A CVI, or Commercial Vehicle Inspection, is the periodic safety inspection British Columbia sets for commercial trucks, trailers and chassis. Pass it and the unit gets a decal and an inspection report; without a current decal it can’t be driven, operated or even parked on a highway.1
This guide covers who needs one, how often, what the inspector looks at and how to get a unit ready. To book one at our yard, use our CVI inspections page. Renting from us? Each rental unit’s inspection report and registration are on the driver documents page, by unit number.
Who needs a CVI
Part 1 of Division 25 of the Motor Vehicle Act Regulations sets out the inspection. It applies to:1
- commercial vehicles with a licensed gross vehicle weight (GVW) over 8,200 kg: highway tractors, dump trucks and most other heavy trucks;
- trailers and semi-trailers as the Commercial Transport Act defines them, which takes in container chassis, dry vans, flat decks and the rest;
- buses and school buses, taxis, vehicles run under a Passenger Transportation Act licence, and driver-training vehicles.
Some vehicles are left out, among them a commercial vehicle of 17,300 kg licensed GVW or less that is licensed and insured as a farm vehicle, and vehicles driven under certain permits. The director can also exempt a class of vehicles.1 CVSE’s Trailer Inspection Exemption Order exempts trailers licensed in ICBC rate class 510, towed by a vehicle in one of the rate classes the order lists, and trailers in rate class 551, insured for pleasure use only. It doesn’t exempt an air-braked commercial trailer towed by an “A”, “G” or “F” plated power unit over 17,300 kg GVW, so a chassis or van behind a plated highway tractor of that weight still needs its CVI.7
The CVI is not the daily trip inspection. Drivers still check the unit before the first trip of the day and write a trip inspection report for the same vehicles the CVI covers, under Division 37.5 The compliance centre’s trip inspection checklist has that list.
How often: 6 or 12 months
A decal lasts 6 months unless the regulation gives the unit 12. These are the 12-month units most of our customers run:1
How long a BC inspection certificate lasts
| Decal lasts | MVA Regulations | |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial trailer or semi-trailer (container chassis, dry van, flat deck) | 12 months | s. 25.14 (3) (c) |
| Commercial trailer used with a logging truck, or with a dump box | 6 months | s. 25.14 (1) and (3) (c) |
| Truck or tractor over 8,200 kg and up to 17,300 kg licensed GVW (not a bus, taxi or logging truck) | 12 months | s. 25.14 (3) (g) |
| Truck or tractor over 17,300 kg licensed GVW | 6 months | s. 25.14 (1) |
| Farm vehicle over 17,300 kg licensed GVW | 12 months | s. 25.14 (3) (b) |
| Interim certificate after a failed inspection | 14 days | s. 25.14 (4) |
Motor Vehicle Act Regulations, Division 25, section 25.14, on BC Laws (current to September 29, 2026); checked October 5, 2026.
The decal runs to the last day of the 6th or 12th month after it was issued. A 6-month decal issued on April 4 is good to October 31; a 12-month decal issued the same day, to April 30 the next year.1
Decision helper
How often does my unit need a CVI?
Two or three questions. Worked out in your browser; nothing is saved or sent.
If you answer
- A trailer, semi-trailer or container chassis and No
- A truck or tractor and Over 8,200 kg, up to 17,300 kg and No
Your interval
Every 12 months
The decal runs to the last day of the 12th month after the month it was issued. Set a reminder from the date on your decal or report.
If you answer
- A trailer, semi-trailer or container chassis and Yes
- A truck or tractor and Over 17,300 kg
- A truck or tractor and Over 8,200 kg, up to 17,300 kg and Yes
Your interval
Every 6 months
The decal runs to the last day of the 6th month after the month it was issued. Set a reminder from the date on your decal or report.
If you answer
- A truck or tractor and 8,200 kg or less
Your interval
Probably not in the CVI program
At 8,200 kg licensed GVW or less, a commercial truck isn’t covered by the periodic inspection, unless it’s a bus, a taxi, a passenger-transportation vehicle or a driver-training vehicle. It still needs its daily trip inspection if the Safety Code applies.
From MVA Regulations Division 25, sections 25.01 and 25.14, on BC Laws. A starting point: the date on your decal is what counts.
