Quick answer: A new Manitoba carrier registers the business with the Manitoba Companies Office and gets a business number, and a GST/HST account when required, from the Canada Revenue Agency. Before registering any truck of 4,500 kg or more, it needs a Safety Fitness Certificate, which carries its National Safety Code number, from Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure's Motor Carrier Safety Program. Trucks are registered and insured through Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI), whose IRP Prorate Office also issues apportioned plates, and Manitoba Finance's Taxation Division issues IFTA credentials. Every heavy truck and trailer needs a yearly Periodic Mandatory Vehicle Inspection, employers register with the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba, and semi-trailer truck drivers need an MPI Class 1 licence, which new applicants get only after mandatory entry-level training.
This guide follows the government steps for a Manitoba-based for-hire carrier running heavy trucks, in order. It quotes no fees, so check each office's current fee. For the national picture, see starting a trucking company in Canada; for budgets, trucking startup costs; and for long combination permits, our Manitoba LCV permit guide. Neighbouring provinces have their own guides: Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Step 1: Register the business
The Manitoba Companies Office, part of Entrepreneurship Manitoba, registers business names and incorporates corporations, with online filing through Companies Online.
- Partnerships and sole proprietors. All partnerships must be registered. A sole proprietor files a Business Name Registration, which may not be required if you carry on business under your own family name.
- Corporations from elsewhere. A federal corporation, or one from another province, must register under The Corporations Act to carry on business in Manitoba.
Use one legal name throughout. Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure says the name on your certificate of insurance or vehicle registration and the name on your Safety Fitness Certificate must be identical.
The Canada Revenue Agency allows one business number (BN) per business, and an unincorporated business needs one when it opens its first program account, such as GST/HST or payroll. GST/HST registration becomes mandatory once your taxable revenues pass the small supplier threshold in a single calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters (CRA's page states the current figure), and you must apply within 29 days of the sale that put you over. A small supplier may register voluntarily to claim input tax credits.
Step 2: Get your Safety Fitness Certificate and NSC number
Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure issues Safety Fitness Certificates (SFCs) to Manitoba-based carriers under section 312.2 of The Highway Traffic Act and section 8(1) of the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act. The certificate shows your safety rating and your National Safety Code (NSC) number, which carries an MB prefix and also appears on your vehicle registration. For the national system, see our explainer on the safety fitness certificate in Canada.
Who needs one. Any carrier that operates a regulated vehicle, including a truck or truck tractor with a registered gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kg or more. The SFC must be in place before the vehicle is registered, one SFC covers the whole fleet, and the "Registered To / Insured By" party generally holds it. Personal-use vehicles and A6 farm trucks used only within Manitoba for the owner's farm goods are exempt.
How to apply. Apply through Motor Carrier Online Services (MCOS), or by email, fax, mail or in person at Unit C, 1695 Sargent Avenue in Winnipeg. A new carrier needs:
- proof that the business is registered and can legally operate in Manitoba;
- proof of adequate liability insurance (Step 3);
- a valid PMVI certificate for every regulated vehicle it plans to register or operate (Step 5);
- a compliance officer certified through the New Entrant Training course run by the Manitoba Trucking Association;
- a written safety plan signed by the compliance officer, which the Regulated Vehicles and Motor Carriers Regulation (M.R. 132/2024) requires with the application.
The regulation also requires each regulated vehicle to show the carrier's name or mark and NSC number in letters at least 5 cm tall. The SFC is valid for one year and is renewed before your vehicle registrations; an annual renewal fee applies from November 1, 2026.
After approval. New carriers start at Satisfactory-unaudited. The Carrier Profile System records convictions, inspections and accidents involving anyone driving your vehicles over 24 months, and you can download your Carrier Profile Report in MCOS. Under the Safety Monitoring Framework, a rising score brings sanction letters, a corrective action plan and, at 85 per cent or higher, possibly a full NSC Standard 15 facility audit; carriers with under two years of history may get a new entrant safety review. Failing an audit leads to a Conditional rating. Since January 1, 2026, carriers must also report accidents involving a regulated vehicle that meet the department's damage, towing or police report criteria.
