In support of the efficient movement of goods, TransLink and local governments in Metro Vancouver, with input from BCTA, developed a draft regional permit manual that aims to harmonize municipal permitting for oversize (OS) and/or overweight (OW) commercial vehicles.

The Regional Permit Policies and Procedures Manual provides a framework for permitting the transport of OS-OW vehicles and loads on municipal roads in Metro Vancouver, excluding Provincial highways. It harmonizes municipal OS-OW permit requirements across Metro Vancouver and generally aligns with Provincial policies. The objective of harmonizing requirements across the region is to improve consistency and predictability in the permitting process and increase compliance with the requirement to obtain municipal permits.

This is a significant first step forward in BCTA’s long-term ask of governments to develop a one window, online permit application system for our sector.

The manual remains in working draft form in preparation for a proposed soft rollout in 2022 during which the new manual will not be in force, followed by full implementation across Metro Vancouver starting in 2023, recognizing revisions and amendments may be required prior to a finalized manual being ready to be fully implemented. 

A copy of the draft manual can be found here, and an updated version of Section 3.6 – Long Combination vehicles (LCVs) can be found here.

Feedback on the manual is welcome and can be provided to Cory Paterson, BCTA Vice President at 604-888-5319 or CoryP@BCTrucking.com