Overview

If you operate a commercial vehicle in Ontario, you must have a valid CVOR certificate. Keep your information up to date and carry your certificate (or a copy) in each commercial motor vehicle operated under the CVOR certificate. You will be required to show your certificate to enforcement or police officers upon request and/or during an inspection.

You should get a CVOR certificate before you register your vehicle with ServiceOntario if you have never registered a commercial vehicle in Ontario before.

The CVOR program monitors and evaluates operators’ safety records. The program reviews information such as:

  • fleet size
  • kilometres travelled
  • business ownership structure
  • overall violation rate
  • safety rating
  • convictions
  • reportable collisions
  • Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) safety inspections
  • Ministry of Transportation interventions such as letters, interviews, audits and sanctions

You can apply for or renew a CVOR certificate online or by submitting a paper application by mail or fax.

Who needs a certificate

If your vehicle is plated in Ontario, the United States or Mexico, you need a CVOR for:

  • trucks with a registered gross weight (RGW) or actual weight over 4,500 kg, including trucks with farm licence plates
  • buses with a seating capacity of 10 or more passengers
  • concrete pumps and mobile cranes (not including off-road mobile cranes)
  • tow trucks, including:
    • vehicles with a flatbed that can tilt to load and are used exclusively to tow or transport other motor vehicles
    • any motor vehicle designed, modified, configured or equipped to tow another motor vehicle

You do not need a CVOR certificate for:

  • trucks or buses plated in another Canadian province or territory (you must have a safety certificate from the province or territory where the vehicle is plated)
  • trucks (other than a tow truck) with registered gross weight or gross weight of 4,500 kg or less, whether towing a trailer or not
  • trucks or buses leased by an individual for 30 days or less to move personal goods or to carry passengers at no fare
  • ambulances, fire trucks, hearses, casket wagons
  • unladen trucks or buses operating under the authority of a dealer, service, manufacturer permit and plates or in-transit permits
  • buses used for personal purposes without compensation
  • motor homes used for personal purposes
  • pickup trucks for personal use that meet all of the following conditions:
    • have a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating not exceeding 6,500 kg (14,330 lb)
    • are being used for personal purposes without compensation
    • are fitted with either the original, unmodified box installed by the manufacturer, or an unmodified replacement box that duplicates the one installed by the manufacturer
    • are not carrying or towing a trailer carrying commercial cargo or tools, or equipment of any type normally used for commercial purposes

Registered gross weight (RGW)

Gross weight is the combined weight of a vehicle or combination of vehicles and everything it is carrying. 

When you register your vehicle with ServiceOntario and get your licence plate, you must declare a registered gross weight (RGW) that will be used to determine your registration fees.

When you register your vehicle, you should select a RGW that is high enough to account for the heaviest load you plan to carry (including the truck, its load, fuel, people, trailer and any other items if applicable).

It is illegal to operate a vehicle with a gross weight that is higher than its RGW. If you need to carry a load that is heavier than your vehicle’s RGW, you will need to visit a ServiceOntario centre to update the registered gross weight on your vehicle’s registration.

Determine your vehicle’s gross weight

If you don’t know the gross weight of your vehicle and load, you may be able to bring it to certain truck stops or municipal facilities with public scales to weigh each axle or axle grouping to determine the total weight. Be sure to contact them ahead of time to make sure they can accommodate you.

Trucks towing a trailer

A trailer and its load are considered part of your vehicle’s registered gross weight if it weighs more than 2,800 kg (6,171 lb). If the trailer and its load weigh 2,800 kg or less then your registered gross weight is only the weight of the truck and its load (including the driver, passengers, fuel, equipment, tools, cargo, equipment and other items in the truck but not including the weight of the trailer or its load).

Weights are measured with the trailer attached to the vehicle. At a weigh scale, follow these steps to determine your total gross weight with a trailer:

  1. drive the truck onto the scale to weigh your truck and its load together, record the truck weight (weight A). 

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  2. move forward so the trailer is now on the scale to weigh your trailer and its load, record trailer weight (weight B). 

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Weight A plus weight B will give you the total gross weight.

If the trailer and its load (weight B) is 2,800 kg (6,171 lb) or less, then your vehicle’s registered gross weight should only be registered to include the truck and its load (weight A).