Step 3: Register and insure your trucks with MPI
Manitoba Public Insurance registers vehicles and sells Basic Autopac. A commercially plated (CT) truck that runs only within Manitoba can be registered at any Autopac agent or MPI Service Centre. Semi-trailers need their own plate and have no Autopac coverage at all.
Every carrier needs basic insurance, and the department sets higher minimum liability limits for vehicles that carry cargo for compensation, operate outside Manitoba or haul dangerous goods; its Insuring Regulated Vehicles page lists the amounts. Cover must come from an insurer authorized in Manitoba.
MPI's 2026 Guide to Autopac says Basic third-party liability does not cover a commercial truck over 11,794 kg driven more than 161 km outside Manitoba, or one operated for compensation more than 161 km outside Manitoba. Those trucks may qualify for special risk coverage through MPI or other insurers; MPI's Special Risk Extension program includes higher liability limits and cargo liability.
IRP plates. A truck that runs in two or more jurisdictions with a registered weight of 11,794 kg or more, or three or more axles, qualifies for apportioned registration under the International Registration Plan with MPI's IRP Prorate Office. You need an established place of business or proven residency in Manitoba, and MPI says shared or virtual offices do not qualify. Its manual also expects an SFC, a safety inspection certificate and a Manitoba IFTA account. Each truck gets a cab card. See our IRP registration guide.
Step 4: IFTA licence and decals
Manitoba Finance's Taxation Division issues IFTA credentials, and MPI says carriers registering a qualified motor vehicle under IRP must also register under IFTA. A qualified motor vehicle has two axles and a weight over 26,000 lb (11,797 kg in the division's bulletin), three or more axles, or a combined weight with a trailer over that figure.
- Credentials. One licence, carried in each vehicle on paper or electronically, and two decals per vehicle on the exterior of both sides of the cab.
- Returns. Due April 30, July 31, October 31 and January 31, filed and paid in TAXcess, even when no fuel was used.
- Records. Kept four years to support your returns.
More detail in our IFTA filing guide.
Step 5: Keep every unit on a current PMVI
Manitoba's periodic inspection program is the Periodic Mandatory Vehicle Inspection (PMVI), often called a "safety", overseen by MPI's Vehicle Safety department. Under the PMVI Regulation (M.R. 76/94):
- trucks, truck tractors, trailers and semi-trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,500 kg or more are inspected every 12 months;
- a qualified mechanic at a permitted inspection station issues the certificate and fixes the decal, which on a truck goes in the lower left-hand corner of the windshield or on the left side of the cab;
- no covered vehicle may be driven on a highway without a valid certificate and decal, and the registered owner keeps the certificate until the next inspection.
The SFC application form says to keep a copy of the current certificate in the maintenance file and one in the vehicle.
Step 6: Register with the WCB of Manitoba
Transportation is one of the industries where the Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba covers every worker. You must register if your company operates solely within Manitoba, has a base in Manitoba and provides services anywhere in Canada, or is based elsewhere with drivers living in or travelling through Manitoba.
- Owners. Business owners are not automatically covered; sole proprietors, partners and directors can buy optional Personal Coverage.
- Owner-operators. All drivers, including owner-operators, must be covered. An owner-operator may buy their own Personal Coverage, and you must make sure it is in good standing.
- Clearances. The online Clearances System shows whether a contractor is in good standing. Check before work begins and before payment.
- Interprovincial drivers. Under the Alternative Assessment Procedure, you pay WCB costs only to the boards where your workers and contractors live.
Step 7: Qualify your drivers
MPI licenses drivers, and a Class 1 licence covers semi-trailer trucks. An applicant must be at least 18, hold a Class 5 Full licence and file a Medical Examination Report that MPI's Driver Fitness approves before instruction starts, with further reports required based on age. Since September 1, 2019, new applicants must complete an approved 121.5-hour Mandatory Entry-Level Training (MELT) course from a registered driving school, or the 244-hour Professional Truck Driver Training course, before booking the road test. The air brake component is part of the Class 1 road test. Drivers arriving from the US or a province without MELT do not need it with 24 months or more of Class 1 experience.
