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Volume 68, No. 11

111/2025

The British Columbia Gazette,

Part II

July 15, 2025

B.C. Reg. 111/2025 , deposited July 14, 2025, under the COMMERCIAL TRANSPORT ACT [sections 4 and 11 (2) and (3)] and MOTOR VEHICLE ACT [section 210 (2)]. Order in Council 353/2025, approved and ordered July 14, 2025.

On the recommendation of the undersigned, the Lieutenant Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, orders that, effective August 5, 2025,

(

a) the Commercial Transport Regulations, B.C. Reg. 30/78, are amended as set out in the attached

Schedule 1, and

(

b) the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 26/58, are amended as set out in the attached

Schedule 2.

— M. FARNWORTH, Minister of Transportation and Transit ; C. BOYLE, Presiding Member of the Executive Council .

Schedule 1

Section 1.01 of the Commercial Transport Regulations, B.C. Reg. 30/78, is amended

(

a) by adding the following definition:

"quarterly licence" means a licence issued under

section 5.02; ,

(

b) by repealing the definition of "truck tractor wheelbase" , and

(

c) by adding the following definition:

"wheelbase" means the longitudinal distance from the centre of the front steering axle to the geometric centre of the drive axle; .

2 Sections 5.01 and 8.07 are amended by striking out " No person shall " and substituting " A person must not ".

Section 5.02 (

a) is repealed and the following substituted:

(a) 1/4 of the annual licence fee rounded to the nearest dollar, with any amount ending in .50 rounded up to the next dollar, .

Section 5.03 (2) is repealed and the following substituted:

(2) For the purpose of

section 5.02,

(

a) a 3‑month period begins on the first day of January, April, July or October and ends on the last day of March, June, September or December respectively, and

(

b) every quarterly licence expires at midnight on the last day of the 3‑month period for which it was issued.

Section 7.02 (4) is repealed and the following substituted:

(4) Any driver, operator, owner, lessee or out-of-province lessee of any vehicle or other person who violates any of the conditions contained in any permit issued under subsection (1) or (3) is guilty of an offence.

Section 8.01 is repealed and the following substituted:

Compliance with standards

8.01 If conditions of an oversize or overload permit prescribe that pilot cars, signs, flags or lights be provided by the permittee, the standards for equipment set out in this Division must be complied with, unless otherwise prescribed by the conditions of the permit.

7 Sections 8.02, 8.03 and 8.04 are repealed and the following substituted:

Allowable vehicle

8.02 A pilot car must be a single motor vehicle that

(

a) has two axles,

(

b) has a wheelbase of no less than 2.65 m,

(

c) has an overall width that, without mirrors, is not less than 1.5 m and not more than 2.6 m,

(

d) is equipped with an outside rear-view mirror on each side of the vehicle, and

(

e) is capable of carrying a sign described in

section 8.04 in a manner that meets the requirements of that section.

Oversize or overload vehicle sign

8.03 If an oversize or overload permit requires that a sign be provided on the vehicle or load, the operator of the oversize or overload vehicle must ensure that the sign

(

a) conforms to the specifications shown in Appendix J, and

(

b) displays only the words shown in Appendix J.

Pilot car signs

8.04

(1) In this section:

"SAE" means the Society of Automotive Engineers;

"SAE Standard J595" means SAE standard J595_202108 entitled Directional Flashing Optical Warning Devices for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles, as amended from time to time;

"SAE Standard J845" means SAE standard J845_202108 entitled Optical Warning Devices for Authorized Emergency, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles, as amended from time to time.

(2) The operator of a pilot car must ensure that the pilot car is

(

a) while escorting a vehicle or load, equipped with a roof-mounted " Long Load ", " Wide Load ", " Oversize Load " or " D " sign,

(

b) while escorting a vehicle, or a vehicle and load, in excess of 27.5 m in length and less than 3.2 m in width, equipped with a roof-mounted " Long Load ", " Oversize Load " or " D " sign, and

(

c) while escorting a vehicle, or a vehicle and load, in excess of 3.2 m in width, equipped with a roof-mounted " Wide Load ", " Oversize Load " or " D " sign.

(3) The operator of a pilot car must ensure that a sign described in subsection (2)

(

a) meets the requirements of subsection (4),

(

b) conforms to the specifications shown in Appendix K,

(

c) is mounted on the pilot car so that the bottom edge of the sign, when in an upright position, is no less than 1.7 m and no more than 2.5 m above the road surface,

(

d) is positioned perpendicular to the roadway while the pilot car is escorting a vehicle or load,

(

e) is covered, blacked out, retracted or folded down while the pilot car is not escorting a vehicle or load, and

(

f) does not adversely affect the normal operation of the pilot car on the highway.

