Transport permits and compliance

The NIR is your registration number in the Registre des propriétaires et des exploitants de véhicules lourds, kept by the Commission des transports du Québec. Your file in that registry carries one of three safety ratings: “satisfactory”, “conditional” or “unsatisfactory”.

We know your registration's expiry date and renew it every year, without you having to think about it. Our office becomes your mailing address for the registry. The service costs $225 per year, or $250 for a one-time renewal.

Yes, as long as you meet the specific conditions set by the Commission des transports du Québec. Rating recovery aims to bring the file back into good standing.

The SAAQ provides the owner or operator with a free copy of their file status, listing every event recorded in it. You can request it at a service centre that offers IRP, by phone at 1 800 554-4814 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), by email through the SAAQ website, by fax or by mail. Another person can also obtain a free copy through a written request sent by mail with form 7148-50 (authorization to disclose the owner and operator file status).

Under the law, a road vehicle is heavy when its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is 4,500 kg or more. A combination of road vehicles is also heavy when its combined GVWR totals 4,500 kg or more.

Yes. The SAAQ keeps a file on every heavy vehicle driver involved in an event related to road safety or the protection of the road network. It lists Highway Safety Code offences, certain Criminal Code offences, driver out-of-service orders, accidents and events related to alcohol-impaired driving, including those that occurred elsewhere in Canada with a heavy vehicle registered in Quebec. Events stay on the file for two years from the time the SAAQ is informed of them, and ten years for alcohol-related events. Drivers can obtain this file free of charge, and requesting it regularly lets them see where they stand.

The evaluation covers three areas of behaviour: operational safety, involvement in accidents and overall driver behaviour. Each event is given points according to its severity, and the SAAQ sets a threshold not to be reached for each area. Some events, deemed critical because of their extreme severity, are considered separately, without weighting.

IFTA is the International Fuel Tax Agreement. A carrier that travels in more than one province or state with a heavy vehicle must hold an IFTA licence and file quarterly reports. We handle registration and decal renewal.

IRP lets you register a heavy vehicle to travel in several provinces and states with a single plate, with fees shared according to distance travelled. Registration is done with the SAAQ.

It is the permit required for bulk trucking, including contracts with the Quebec Ministry of Transportation. Eligibility conditions vary by region and type of contract.