The bulk trucking industry is divided into different sectors: bulk trucking linked to the agriculture industry, the forest transportation and bulk trucking of aggregates and materials linked to the areas of construction and snow and salt.
This section deals with these various bulk trucking sectors. More information is also available by consulting the Info Camionnage newsletters, which aim to explain regulatory and technical amendments in plain terms.
The Act respecting the Ministère des Transports provides that the Minister may, in contracts to which he is a party, stipulate that small bulk trucking enterprises that subscribe to the brokerage service of an association holding a brokerage permit issued under the Transport Act shall participate in the performance of the contract to the extent and on the conditions he determines, particularly with respect to the tariff applicable.
Therefore, the Ministère’s Cahier des charges et devis généraux – Infrastructures routières – Construction et réparation sets out the conditions applicable to these stipulations.
In accordance with article 7.7.1.2.1 of the Ministère’s Cahier des charges et devis généraux – Infrastructures routières – Construction et réparation, when two brokerage permit holders operate in the zone where the work is performed, transport must be distributed between the two. The distribution is established based on the number of subscribers of each permit holder.
The following tables show the daily truck allocation for each zone where there are two brokerage permit holders.
In accordance with the provisions of the Act respecting the Ministère des Transports, the Minister may set the tariffs applicable to bulk trucking in certain contracts granted by the Ministère. Therefore, since the Regulation respecting bulk trucking was abolished on January 1, 2000, the Ministère publishes three tariff reports for its bulk trucking needs. These documents are not translated. Refer to the French page to view them.
To limit the impacts of the price of fuel on the profitability of bulk trucking companies, an adjustment mechanism has been put in place by the Ministère in its different bulk trucking transport tariff reports. The Ministère will therefore publish an adjustment percentage applicable to the different bulk trucking tariffs already found in reports for the current year at the start of each month.
The adjustment percentage published must be added to or subtracted from the tariffs in force. Percentages apply to both hourly-paid hauls and to those paid per ton-kilometer.
The adjustment amount is determined based on the average price of fuel in the previous month.
Information on prices at the pump could be found in the Bulletin d'information sur les prix des produits pétroliers of the Régie de l'énergie du Québec.
(1) When the difference between the average price of fuel for the previous month and the reference price is 10% or less, no adjustment applies.
(2) This adjustment rate is no longer applicable. The new rate for May 2022 is shown in the table below ("Adjustment for 2022-2023", Bulk Trucking tariff report).
The two conditions required for a new fuel adjustment are modified as of May 1, 2022:
Necessary condition: If the difference between the previous month's average price and the reference fuel price (third column of the table above) is between -5% and 5%, no adjustment occurs. On the other hand, if it is less than -5% or more than 5%, there may be an adjustment if the following condition is met.
Sufficient condition: The variation to be compensated or claimed is equal to the entire difference from the reference price. The adjustment rate is the combination of the monthly variations adjusted to the relative share of fuel (fifth column of the above table) in the total cost. The applicable adjustment rate (seventh column of the above table) is the adjustment to be applied to the published rates in the tariff report. For a new fuel adjustment to occur, the newly calculated adjustment rate must be either less than or equal to -1% (downward adjustment) or greater than or equal to 1% (upward adjustment). In addition, it must differ from the previous month by at least one percentage point.
When the sufficient condition is met, the newly calculated adjustment rate is applied. If the sufficient condition is not met, the adjustment rate of the previous month is maintained.
The relative share of fuel changes each month according to the adjustment rate. The variable relative share displayed represents the fuel offset in the rates with the applicable adjustment rate.
(1) Note: This is the average price at the pump.
(2) Change in the average price of the month compared to the average price of the previous month.
Information note: The reference price for the tariff report is $1.100/l. The baseline relative share of fuel in cost was 28.97% in January 2022.
The adjustment rate is applied directly to the rates published in Volume 3 of the tariff report for January 2022. For example, if the applicable adjustment rate is A% in the month of April and the effective rate published in January 2022 is T$, then the monthly adjustment will be A% x T$. Successive monthly adjustment rates cannot be aggregated.
