Truck Regulation

The movement of trucks on streets in Winnipeg is regulated by:

• The Highway Traffic Act of the Province of Manitoba
• New Vehicle Weights and Dimensions on Classes of Highways Regulation (M.R. 155/2018)
• The City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77

Route of Truck Travel

Sections 39 and 39.1 City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77

All trucks, truck tractors or combinations of either one of them with a trailer or trailers within The City of Winnipeg shall be operated only over and along the streets or sections of streets set forth as Truck Routes in Schedules 1 and 2, but any truck or truck tractor or combination of either one of them with a trailer or trailers may operate upon any street where necessary to conduct business at a destination point, provided that Truck Routes are used until reaching the intersection nearest the destination point. Upon leaving the destination point, a truck or truck tractor or combination of either one of them with a trailer or trailers shall return by the shortest routing to a Truck Route.

Notwithstanding the above, to minimize truck travel on non-truck routes when a truck or truck tractor or combination of either one of them with a trailer or trailers has multiple deliveries in an area bounded by Truck Routes, it may proceed to conduct such business without returning to the nearest Truck Route and only after the completion of all business return by the shortest routing to a Truck Route.

Truck Route Map

Download the Truck Route Map - the map can be downloaded and printed to a maximum of 11"x17"

In accordance with Section 44 of The City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law, the Public Works Department maintains, on an ongoing basis, a  Truck Route Map for The City of Winnipeg which includes:

• Excerpts from The City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77 related to truck activities on City streets including all relevant schedules.
• A display showing the Truck Routes listed in the schedules to the By-Law, as well as the location and identity of structures with restricted gross vehicle weight limits, the locations with limited vertical clearances, and the locations of industrial areas and weigh scales.
• The 4.15 m maximum vehicle height permitted as per the Manitoba Highway Traffic Act.
• A listing of limited vertical clearances above roadways on City/Provincial Truck Routes. Limited vertical clearances on other City streets are posted in the field.
• Truck Route and other relevant signing.

Truck Parking on City Streets (Section 13 of The City of Winnipeg Parking By-Law No. 86/2016)

No person shall park a vehicle that, alone or together with any trailer connected to it, is longer than 6.7 m (22 ft), a trailer or a special purpose vehicle on a street for more than one hour unless the vehicle in question is shown to be in active use by a tradesperson working on premises in the immediate area.

Spring Weight Restrictions

Section 17 (1) and (3) City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77

The Director of Public Works may restrict the maximum weight of vehicles operated on those streets that do not have concrete pavement to the extent and for such period of time as is reasonably required to protect the streets from damage and deterioration during spring thaw conditions.

The Director of Public Works shall cause to be placed and maintained traffic control devices to make known weight limits of vehicles operated upon streets that do not have concrete pavements. The weight limitations are imposed in Spring each year, unless the Director declares otherwise.

Read more: Spring Weight Restrictions

Special permits for oversized or overweight vehicles

Section 48.1 City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77

Maximum allowable vehicle weights and dimensions are specified in Section 45 of The City of Winnipeg Traffic By-Law No. 1573/77.

The Director of Public Works may issue a special permit permitting the operation of an overweight and/or overdimension vehicle on streets within The City of Winnipeg where the Director of Public Works is satisfied that the operation of the vehicle will not:

• damage the streets over which it passes;
• disrupt traffic or pose a threat to vehicular traffic or pedestrians;
• damage properties adjacent to the right-of-way.

To obtain a special permit and for the latest information on fees, contact Manitoba Motor Carrier Safety and Permits for more information at 204-945-3961 or toll free 1-877-812-0009. Note that this special permit is only applicable in The City of Winnipeg.

A special permit is subject to such conditions and/or limitations as may be imposed by the Director of Public Works and the payment of a fee established by Council.

You may also need a special permit to operate on Provincial Highways in Manitoba. Contact Manitoba Motor Carrier Safety and Permits at 204-945-3961 or toll-free at 1-877-812-0009 to inquire about commercial operation permits on Provincial Highways.

Extended Length Combination Vehicles

The City of Winnipeg allows the operation of Extended Length Combination Vehicles, commonly known as Rocky Mountain Double, Triple Bottom and Turnpike Double Trailer Combination Vehicles, under permit. Effective April 2, 2012, Manitoba Motor Carrier Safety and Permits administers the issuing of this type of permit. For more information, please phone 204-945-3961 or toll free 1-877-812-0009.

Trucks prohibited

From time to time, the Public Works Department receives requests for installation of “Not A Truck Route” signs.

There is a network of streets in the City of Winnipeg forming the City’s Truck Route system. All other streets are “Not a Truck Route”. Truck Routes, as specified in The City of Winnipeg Traffic By-law #1573/77, and as shown in the City of Winnipeg Truck Route Map, are all identified with appropriate signing such as Route Number signs (e.g. Route 85) and/or a sign with a silhouette of a truck with a green ring on a white background. Such a system of signing only those streets that are "Truck Routes" minimizes the cost of installation and maintenance of signs, is readily understandable by truck operators, and is enforceable by the Police. "Not a Truck Route" signs are reserved for use at intersections where a Truck Route ends.

Streets such as Portage Avenue, Main Street, Lagimodiere Boulevard, Kenaston Boulevard, Keewatin Street, McPhillips Street, Erin Street and Wall Street, etc. and many streets in the Central Business District, are Truck Routes. These established Truck Routes are intended to minimize the intrusion of truck traffic onto residential streets. In general, the Truck Route system in Winnipeg has provided an effective system of regulating truck traffic for over three decades.

According to the Traffic By-law, operators of trucks may use a portion of street that is not a Truck Route, provided that it is the shortest distance to and from the point of origin/destination and the nearest Truck Route. If trucks are destined from a Truck Route and travel on streets not identified as a Truck Route without a destination on that street, the driver is traveling illegally.

Posting "Not a Truck Route" signs may leave truck operators with the impression that any other streets not signed as "Not a Truck Route" are Truck Routes. Such a system of dual signing would be confusing and may compromise the ability of the Police to obtain a conviction for the illegal use of a street by a truck operator under the Traffic By-law. For these reasons, posting "Not a Truck Route" signs is not only unnecessary, but also inappropriate, and therefore, is not recommended.