Where it’s done, and by whom
Only an Authorized Inspector, a trade-qualified mechanic authorized through CVSE, can inspect for a decal, and only at a Designated Inspection Facility (DIF) designated for that class of vehicle. Fleets can also be approved as a Preventative Maintenance Facility, which may inspect only its own vehicles.21
The inspector works to the province’s Vehicle Inspection Manual. The 2025 edition took effect on September 2, 2025. It covers every class of vehicle, from light vehicles and motorcycles to heavy trucks, trailers and buses, and is free to read online at vsis.ca.32 It sorts vehicles into inspection classes: trucks over 5,500 kg licensed GVW are class 2, trailers and semi-trailers class 3.2
A truck and a trailer at their CVI
| Truck or tractor | Trailer, semi-trailer or chassis | |
|---|---|---|
| In the program when | A commercial vehicle over 8,200 kg licensed GVW | A trailer or semi-trailer under the Commercial Transport Act |
| Decal lasts | 6 months over 17,300 kg; 12 months from 8,200 to 17,300 kg | 12 months; 6 with a logging truck or a dump box |
| Inspection class (VIM 2025) | Class 2: heavy motor vehicle | Class 3: trailer and semi-trailer |
| Decal goes | Outside lower left or right corner of the windshield, or the fixed glass right of the driver | Outside of the left or right lower front corner |
| Some of what’s checked | Power train, steering, air brakes, lamps, tires, fifth wheel | Air brakes, lamps, tires, kingpin and upper coupler, landing gear, rear impact guard, mud flaps |
MVA Regulations ss. 25.01, 25.07 and 25.14 (BC Laws, current to September 29, 2026); Vehicle Inspection Manual 2025, Introduction and Sections 3A to 10 (vsis.ca). Checked October 5, 2026.
Get a unit ready for its CVI
Many items on the inspector’s list can be checked on the yard before you book. This checklist follows the 2025 manual’s own “reject if” lines for the ones you can check yourself, so you can fix them first. It doesn’t replace the inspection.2
Before the inspection
Get a truck, trailer or chassis ready for its CVI
From the 2025 Vehicle Inspection Manual. Tick as you go; print it for the shop.
24 items to check.
Sources checked 5 Oct 2026. The official sources govern; check them before you rely on a row.
Rows to fix first
Lights, tire pressures and mud flaps are quick to check on the yard. Lining thickness, kingpin wear and the upper coupler’s flatness need the right gauges, and linings can mean pulling a drum: book that work before the inspection, not after.
The decal and the report
After every inspection the inspector signs an inspection report and gives you a copy. If the unit passes, they fix the decal to it, showing when it expires.1
- On the unit. Nobody may drive, operate or park the unit on a highway unless an unexpired decal is fixed to it: on a truck, the outside lower left or right corner of the windshield or the fixed glass to the right of the driver; on a trailer, the outside of the left or right lower front corner.1
- In the unit. While the certificate is in force, a copy of the inspection report has to be carried in the vehicle.1
- In your files. Keep the record of every inspection, replacement and repair for the last 3 years you own the unit and for 6 months after you sell it. With the buyer’s consent you can hand the records over with the unit.1
If the unit fails
The report lists the equipment that failed. If the inspector is satisfied the unit isn’t a hazard to other road users, they can fit an interim certificate, good for 14 days, to get it repaired and back. If a failed item affects passenger safety or load security, the report says no passengers or load may be carried.1
If police order an inspection
Even with a current decal, a peace officer or the director can order a unit in for inspection when they believe it may not meet the standards, and can take the licence or plates of a unit with no certificate in force.1 A Box 2 Notice and Order means repair, inspection at a DIF and a passed report to CVSE within 30 days; until then the unit can’t run on a highway or renew its licence and insurance.4
Crossing into the US or another province
For US trips, every unit in the combination, the tractor, the semi-trailer and any converter dolly, needs a periodic inspection in the past 12 months, with proof on board. An inspection under a Canadian province’s program counts for 12 months from the last day of the month it was done.6 The decal and report from a BC CVI are that proof.
Running into Alberta, or bringing in a unit plated elsewhere? The compliance centre sets out what applies to your unit and where you’ll run it, with the official source for each rule.
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The rules for your truck, trailer or chassis in BC, worked out for your unit, with the official source for each one.
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A rental unit’s CVI and registration papers, found by its unit number. Keep them handy for the port gate or a roadside…
FAQ
CVI questions
How often does a trailer or container chassis need a CVI in BC?
Every 12 months for most commercial trailers and semi-trailers, container chassis and dry vans among them. Trailers used with a logging truck or fitted with a dump box: every 6 months. The decal runs to the last day of the 12th month after it was issued (Motor Vehicle Act Regulations s. 25.14).
How often does a truck or tractor need a CVI?
Over 8,200 kg up to 17,300 kg licensed GVW: every 12 months, unless it’s a bus, taxi or logging truck. Over 17,300 kg: every 6 months (s. 25.14).
Where does the CVI decal go?
On a truck, the outside lower left or right corner of the windshield, or the fixed glass to the right of the driver. On a trailer, the outside of the left or right lower front corner (s. 25.07).
What happens if my unit fails?
The report lists what failed. If the unit isn’t a hazard, the inspector can fit an interim certificate good for 14 days while you get it repaired and back for a pass (ss. 25.13 and 25.14).
Is a CVI the same as a daily trip inspection?
No. The CVI is the periodic inspection at a Designated Inspection Facility. The trip inspection is the driver’s check before the first trip of the day, with a written report, under Division 37.
Where are my rental unit’s CVI papers?
On the driver documents page, by unit number.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s a plain-language guide to the main rules, each linked to its official source with the date we checked it. The regulation and CVSE are what count.