Industrial utility vehicles in B.C. no longer need to be registered, insured under certain circumstances

Industrial utility vehicles (IUVs), miniature motor vehicles used in parades and beverage carts for golf courses no longer need to be registered, licensed and insured by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) under certain circumstances.

This change to British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act and regulations is intended to decrease insurance fees and reduce duplication for businesses and charitable organizations that use IUVs.

IUVs — including utility vehicles, industrial vehicles and trailers towed by these vehicles — can be used and operated in the following circumstances without being registered, licensed or insured:

• crossing a highway that intersects a worksite;
• operating on the untravelled portion of a highway;
• travelling on a highway next to a worksite for loading and unloading the vehicle;
• operating at a worksite that is cordoned off; and
• performing work in a parking lot or driveway by or on behalf of a property owner or operator.

Exemptions do not apply to utility vehicles operating along a highway with traffic.

The new rules also clarify restrictions and conditions of operation, which will ensure exempted vehicles operating on a highway continue to do so in a safe manner; add a requirement for exempted vehicles to have private third-party liability insurance, which can be obtained in the private market; and add conditions of use and safety requirements for “mobile equipment.”

“These changes are great news to our rental members and to the construction industry in general,” says Jim Clipperton, past president of the B.C. chapter of the Canadian Rental Association. “They will save businesses thousands of dollars in insurance fees and extra administration.”

Douglas Ferne, regional director of the B.C. arm of the National Golf Course Owners Association Canada, welcomed the changes. “Carrying double coverage for liability wasn’t enhancing safety for golf course members and guests. In fact, it was just creating more work and cost for golf courses, with no real benefits.”