QUEBEC, Que. – Quebec’s Ministre des transports and the Commission des transports (CTQ) launched a Web-based service this July that lets transporters perform many administrative tasks, from registering their companies, to obtaining International Fuel Tax Agreement road tax permits and stickers, to paying fines, all from their office computers.

This “One-Stop Centre for Carriers” (located at www.ctq.gouv.qc.ca) is another in a series of Web services the Quebec government has developed for trucking companies in its ongoing effort to use technology to help modernize and make it easier for the government to serve the transportation industry.

All applications and other transactions through the One-Stop Centre are transmitted to the CTQ, which validates and then forwards them to the appropriate government department.

For example, the CTQ forwards vehicles registrations to the Socit de l’assurance automobile du Qubec, registrations of legal persons, firm names or partnerships to the Inspecteur gnral des institutions financires and employer registrations to the Commission de la sant et de la scurit du travail.

Trucking companies can also use the One-Stop Centre to order information packages regarding GST or QST and other fiscal laws.

The CTQ e-mails a confirmation number back to the trucking company, and once the government department in question has processed an application, it replies with its own confirmation number.

There is still a traditional part to the process though: Once an application has been completed and e-mailed, it still has to be printed out, signed and sent to the government office by regular mail.

The site makes this easy with Print buttons so only the necessary parts of the Web page are printed.

The One-Stop Centre is set up so fees can be paid electronically, using Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

As an applicant fills out a form, the associated fees are automatically noted and added up.

The fees arrive at the CTQ, where they are doled out to the appropriate government departments.

From the One-Stop Centre users can also link to the Bureau des infractions et amendes (office of infractions and fines), where they can pay fines on-line and access a lot of other Bureau information.

The One-Stop Centre includes several help pages and pop-up information windows.

There are also two versions of a demonstration of how the One-Stop Centre works that can be downloaded – one that is 4.3MB in size, and a more detailed 5.36MB version.

It is definitely worth the extra time it takes to download the larger version.

Computer skill and equipment required to properly use the One-Stop Centre, are not that big a deal.

They include having Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 or better and the power to do 128-bit encryption, which is necessary for secure on-line transactions.

You also need Acrobat Reader version 5.0 or better, but that is free and can be downloaded through a link on the CTQ Web site. English users will want to have a good handle on their trucking industry terminology, as there is no English version of the One-Stop Centre.

There is a brief English description of what it offers though, and a customer service number to call for more information.

In the past couple of years there has been a proliferation of services and information that truckers and trucking companies can access through the Qubec government department Web sites; namely through Transports Qubec and the CTQ.

Many new on-line services are slipped in without fanfare, so any given week can mean a new surprise when trolling these Web sites.

For example, there are more electronic or hard versions of CTQ documents than ever that can be ordered on-line that truckers need from time to time.

They include the usual application forms, such as the one you fill out to assign or dispose of vehicles, to documents that describe fees and duties and payments for fees and duties and annual reports.

Soft copies arrive in your e-mailbox in the very common PDF format. You can also order hard copies on-line by selecting the documents you want, keying your mailing information into a form, pushing the Send button and then sauntering outside to hang around the mailbox till the mailman delivers them.