Carriers that secured Alberta Safety Fitness Certificates (SFCs) before March 1, 2019, will have until June 28 to renew the documents – a process triggered in the wake of a fatal crash involving a Humboldt Broncos team bus.

The renewal process emerged among a series of provincial safety-related initiatives after a truck operated by an Alberta carrier collided with the bus in Saskatchewan, killing 16 and injuring 13. Before that 2018 crash, the certificates never expired.

The renewal process requires carriers to show they are accurately reporting the time spent on roads, sharing insurance information, and meeting required safety standards, the Alberta government said in a press release.

Temporary certificates, once available during a carrier’s first 60 days of operation, are no longer available.

Carriers with expired certificates need to reapply and can be required to complete a mandatory pre-entry program.

“Transportation sectors have faced unprecedented challenges from the Covid pandemic to continuous strains on our supply chain. We are working with all commercial carriers to ensure their certificates are completed so they can stay in business,” Transportation Minister Rajan Sawhney said.

The application fee is $110, and the certificates apply to all vehicles registered for 11,794 kg or more and operating in Alberta, or vehicles registered for more than 4,500 kg and traveling outside Alberta. The certificates are also needed for vehicles that can carry 11 or more people.

The province currently has more than 22,000 commercial carriers meeting the requirements.