The fuel price adjustment for contractors' trucks and machinery is applied in accordance with Section 8.9 of the General Conditions and Specifications (CCDG) - Road Infrastructure - Construction and Repair. The following table shows the average fuel prices at the ramp starting in January 2022:
(1) When the difference between the average price of fuel for the previous month and the reference price is 10% or less, no adjustment applies.
When the sufficient condition is met, the newly calculated adjustment rate is applied. If the sufficient condition is not met, the adjustment rate of the previous month is maintained.
The relative share of fuel changes each month according to the adjustment rate. The variable relative share displayed represents the fuel offset in the rates with the applicable adjustment rate.
(1) Note: This is the average price at the pump.
Information note: The reference price for the tariff report is $1.776/l.
The adjustment rate is applied directly to the rates published in volume 1 and 2 of the tariff report for January 2022. For example, if the applicable adjustment rate is A% in the month of April and the effective rate published in January 2022 is T$, then the monthly adjustment will be A% x T$. Successive monthly adjustment rates cannot be aggregated.
The Commission des transports du Québec is responsible of the Bulk Trucking Register. Registration to the Bulk Trucking Register allows the holder, through the brokerage permit holder, to benefit from a preferential hiring clause with the Ministère and other public bodies having implemented such a provision. The register is not translated. Refer to the French page to view it.
For further information on the principal vehicle load and size limits regulations applicable to road vehicles and to combinations of road vehicles, please visit Loads and Sizes.
It is no longer necessary to be a permit holder for bulk transportation for remuneration.
However, the Transport Act and the Regulation respecting the brokerage of bulk trucking services define the rules for the bulk trucking brokerage industry in public contracts. This is the only economic framework governing this industry.
The Regulation respecting the brokerage of bulk trucking services applies to the brokerage of bulk trucking services in public contracts for the transport of sand, earth, gravel, stone, concrete other than in a concrete mixer truck, bituminous concrete including planed asphalt and recyclable and non-recyclable asphalt, materials resulting from road demolition, snow, ice and salt intended for road maintenance.
Under this regulation, only the brokerage permit holders for bulk trucking services delivered by the Commission des transports du Québec can perform bulk trucking operations in public contracts for the benefit of carriers registered in the Bulk Trucking Register. The terms and conditions for obtaining this permit are set out in the Regulation respecting the brokerage of bulk trucking services.
By brokerage, we mean “acting as an intermediary in the organization of bulk trucking activities of materials covered by the Regulation.”
By public contract, we mean “any contract between a public authority and a private contractor to carry out work or provide services.”
No permit is required for brokerage in markets other than public. However, any person performing brokerage in the transport of goods or people must appear on the list of transport intermediaries of the Commission des transports du Québec.
The transport by truck of timber that has undergone no operation other than crosscutting, limbing and barking (logs, timber lengths) has been deregulated in 2000.
Forest transport contracts must include the minimum stipulations and be written by filing out a form similar the model shown in Schedule A of the Regulation respecting forest transport contracts. The contract must be signed by the shipper and the carrier
The Regulation respecting forest transport contracts sets out the stipulations applicable to any contract for the transport of timber from forests in the domain of the State.
The stipulations of the forest transport contract shall be those appearing in the model referred to in Schedule A and constitute the minimum stipulations that must be contained in any forest transport contract. The forest transport contract must be written by filling out a form similar to the model referred to in Schedule A and must be signed by the shipper and carrier.
Since January 1, 2000, it is no longer necessary to be a permit holder to transport bulk materials linked to the agriculture industry (grain, seeds, lime, etc.) for remuneration. Therefore, any person wanting to offer bulk trucking services, with or without remuneration, must simply comply with the requirements of the Act respecting owners, operators and drivers of heavy vehicles , which applies to road transport of goods and persons as a whole.
No permit is required for brokerage trucking services linked to the agriculture industry. However, any person performing brokerage in the transport of goods or people must appear on the list of transport intermediaries of the Commission des transports du Québec.
The documents related to this subject are not translated. You can consult them in the French page.
© Gouvernement du Québec, 2025