If the trailer and its load (weight B) is more than 2,800 kg (6,171 lb), then your vehicle’s registered gross weight must be registered to include both the truck and the trailer weight, and their loads (weight A+B).

Operator responsibilities

CVOR operator (also referred to as a “carrier”) is the person or corporation responsible for the operation of the commercial motor vehicle, driver and goods or passengers being transported including:

  • the conduct of the driver
    • employing qualified licensed drivers
    • providing appropriate driver training and maintaining documentation
    • outlining and documenting the expected operational and safety procedures to drivers
    • monitoring the safety performance of drivers
    • completing and maintaining accurate hours of service records including supporting documents
    • actioning and resolving driver safety issues when they are identified

 

  • the mechanical safety and condition of the vehicle and fleet
    • keeping vehicles in good, safe condition at all times
    • addressing repairs as soon as issues are identified
    • ensuring that daily and annual/semi-annual inspections are completed
    • setting up a regular vehicle maintenance schedule and keeping vehicle maintenance and repair records
    • tracking and recording fleet and kilometric travel records

 

  • cargo securement
  • weights and dimensions
  • dangeous goods requirements

 

  • notifying the Ministry of Transportation immediately about CVOR changes such as:
    • names
    • addresses
    • telephone numbers
    • email address
    • fleet data
    • kilometric travel
    • changes in corporate officers

 

  • renewing your CVOR certificate to make sure it remains valid
  • making sure each vehicle is insured under a commercial vehicle auto liability policy with the appropriate minimum coverages (for example, dangerous goods loads)

Learn more about Ontario’s commercial vehicle safety requirements.

Carrying your CVOR certificate

If you are an owner or operator driving a commercial motor vehicle that requires a CVOR, you must carry a copy of the CVOR certificate you are operating under. You will also need the necessary documents to link the vehicle to the CVOR certificate if the vehicle is not registered in the same name on the CVOR certificate.

For questions about using the same supporting documents for vehicle registration to operate your commercial motor vehicle, email: cvor@ontario.ca.

Carrier safety ratings, interventions and sanctions

Every operator is assigned one of four ratings based on their safety performance:

  1. Satisfactory
  2. Satisfactory—unaudited
  3. Conditional
  4. Unsatisfactory

Your safety rating is available to the public and can affect your ability to promote your business and attract customers.

If your safety performance doesn’t meet Ontario’s standards, you may face interventions such as:

  • disciplinary letters
  • interviews
  • audits
  • fleet size limitations
  • plate seizure
  • suspension or cancellation of your operating privileges

An “Unsatisfactory” safety rating will cause your operating privileges to be suspended or cancelled throughout Canada.

Facility audits

The Ministry of Transportation audits operators to evaluate safety practices and compliance with Ontario’s highway safety legislation. A facility audit is a formal intervention to review and address safety and compliance issues, as well as review overall performance and identify areas for improvement.

A facility audit will include an examination of records related to:

  • driver qualifications
  • driver training
  • driver hours of service
  • driver behaviour
  • collision reporting and review
  • vehicle inspection, maintenance and repair
  • any related supporting documents

The inspector will present their findings to the operator at the end of an audit. Violations that the inspector identifies during the audit may result in charges being laid against the operator, a driver, or both. The results of the audit and any related convictions may affect an operator’s CVOR record.

You may request a voluntary facility audit to improve your safety rating by completing the request form and emailing it to cvor@ontario.ca.

Violations identified during a voluntary audit may result in charges being laid against the operator, driver or both.

Learn more about facility audits in the CVOR safety manual.

Maintain your CVOR certificate

Find out what you need and how much it costs to apply for and maintain your certificate:

Order a CVOR abstract and other products

You can order a CVOR abstract online for a fee. A CVOR abstract is a summary of a carrier and/or driver’s safety performance, including collisions, convictions and inspections.

The following services are available online for free:

You can request the following from us:

Contact the CVOR office

For questions about the CVOR program or to submit your application and requests, please contact:

Telephone:  
1-800-387-7736 (within Ontario) or 416-246-7166

Email:  
CVOR@ontario.ca

Mail:  
Ministry of Transportation
Commercial Safety and Compliance Branch
301 St. Paul Street, 3rd Floor
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2R 7R4

Fax:  
905-704-3033