Quick answer: To haul containers to or from the Port of Vancouver's container terminals, a trucking company needs a written authorization from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, issued through the port's Truck Licensing System (TLS). For trips that start and end in the Lower Mainland, the company must also hold a Container Trucking Services (CTS) licence from the Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner (OBCCTC), and the licence must not be suspended. A long-haul truck taking a container to or from a point outside the Lower Mainland needs the port authorization but not the provincial licence.
Two governments regulate the same trucks here, which is why the rules confuse even experienced carriers moving into the Vancouver market. This guide sets out what each layer requires, where the rules are written, and what a drayage company, broker or shipper should check before booking a move. It quotes the law and the Commissioner's own guidance and leaves out every rate amount on purpose: rates are set by the Commissioner and change, so read them at the source.
Two layers: the port's authorization and the province's licence
The federal layer is in the Port Authorities Operations Regulations, made under the Canada Marine Act. Section 31.1 says the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority shall not let a truck into the port to transport a container unless three things are true: the driver works for, or acts directly or indirectly on behalf of, a person who holds a valid port authorization; that person also holds a licence under BC's Container Trucking Act to transport containers by truck in the port; and the licence is not under suspension.
The provincial layer is the Container Trucking Act and its Container Trucking Regulation. Section 16 of the Act says a person must not carry out prescribed container trucking services in a prescribed area without a licence. The regulation then prescribes both: the services are container trucking services that require access to a marine terminal, and the area is the Lower Mainland.
The OBCCTC describes the link between the two in its own words: it issues Container Trucking Services licences within the Truck Licencing System.
| Port authorization (TLS) | CTS licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Vancouver Fraser Port Authority | Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner |
| Legal basis | Port Authorities Operations Regulations, s. 31.1 (Canada Marine Act) | Container Trucking Act, s. 16, and Container Trucking Regulation |
| Needed for | Any truck entering the port to transport a container | Container trucking that requires marine terminal access in the Lower Mainland |
| Long-haul trips outside the Lower Mainland | Required | Not required for that trip |
| Main conditions | Port's rules on appointments or reservations, truck identification, and tracking and monitoring | Conditions set by the Commissioner, minimum rates and fuel surcharges, security, annual fees, records |
What the port authorization requires
Section 31.1(3) of the federal regulation makes an authorization valid only while its holder complies, and makes its drivers comply, with the port authority's requirements in three areas, as specified in the authorization:
- An appointment or reservation system for trucks. Trucks arrive in booked windows rather than whenever they like.
- Identification of trucks that gain access to the port.
- Tracking and monitoring of trucks in the port.
The port authority publishes the detailed TLS eligibility and operating rules on portvancouver.com. That site blocks automated access, so read the current rules there directly before applying or adding trucks.
There is an emergency exception: the access condition does not apply when an emergency poses a risk to the safety of persons or property, or to the environment, and containers must be moved by truck to reduce that risk.
What counts as a marine terminal and a container
The Container Trucking Regulation defines a marine terminal as Centerm, Deltaport, Fraser Surrey Docks, Vanterm, or any other container terminal for which the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority requires a trucking authorization or port access agreement. The Lower Mainland is defined by a list of municipalities in the same regulation, including Vancouver, Surrey, Delta and their neighbours.
A container, for this purpose, means a metal box furnished or approved by an ocean carrier for the marine transportation of goods. The Commissioner's FAQ lists the signs it looks for, such as ISO markings, a four-letter prefix followed by a six or seven digit identifier, and a valid safety approval plate under the International Convention for Safe Containers.
What a CTS licensee must do
A CTS licence carries obligations that go beyond holding the paper. Under the Container Trucking Act:
- Conditions. The Commissioner may attach any conditions it considers necessary, including conditions on wait time remuneration and on the terms of employment or retainer of truckers (section 18).
- Security and fees. The Commissioner may require security to ensure the licensee performs its obligations, and may require an annual fee (section 20). The regulation sets the security by the number of truck tags a licensee holds.
- Minimum rates. A licensee must not offer a trucker, or ask a trucker to accept, a rate or fuel surcharge below the one established under section 22, and must pay at least that rate and surcharge (section 23). This applies despite anything to the contrary in a collective agreement. Section 22 lets the Commissioner set minimum rates and fuel surcharges by order once the initial ones made by regulation are repealed, and the OBCCTC publishes its rate order and fuel surcharge on its website.
- No kickbacks. A licensee must not solicit or receive a financial set-off, commission, rate deduction or rebate from a trucker (section 24).
- Records. A licensee must prepare and keep records for each trucker it employs or retains, as the Commissioner requires (section 25).
- Complaints and enforcement. Anyone may complain to the Commissioner that a licensee or trucker has broken the Act (section 26), and the Commissioner can audit, investigate and issue orders.
The Commissioner's FAQ adds a point that surprises newcomers: licensees must also pay the regulated rates for off-dock moves within the Lower Mainland, because licensees have exclusive access to the marine terminals. A non-licensee moving containers between off-dock facilities does not need a licence and is not bound by those rates.
