Metro Vancouver municipalities have started the ‘soft implementation’ of the Regional Permit Policies and Procedures Manual. The Manual’s purpose is to harmonize municipal permitting for oversize (OS) and/or overweight (OW) commercial vehicles and provide a framework for permitting the transport of OS-OW vehicles and loads on municipal roads across the 21 municipalities that comprise Metro Vancouver (excluding provincial highways).

BCTA has been advocating for governments to develop a one window, online permit application system in support of the efficient movement of goods for our sector, and are happy to announce the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives from Metro Vancouver Municipalities, Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and TransLink, approved the soft launch of the Regional Permit Policies and Procedures Manual for the Transportation of Oversize and Overweight Vehicles and Loads in Metro Vancouver.

What ‘soft implementation’ will mean for you:

• Municipalities will, over the coming months, start to train their permitting staff on the new Manual for implementation of the Manual thereafter.

• If there are discrepancies raised by the carrier applying for the permit, or municipal staff reviewing the permit application, municipal staff have the option to default back to the historical permitting approach, while flagging the cause of the decision for review to determine if amendments need to be made to the Manual.

• The soft launch will occur effective immediately until January 2025, subject to extension.

Download the Regional Permit Policies and Procedures Manual here.

Given the complexities of over dimensional, should carriers identify any issues or concerns with the Manual, please advise Cory Paterson, BCTA Vice President.