Quick answer: A new British Columbia carrier needs a registered business and a CRA business number, a National Safety Code safety certificate from Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE), and ICBC licensing and Basic Autoplan insurance for each truck. Trucks that regularly leave BC also need prorate (IRP) plates from ICBC and an IFTA licence from the BC Ministry of Finance. Heavier trucks and trailers need a current CVIP inspection decal, an employer must register with WorkSafeBC, and every semi-trailer driver needs a Class 1 licence, which for a new driver means ICBC's MELT course first.
This guide covers the BC-specific steps for a freight carrier with BC-plated trucks. For the national picture, see starting a trucking company in Canada, and for budgeting, trucking startup costs. We list no fees, so check the current fee on each office's page. Container work at the Port of Vancouver adds licensing of its own, covered in our Port of Vancouver container trucking licence guide and our explainer on container drayage at Canadian ports and rail ramps.
1. Register the business and get a business number
- Sole proprietorship or partnership. Reserve a business name, then register online through the BC Business Registry with a BC Registry account. A name request expires 56 days after approval. If you trade under your own legal name, you need neither.
- Company. The province says to submit a name request before you incorporate through BC Registry Services.
- Business number. The Canada Revenue Agency says you need a BN when you incorporate or open a GST/HST, payroll or other program account, and you can add accounts to it later.
- GST/HST. CRA requires registration once your taxable sales pass its small supplier threshold over four consecutive calendar quarters or in a single quarter, and allows voluntary registration earlier.
2. Get your NSC safety certificate from CVSE
BC's National Safety Code program is run by CVSE's NSC Program Office, part of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, under Division 37 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations. BC calls the credential a safety certificate; elsewhere it is often called a safety fitness certificate, which the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act requires of extra-provincial carriers.
Section 37.07 bars anyone from driving a commercial motor vehicle for a carrier that has no valid certificate. For trucking, that means a truck or truck tractor used in business, with any attached trailer, licensed for a gross vehicle weight over 5,000 kg under the Commercial Transport Act. CVSE's Carrier Safety Guide notes that licensed weight includes the trailer and its load, so a pickup can cross the line once you add a trailer and raise its licence. A carrier is the owner, anyone who decides how the vehicle is used, or a lessee under a lease of a month or more.
How to apply
- Read CVSE's Carrier Safety Guide; section 37.09 requires the applicant, or a director or officer of a company, to know BC's safety rules.
- Write a safety plan and gather a driving record transcript for each driver plus inspection, maintenance and accident records for each truck, as section 37.08 requires.
- Get a Business BCeID, even as a sole proprietor; you need it to take CVSE's online knowledge test, which every applicant must pass during the application review.
- Apply online and pay the non-refundable processing fee. CVSE reviews applications in order, quotes twelve to fourteen weeks, and offers no expedited service.
- Receive the certificate and your 9-digit NSC number by email, or written reasons if refused.
You may hold only one BC certificate. Report a change of name or address within 10 days, carry evidence of the certificate in every commercial motor vehicle, and show the carrier's name on both sides of each business vehicle in letters at least 5 cm high.
Profile, ratings and audits
CVSE monitors every certificate holder through a carrier profile listing contraventions, CVSA roadside inspections, accidents, CVIP history and audits, which you can request through Carrier Profile Online. Events earn points, and as scores cross thresholds CVSE moves from a warning letter to a safety plan self-assessment, a compliance review and finally a Quantifiable Audit. Reviews and audits can also be random. Division 37 ratings are Excellent, Satisfactory or Conditional after an audit, and Satisfactory, Conditional or Unsatisfactory, marked Unaudited, without one. Missing a scheduled review or audit can lead to a recommendation to suspend or cancel the certificate, and a carrier cannot insure or run commercial vehicles on a suspended or cancelled one.
3. License and insure your trucks through ICBC
ICBC is the sole provider of Basic insurance in BC, and Autoplan brokers handle registration, licensing and insurance.
- NSC number first. CVSE says a broker cannot insure a commercial vehicle without your NSC number, and no temporary numbers are issued. A vehicle whose insurance papers read NSC*Not Required is not insured as a commercial motor vehicle.
- Leased-on trucks. Section 37.15 requires you to give the owner of a truck running under your certificate written notice of your number, which the owner then gives ICBC at licensing or renewal.
- Liability limits. Basic includes Third Party Liability, Enhanced Care accident benefits, underinsured motorist protection and Basic vehicle damage coverage. ICBC's Autoplan guide says heavy commercial vehicles over 5,000 kg GVW and commercial trailers must carry a higher Third Party Liability limit, and higher again with dangerous goods.
- Optional cover. Extended Third Party Liability, Collision and Comprehensive are the common add-ons, and ICBC's guide refers to Collision bought from ICBC or a private insurer.
Prorate plates. ICBC's Prorate Office administers the International Registration Plan for commercial vehicles that regularly travel into two or more jurisdictions in Canada or the US, replacing trip permits. A new account needs your NSC certificate, Registrar of Companies registration if you apply under a company or firm name, an IFTA number for vehicles over 11,800 kg or with three axles, and ICBC's fleet, vehicle and financial responsibility forms. ICBC says setup takes at least five business days, then a broker can issue plates the same day. See our IRP registration guide for how the plan works.
