LOCAL RULES

Alberta driver vehicle inspection report requirements

Your Alberta driver vehicle inspection report has 6 rules to meet. ReportDraft puts every one on your checklist and checks your draft before you sign.

  • A daily trip inspection in the last 24 hours with no major defect
  • The carrier's repair certification for major defects before the next drive
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Alberta's trip inspection rules are in sections 9 to 16 of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Regulation, which adopts the schedules of National Safety Code Standard 13, Part 2. The regulation says which vehicles need a daily trip inspection, what the report must state, and what a major defect means for driving. Here is each rule with a link to the official text, and how walkaround notes become an Alberta trip inspection report.

Last reviewed October 12, 2026 against the official sources listed below.

Driver vehicle inspectionALBERTA / SAMPLE

Sample notes, 82 words

Carrier: Ridgeline Freight
Driver: Marcus Hale
Date: 10/06/2026, 6:40pm, end of day at the Elm St yard
Unit 214, trailer 5310
Odometer 412,883
...
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54%of your draft is ready from these notes

We sorted 12 items into 3 sections and flagged 1 to fix soon.

  • Fix soonParts and accessories

    Audible air leak at the trailer gladhand seal

  • Worth watchingParts and accessories

    Right steer tire worn to the wear bars on the outer edge

6 Alberta rules on your checklist, including the odometer or hubometer reading, the location and time, every defect or a no-defect statement, and the inspector's signed statement.

Still to add

  • Alberta lawOdometer or hubometer reading
  • Alberta lawDefects found
  • NeededTime of inspection

Filled in for you

Motor carrier or companyRidgeline Freight
Vehicle or unit number214
Trailer number(s)5310
DriverMarcus Hale
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What Alberta requires

  • The trip inspection report, written or in an electronic format acceptable to the Registrar, states the licence plate number, vehicle identification number or unit number; the odometer or hubometer reading at the time of the inspection; the carrier's name; the municipality or highway location of the inspection; each defect in the items inspected, or that no defect was detected; the time and date; the name of the person who inspected the vehicle with their signed statement that it was inspected in accordance with section 10; and the name and signature of the driver or person making the reportCommercial Vehicle Safety Regulation, Alta Reg 121/2009, s. 12 (3), (4)
  • When no defect was detected, the trip inspection report says soAlta Reg 121/2009, s. 12 (4) (e)
  • An owner or carrier may not permit a driver to drive, and a driver may not drive, a commercial vehicle (one with a registered gross weight or weight of more than 4500 kilograms that is not a bus, or a bus) unless it has had a daily trip inspection of the items in Schedule 1 of NSC Standard 13, Part 2 (Schedule 2 for a bus) and no major defect was detected; a daily trip inspection is valid for 24 hours from the time recorded in the reportAlta Reg 121/2009, ss. 2 (g), 10 (1) to (4)
  • Buses and trucks with a licensed mass of more than 11,794 kg complete trip inspection reports and carry the applicable schedule from NSC Standard 13Alberta.ca, Vehicle standards ยท Alta Reg 121/2009, s. 12 (1) (a)
  • A major defect is the condition of an item specified as a major defect in Schedule 1, 2, 3 or 4 of NSC Standard 13, Part 2; the vehicle is not driven until the carrier or authorized person has repaired or corrected any major defect listed and certified that on the report, or certified that repair or correction is unnecessaryAlta Reg 121/2009, ss. 9 (b), 16
  • A driver or authorized person who believes or suspects a safety defect reports it to the carrier without delay if it is a major defect, and otherwise in a timely manner and no later than the next required daily trip inspection; safety defects seen while driving are recorded in the trip inspection report or another written document and reported the same wayAlta Reg 121/2009, ss. 10 (8), 14, 15
  • No one drives a commercial vehicle without the trip inspection report of a valid inspection for it in their possession; the driver produces the report, and the schedule kept in the vehicle, to a peace officer on requestAlta Reg 121/2009, ss. 10 (9), (11), 12 (5), (6)
  • The carrier keeps a copy of the applicable schedule in the vehicle, and may add information or items to it, or delete a component the vehicle is not required to have and does not haveAlta Reg 121/2009, s. 10 (9), (10)
  • The driver forwards the original report to the carrier's home terminal within 20 days; the carrier deposits it at its principal place of business within 30 days of receiving it and keeps the originals in chronological order for each vehicle for at least 6 monthsAlta Reg 121/2009, s. 13
  • The carrier or owner may authorize a person to do the daily trip inspection and prepare the report, and the carrier requires every driver or authorized person to prepare trip inspection reportsAlta Reg 121/2009, ss. 10 (7), 12 (2)
  • A motor coach inspected daily under Schedule 3 also needs an under-vehicle trip inspection under Schedule 4, valid for 30 days or 12 000 kilometres, whichever comes first, done over a pit or raised by a certified heavy equipment technician or a person meeting the Registrar's requirementsAlta Reg 121/2009, s. 11

Which vehicles and which schedule

A daily trip inspection is needed before driving a commercial vehicle with a registered gross weight or weight over 4500 kilograms, and any bus. Trucks, tractors and trailers are inspected against Schedule 1 of NSC Standard 13, Part 2, and buses against Schedule 2. The province says buses and trucks licensed over 11,794 kg also complete written trip inspection reports and carry the schedule.

The carrier keeps the schedule in the vehicle, and may add items to it or remove components the vehicle does not have and is not required to have. The carrier or owner may authorize someone other than the driver to do the inspection.

What the report states

The report gives the licence plate, vehicle identification or unit number, the odometer or hubometer reading, the carrier's name, the municipality or highway location, the time and date, and every defect found, or a statement that no defect was detected. The person who inspected signs a statement that the vehicle was inspected under section 10, and the driver or person making the report adds their name and signature.

Major defects and repairs

A vehicle with a major defect, as Schedule 1 of NSC Standard 13 defines it, may not be driven. Major defects are reported to the carrier without delay, and other defects no later than the next daily trip inspection, including defects noticed while driving.

Before the vehicle goes out again, the carrier or an authorized person repairs or corrects listed major defects and certifies that on the report, or certifies that repair or correction is unnecessary.

24 hours, carrying the report, keeping records

A daily trip inspection is valid for 24 hours from the time on the report. The driver carries the report and the schedule and shows them to a peace officer on request. The original goes to the carrier's home terminal within 20 days; the carrier files it at its principal place of business within 30 days and keeps it, in date order for each vehicle, for at least 6 months. Motor coaches also need an under-vehicle inspection every 30 days or 12 000 kilometres.

From walkaround notes to an Alberta report

Note each defect with the unit it is on. ReportDraft prints the plate or unit number, odometer or hubometer reading, location, time and date, states when no defect was detected, and ends with the inspector's signed statement, the driver's signature and the carrier's certification. Whether a defect is major is your call against the schedule in the cab; the report never guesses it.

Common mistakes

  • Driving with a defect the schedule lists as major.
  • Leaving out the odometer or hubometer reading, or the time of the inspection.
  • Not stating that no defect was detected when nothing was found.
  • Driving on an inspection more than 24 hours after the time on the report.
  • Keeping originals in the truck instead of sending them to the home terminal within 20 days.

Sources

Last reviewed October 12, 2026. Next review due January 12, 2027. This page explains published rules to help you write your report. It is not legal advice; the official text linked above governs.