need, and why it’s essential. Stay safe on the roads!