4. Register for IFTA with the Ministry of Finance
If BC is your base jurisdiction, a qualified vehicle needs a BC IFTA licence or a motive fuel user permit each time it enters BC. An IFTA commercial vehicle crosses jurisdictions carrying passengers or goods and has two axles and over 11,800 kg, three or more axles, or a combination over 11,800 kg.
- Apply on eTaxBC. The account can take up to 30 calendar days to open, and you need it before an IRP account.
- Decals. Licence and decals run January 1 to December 31; put a decal on each side of the cab and keep the licence in it.
- Returns. File each quarter by April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, even with no travel.
- Records. Keep trip reports with routes, odometer readings and distance by jurisdiction, plus fuel receipts, for four years after filing.
Our IFTA filing guide walks through a return.
5. CVIP inspections
BC's mandatory inspection program, called CVIP for commercial vehicles on CVSE's forms and profiles, is run by authorized inspectors at private designated inspection facilities; large fleets can run a Preventative Maintenance Program facility for their own units. Division 25 covers commercial vehicles licensed over 8,200 kg and trailers and semi-trailers under the Commercial Transport Act.
- Frequency. Six months in general. Commercial trailers not used with a logging truck or dump box, and commercial vehicles other than buses, taxis and logging trucks licensed over 8,200 kg and up to 17,300 kg, get twelve months, so a highway tractor above 17,300 kg goes back every six months.
- Decal. The certificate is a decal showing its expiry, fixed to a lower windshield corner or a trailer's lower front corner, and a copy of the report rides in the vehicle.
- Before licensing. Section 25.10 bars licensing a covered vehicle without a signed passing inspection report.
- Records. Keep inspection and repair records for the last three years of ownership and six months after disposal.
6. WorkSafeBC
WorkSafeBC requires a business that hires one or more workers, full-time, part-time, casual or on contract, to register.
- Proprietors and partners with no workers or unregistered subcontractors need not register, but can buy Personal Coverage, formerly Personal Optional Protection.
- Incorporated owner-operators. Active shareholders and directors are generally workers, so the company must register, and they cannot buy Personal Coverage.
- Subcontractors. A contractor with several clients and their own major equipment is more likely an independent business. Get a clearance letter before and after using one; without it you could be liable for their unpaid premiums.
- Out-of-province driving. Check each province's rules, or, as a new registrant, join the Alternative Assessment Procedure within 60 days: you register in each province but pay premiums only where your workers live and usually work.
7. Drivers: Class 1, MELT and hours of service
Class 1 covers semi-trailer trucks, with a minimum age of 19 and a full-privilege Class 5 or 6 licence as a prerequisite. Applicants pass a combined Class 1 and air brake knowledge test for a learner's licence, then, since October 18, 2021, complete an ICBC-approved 140-hour MELT course before the road test. After the road test, a BC physician completes a Driver's Medical Examination Report and RoadSafetyBC decides fitness. A driver who has held a Canadian Class 1 for at least 24 consecutive months, valid within the past three years, skips MELT.
Inside BC, Division 37 sets hours of service and requires an ELD in each commercial motor vehicle unless an exemption applies, such as the local rule for drivers within 160 km who return to the home terminal daily for 10 consecutive hours off, where the carrier keeps time records for six months. Extra-provincial trucks over 4,500 kg registered gross vehicle weight follow the federal hours-of-service regulations, whose section 77 requires ELDs with some exceptions; that weight is below BC's 5,000 kg line, so check with the NSC Program Office if you run a lighter truck out of province. See Canada's hours-of-service rules and the ELD mandate.
8. Records a CVSE audit checks
- Driver files: a driving record transcript at hiring and yearly, plus accident, violation and conviction records, kept for the year made and four more.
- Hours of service: logs and supporting documents filed within 30 days of receipt and kept six months.
- Trip inspections: a daily written report before first driving, filed within 30 days and kept three months; some light two-axle trucks are exempt.
- Vehicle and safety files: maintenance and inspection records, defect notices, accident records, your safety plan and scheduled maintenance plan.
A Quantifiable Audit covers driver qualifications, records, hours of service, maintenance and safety practices, and ends with action items you confirm in writing.
9. Hauling into the United States
Under 49 CFR 390.201, a motor carrier subject to FMCSA rules registers through the Unified Registration System for a USDOT number and, where required, operating authority. See how to get a USDOT number and how to get an MC number.
BC requirements at a glance
| What you need | Who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Business registration | BC Registry Services | Before trading under a business name, or to incorporate |
| Business number, GST/HST account | Canada Revenue Agency | On incorporating or opening an account; GST/HST past the small supplier threshold |
| NSC safety certificate | CVSE NSC Program Office | Before operating or insuring a commercial motor vehicle |
| Licence, plates, Basic insurance | ICBC via Autoplan brokers | Before the truck goes on the road |
| Prorate (IRP) plates | ICBC Prorate Office | Trucks regularly travelling into two or more jurisdictions |
| IFTA licence and decals | BC Ministry of Finance | Qualified vehicles crossing jurisdictions |
| CVIP decal | Designated inspection facility | Before licensing, then every six or twelve months |
| WorkSafeBC registration | WorkSafeBC | When you hire a worker |
| Class 1 licence after MELT | ICBC and RoadSafetyBC | Before driving a semi-trailer truck |
| USDOT number and authority | FMCSA | Before hauling in the US |
Your first 90 days
- Register the business, get your BN and decide on GST registration.