Truck tags and independent operators
A CTS licence comes with a number of truck tags. The regulation excludes from the licensing requirement container trucking performed by a trucker on behalf of a licensee, using a truck with a truck tag issued by the Commissioner. That is how independent operators haul at the terminals without their own licence: they work under a licensee's tag, and the licensee must pay them no less than the minimum rates and fuel surcharge.
Wait time is covered too. The regulation defines wait time remuneration as money a licensee owes an independent operator, paid per trip, for delays while the operator is in a marine terminal, and makes paying it on to truckers a condition of every licence.
How to get a CTS licence
New licences are not issued on demand. Under the regulation, the Commissioner may invite applications when satisfied that it is desirable to increase the number of licensees. The invitation is posted on the Commissioner's website and must state the application period, the number of truck tags available, the mandatory requirements and any other criteria. By applying, an applicant waives any claim for compensation if the licence is refused, unless the Commissioner acted dishonestly, maliciously or in bad faith.
The regulation lists requirements that every applicant must meet, in addition to the criteria in the invitation:
- a written statement from a Canadian chartered bank, a BC credit union or an authorized insurer that it intends to issue the required security if the licence is granted; and
- a statutory declaration that no sanctions have been imposed on the applicant or a related person by the port authority, the Commissioner or either government, that no money is owed to a trucker under the Act, that no prohibited activity has taken place, and that the applicant is eligible for access to all marine terminals.
The most recent intake was announced in an OBCCTC bulletin on April 27, 2026, with applications due by noon on May 29, 2026, and the details in an applicant handbook on the Commissioner's site.
What brokers and shippers should check
If you book drayage at Vancouver rather than run it, two checks prevent most problems:
- Is the carrier a current licensee? The Commissioner publishes the list of current CTS licensees and a record of enforcement against current licensees.
- Does the move need marine terminal access in the Lower Mainland? If it does, only a licensee, or an operator working under a licensee's truck tag, can perform it.
For the commercial side of the same moves, see our guides to container drayage in Canada and to CBSA release before container pickup. Brokers arranging the work can also review how Canadian freight brokers vet carriers.
How TruckerPro supports Vancouver drayage
TruckerPro's Intermodal & Drayage workspace, available on the Elite plan and up once switched on in company Settings, suggests Centerm, Vanterm, Deltaport and Fraser Surrey Docks as terminals with their Pacific time zone, so last free days and export cutoffs are flagged as due or overdue in the terminal's local time. Staff record terminal access as one of five readiness checks, alongside customs, shipping-line and terminal release and equipment inspection, and pickup, pre-pull, export delivery and street-turn moves stay blocked until the checks clear. Charges such as waiting time can be set up with a fixed, calendar-day or weekday basis, a customer rate and a supplier cost, and posted to the load as an invoice accessorial before invoicing. TruckerPro does not connect to the port's systems or the Commissioner's: there are no live terminal, port, rail or shipping-line feeds, and your team records each check.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a CTS licence to move containers in the Lower Mainland?
Only if the work requires access to a marine terminal. The Container Trucking Regulation prescribes container trucking services that require access to a marine terminal in the Lower Mainland. The Commissioner's office explains that a person moving containers without marine terminal access, for example between two off-dock facilities, does not need a CTS licence.
Can a long-haul carrier pick up at Deltaport without a CTS licence?
A truck moving a container to or from a location outside the Lower Mainland still needs a Vancouver Fraser Port Authority authorization to enter the port, but the federal regulation does not require the provincial licence for that trip. The provincial regulation likewise excludes transportation of a container to or from a location outside the Lower Mainland.
How does a company get a new CTS licence?
It applies when the Commissioner invites applications. The Container Trucking Regulation lets the Commissioner invite applications when it is desirable to increase the number of licensees, and the invitation sets the application period, the number of truck tags and the mandatory requirements. The 2026 intake was announced on April 27, 2026, with a deadline of noon on May 29, 2026.
Can an independent operator haul containers at the port without its own licence?
Yes, when it works on behalf of a licensee. The Container Trucking Regulation excludes container trucking services performed by a trucker on behalf of a licensee using a truck with a truck tag issued by the Commissioner. The licensee must then pay that trucker no less than the minimum rates and fuel surcharge established under the Act.
Sources
- Port Authorities Operations Regulations, SOR/2000-55, section 31.1 (Justice Laws)
- Container Trucking Act, S.B.C. 2014, c. 28 (BC Laws)
- Container Trucking Regulation, B.C. Reg. 248/2014 (BC Laws)
- Office of the BC Container Trucking Commissioner
- OBCCTC: Mandate and overview
- OBCCTC: Frequently asked questions
- OBCCTC: Current CTS licence and licensee list
- OBCCTC bulletin, 2026 CTS Licence: Invitation for Applications (April 27, 2026)
- Vancouver Fraser Port Authority (home page; the site blocks automated access)