(4) A sign described in subsection (2) must

(

a) have a sign box or sign casing, made from durable material suitable for use in all weather and highway conditions that

(

i) is 180 cm x 35 cm,

(ii) is evenly illuminated, and

(iii) shelters all wire connectors, switches, flashers and similar wiring components for the lighting attached to it,

(

b) be designed to be mounted on roof-mounted carriers or similar mountings,

(

c) be double‑faced,

(

d) be visible and legible from the front and rear of the pilot car from 300 m in clear conditions in daylight and darkness, and

(

e) when used in darkness, have a luminance output that does not exceed 100 cd per square metre.

(5) The following may be dimmed to be visible and legible from less than 300 m in clear conditions:

(

a) the rear face of a sign referred to in subsection (2) mounted on a pilot car immediately preceding an escorted vehicle or load;

(

b) the front face of a sign referred to in subsection (2) mounted on a pilot car immediately following an escorted vehicle or load.

(6) The operator of a pilot car must ensure that either of the following is mounted on a sign referred to in subsection (2):

(a) 2 or 4 round amber flashing lamps;

(b) 2 round amber flashing lamps and two 360° rotating or strobe amber flashing lamps.

(7) The round amber flashing lamps referred to in subsection (6) must

(

a) flash in unison,

(

b) meet SAE Standard J595 Class 2 yellow,

(

c) be at least 17.75 cm in diameter, and

(

d) be placed and operated as shown in Appendix K.

(8) The 360° rotating or strobe amber flashing lamps referred to in subsection (6) must

(

a) meet SAE Standard J845 Class 2 yellow, and

(

b) be placed and operated as shown in Appendix K.

(9) The operator of a pilot car, when so required by a peace officer, must provide evidence from the manufacturer of the sign referred to in subsection (2) that demonstrates that the luminance output of the sign does not exceed the luminance output specified in subsection (4) (e).

Section 8.05 is amended

(

a) by striking out " shall " and substituting " must ", and

(

b) by repealing paragraph (

a) and substituting the following:

(

a) be red or orange, .

Section 8.06 is repealed and the following substituted:

Lighting – vehicle/load

8.06 If night travel of oversized vehicles or loads is authorized by permit, the extremities of the oversize vehicle or load must be lighted in a manner consistent with the provisions of Division 4 of the regulations made under the Motor Vehicle Act.

Section 8.08 is repealed and the following substituted:

Pilot car escort – proximity

8.08

(1) The operator of a pilot car must, while escorting a vehicle or load, ensure that the pilot car is positioned on the highway in a manner that provides reasonable warning of the presence of the escorted vehicle or load, having regard to the following:

(

a) the speed of the escorted vehicle;

(

b) the speed of surrounding traffic;

(

c) highway conditions.

(2) The operator of a pilot car must, at all times while escorting a vehicle or load, maintain clear two‑way radio communication with the operator of the escorted vehicle or load.

(3) If the conditions of an oversize or overload permit require that only one pilot car escort the vehicle or load on an undivided highway with 2 or 3 lanes, the operator of the pilot car must ensure that the pilot car precedes the escorted vehicle or load.

(4) If the conditions of an oversize or overload permit require that only one pilot car escort the vehicle or load on an undivided highway with 4 or more lanes or on a divided highway, the operator of the pilot car must ensure that the pilot car follows the escorted vehicle or load.

(5) Despite subsection (3), if the conditions of an oversize or overload permit require that only one pilot car escort the vehicle or load on an undivided highway with 2 or more lanes, the operator of the pilot car must ensure that the pilot car follows the escorted vehicle or load if the vehicle, or the vehicle and load,

(

a) exceeds 27.5 m in length, and

(

b) does not exceed 3.2 m in width.

Section 8.09 is repealed.

Section 9.02 is amended by striking out " shall be " and substituting " are ".

13 The attached Appendices J and K are added to the regulations.

Appendix J

Appendix K

Schedule 2

Section 4.28 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, B.C. Reg. 26/58, is amended

(

a) by repealing subsection (5) (d), and

(

b) by adding the following subsections:

(5.1) 2 or 4 amber flashing lamps that meet the requirements of Division 8 of the Commercial Transport Regulations must be illuminated on a pilot car while escorting a vehicle or load.

(9) A hearse, or any other vehicle operated by a person who provides funeral services, may be equipped with a single roof-mounted or dash‑mounted flashing purple lamp that may be illuminated while the vehicle is operated as the lead or final vehicle in a funeral procession.

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