- Open a Business BCeID, write your safety plan, pass the knowledge test and apply for the NSC certificate.
- While you wait, choose an Autoplan broker and book CVIP inspections.
- When the NSC number arrives, license and insure each unit and letter your name on both sides.
- For trucks leaving BC, apply for IFTA, then open your prorate account.
- Before hiring, register with WorkSafeBC and build each driver file.
- Set up ELD, trip inspection and maintenance records, and subscribe to Carrier Profile Online.
Starting in a neighbouring province instead? See our guides for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
How TruckerPro helps a new British Columbia carrier
TruckerPro handles the day-to-day running of a carrier. It does not apply for, renew or file any government registration, permit, IFTA return or insurance for you, so the NSC certificate, ICBC plates, IFTA licence and WorkSafeBC account stay with you.
- One company account. Dispatch, loads, drivers, trucks and trailers sit together, and invoicing charges GST/HST.
- Renewals in view. It tracks each truck's and trailer's CVIP inspection date and expiry and each driver's licence expiry, so renewals are visible before they lapse.
- IFTA reporting. On qualifying plans, it produces IFTA fuel-tax reporting, calculating miles by jurisdiction from trip data.
- Carrier profile import. In the Safety section you can upload the NSC carrier profile PDF that CVSE provides, and TruckerPro reads its inspections, contraventions and accidents into the company's safety records.
Comparing systems? See the best TMS for small fleets and the best TMS software in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues the NSC safety certificate in British Columbia?
The National Safety Code Program Office of Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE), in the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit, issues it under Division 37 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations. You apply online, a passed CVSE online knowledge test is required during the review, and CVSE says applications take about 12 to 14 weeks with no expedited option.
Which vehicles need a BC NSC safety certificate?
Any commercial motor vehicle a carrier operates. Division 37 defines that as a vehicle used in business to carry persons or freight that is a truck or truck tractor, with any attached trailer, licensed for more than 5,000 kg, a bus, a commercial passenger vehicle, or a business vehicle licensed for more than 5,000 kg. Road building machines, farm tractors, implements of husbandry and vehicles that need no number plate are exempt.
Can I insure a commercial truck in BC before I get my NSC number?
No. CVSE's Carrier Safety Guide says an ICBC Autoplan broker cannot put insurance in place for a commercial vehicle without the carrier's 9-digit NSC number, that temporary numbers are not issued, and that a vehicle must not use anyone else's NSC number.
How often does a truck need a CVIP inspection in BC?
An inspection certificate generally expires on the last day of the sixth month after it is issued. Most commercial trailers, and commercial vehicles other than buses, taxis and logging trucks licensed over 8,200 kg and up to 17,300 kg, get twelve months instead. Authorized inspectors at designated inspection facilities do the inspections.
Does an owner-operator in BC need WorkSafeBC coverage?
A sole proprietor or partner with no workers or unregistered subcontractors does not have to register, but can buy Personal Coverage, which WorkSafeBC formerly called Personal Optional Protection. An incorporated owner-operator is generally a worker of the company, which must register.
Sources
- Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, Division 37 Safety Code (BC Laws)
- Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, Division 25 Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (BC Laws)
- Motor Vehicle Act, section 237 (BC Laws)
- National Safety Code (CVSE)
- NSC Safety Certificate application (CVSE)
- Carrier Profile Online (CVSE)
- NSC Carrier Safety Guide, August 2023 (CVSE)
- Vehicle Inspections and Standards (CVSE)
- Ministry of Transportation and Transit (Government of BC)
- Sole proprietorships and partnerships (Government of BC)
- Businesses and incorporated companies (Government of BC)
- When you need a business number (CRA)
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST (CRA)
- ICBC Autoplan insurance guide, APG20Q 032026 (ICBC)
- Prorate plates for commercial vehicles (ICBC)
- International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) in B.C. (Government of BC)
- Trucking and transport (WorkSafeBC)
- I hire and pay workers (WorkSafeBC)
- Owners of incorporated companies (WorkSafeBC)
- Self-employed proprietors or partners (WorkSafeBC)
- Personal Coverage (WorkSafeBC)
- Contractors and subcontractors (WorkSafeBC)
- Why do I need a clearance letter? (WorkSafeBC)
- Driving Commercial Vehicles manual (ICBC)
- MELT FAQs (ICBC)
- Mandatory training will improve safety for commercial drivers, 2021 (BC Gov News)
- Motor Vehicle Transport Act (Justice Laws)
- Commercial Vehicle Drivers Hours of Service Regulations (Justice Laws)
- 49 CFR 390.201, USDOT Registration (eCFR)