Get each driver's abstract before they drive a regulated vehicle, then review a current one every year. MPI's commercial driver abstract adds five years of transportation and dangerous goods convictions, and an employer needs the driver's written permission to get it.
Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure lists the same general hours of service rules for federal and provincial carriers. Federally regulated drivers who must keep a record of duty status have needed a certified electronic logging device since June 12, 2021. See Canada's hours of service rules and the ELD mandate.
Step 8: Records a Manitoba carrier must keep
Manitoba Motor Carrier Investigators use facility audits to check driver records, hours of service, vehicle records and dangerous goods compliance, so keep these files at your principal place of business in Manitoba:
- Driver files. Abstract, accident and violation disclosures, the annual fitness review, records of corrective action, and dangerous goods training certificates. Disclosures, abstracts, reviews and action records are kept at least two years, and the files must be available to an enforcement officer without notice.
- Maintenance files. Preventive maintenance, repairs, inspections, recalls and CVSA inspections, each with the date and odometer reading, kept at least two years and for six months after a vehicle leaves your control.
- Trip inspections. Daily vehicle inspection reports, kept at least six months.
- Other records. Other inspection reports for at least two years, and IFTA records for four.
Step 9: If you haul into the United States
MPI's apportioned registration manual says a US DOT number is required before operating in the United States, and that carriers needing one must also register with the Unified Carrier Registration program, for which North Dakota is the issuing office for Manitoba carriers. A for-hire carrier also needs FMCSA operating authority, since 49 U.S.C. 13901 lets a person provide motor carrier transportation under FMCSA jurisdiction only if registered. See how to get a DOT number and how to get an MC number.
Manitoba requirements at a glance
| What you need | Who issues it | When you need it |
|---|---|---|
| Business name or incorporation | Manitoba Companies Office | Before applying for the SFC |
| Business number and GST/HST | Canada Revenue Agency | BN with your first CRA account; GST/HST within 29 days of passing the threshold |
| Safety Fitness Certificate and NSC number | Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure | Before registering a truck of 4,500 kg or more; yearly renewal |
| Registration and Basic Autopac | Manitoba Public Insurance | Before a truck goes on the road |
| Liability and cargo cover beyond Basic | MPI Special Risk Extension or another authorized insurer | Before hauling for compensation or leaving Manitoba |
| IRP cab cards and plates | MPI IRP Prorate Office | Qualifying trucks in two or more jurisdictions |
| IFTA licence and decals | Manitoba Finance, Taxation Division | Qualified vehicles leaving Manitoba; quarterly returns |
| PMVI certificate and decal | Qualified mechanic at a permitted inspection station | Every 12 months per heavy truck and trailer |
| WCB registration | Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba | When you employ workers in Manitoba |
| Class 1 licence | Manitoba Public Insurance | MELT before the road test; licence before driving a semi |
| US DOT number, UCR, FMCSA authority | US DOT and FMCSA; North Dakota for UCR | Before the first US load |
Your first 90 days
Several offices check what the previous one issued, so work in this order.
- Register the business with the Companies Office and open your CRA business number.
- Put your compliance officer through the New Entrant Training course and write the safety plan.
- Get a PMVI on every truck and trailer, and line up liability insurance that meets the department's minimum.
- Apply for the SFC in MCOS, then letter your carrier name and NSC number on each truck.
- Register the trucks with MPI, through an Autopac agent or the IRP Prorate Office, and apply for IFTA credentials.
- Register with the WCB before your first driver starts, and open a driver file with a current abstract for each driver.
- Put IFTA return dates, PMVI expiries, the SFC renewal and annual abstract reviews in one calendar, and check your Carrier Profile Report monthly.
How TruckerPro helps a new Manitoba carrier
TruckerPro is a transportation management system: it runs the operation these registrations allow and does not replace any of them. Dispatch, loads, drivers, trucks and trailers sit in one company account, and invoicing charges GST/HST.
- It tracks each truck's and trailer's periodic inspection date and expiry (the PMVI, in Manitoba) and each driver's licence expiry, so renewals are visible before they lapse.
- On qualifying plans, it prepares IFTA fuel-tax reporting, calculating distance by jurisdiction from trip data.
- In its Safety section, you can upload the Manitoba NSC carrier profile PDF, and TruckerPro reads the inspections, convictions and accidents on it into the company's safety records.
TruckerPro does not apply for, renew or file any government registration, permit, IFTA return or insurance for you; those stay with you and the offices above.
For a small fleet, compare options in our guide to the best TMS for small fleets and our review of the best TMS software in Canada.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues a Safety Fitness Certificate in Manitoba?
Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, through its Motor Carrier Safety Program, under section 312.2 of The Highway Traffic Act. Carriers operating regulated vehicles, including trucks with a registered gross vehicle weight of 4,500 kg or more, need one unless exempt, and it carries the carrier's National Safety Code number.
Do I need the Safety Fitness Certificate before I register my trucks?
Yes. The department says the certificate must be obtained before vehicle registration unless the vehicle is exempt. It lasts one year and is renewed before the carrier renews its vehicle registrations.
Does Basic Autopac cover a semi that runs to Ontario or the United States?
Not fully. MPI's 2026 Guide to Autopac says Basic third-party liability does not cover a commercial truck over 11,794 kg driven more than 161 km outside Manitoba, or one operated for compensation more than 161 km outside Manitoba. Those trucks may qualify for special risk coverage through MPI or other insurers.
How often do Manitoba trucks need a safety inspection?
Every 12 months for trucks, truck tractors, trailers and semi-trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,500 kg or more, under the Periodic Mandatory Vehicle Inspection program. A qualified mechanic at a permitted inspection station issues the certificate and decal.
Do owner-operators need WCB coverage in Manitoba?
The Workers Compensation Board of Manitoba says all of a trucking company's drivers, including owner-operators, must have coverage. An owner-operator may buy their own Personal Coverage, and the carrier must then make sure it is in good standing.
Sources
- Safety Fitness Certificates (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Applying for a new safety fitness certificate in Manitoba (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Who needs a safety fitness certificate in Manitoba? (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Purpose of a safety fitness certificate (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Renewing a safety fitness certificate in Manitoba (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Safety Ratings (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Insuring Regulated Vehicles (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Carrier Profile System (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Safety Monitoring Framework (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Motor Carrier Online Services (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Accident Reporting for Motor Carriers (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Audits and Investigations (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Driver Files (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Driver Abstract and Review of Driver Fitness (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Vehicle Maintenance (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Hours of Service (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Manitoba Safety Fitness Certificate Application form (Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure)
- Regulated Vehicles and Motor Carriers Regulation, M.R. 132/2024 (Manitoba Laws)
- Periodic Mandatory Vehicle Inspection Regulation, M.R. 76/94 (Manitoba Laws)
- Companies Office (Entrepreneurship Manitoba)
- Business Names (Manitoba Companies Office)
- Extra Provincial and Federal Corporations and Cooperatives (Manitoba Companies Office)
- When you need a business number or program account (Canada Revenue Agency)
- GST/HST Memorandum 2-2, Small suppliers (Canada Revenue Agency)
- Registering commercial vehicles (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Commercial insurance coverage (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- 2026 Guide to Autopac (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- About International Registration Plan (IRP) in Manitoba (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Apportioned Registration Manual (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- About vehicle inspections (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Mandatory Entry-Level Training (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Get a professional driver's licence (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Driver's Handbook: The Class Licence System (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Request a driving record (Manitoba Public Insurance)
- Bulletin IFTA-001, International Fuel Tax Agreement (Manitoba Finance, Taxation Division)
- IFTA Carrier Instruction Manual (Manitoba Finance, Taxation Division)
- Manitoba IFTA Newsletter, 3rd Quarter 2025 (Manitoba Finance)
- Industry-specific coverage (WCB of Manitoba)
- Register a business for WCB coverage (WCB of Manitoba)
- Optional coverage for business owners (WCB of Manitoba)
- Clearances (WCB of Manitoba)
- Electronic logging devices for commercial drivers and motor carriers (Transport Canada)
- 49 U.S.C. 13901, Requirements for registration (Cornell LII)