NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars

What NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars does

NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars, doing business as Nova Permis et Escortes Routières, is a privately held Canadian transportation compliance services company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Lévis, Quebec. The company specializes in obtaining oversized, overweight, and temporary travel permits for trucking carriers, coordinating certified pilot car / escort vehicle operators, and providing route planning, on-site superload surveys, budget analysis, transport law advisory, and training services across the United States and Canada. Its core proprietary technology is the Permit Manager platform, developed jointly with ProMiles Software Development Company (PSDC) since 2019, which automates quoting, permit acquisition, and road and police escort assignment within North American transportation compliance workflows. Nova operates through two synergistic brands — Nova Permis serving Canada and Axys Permits Inc. (founded 2007, Florida) serving the US market — and acquired Secure Specialized (Ontario) in April 2024 and ERDT in 2023 to extend geographic coverage.

NOVA generates revenue primarily through transaction-fee permit services and pilot car coordination, supplemented by professional services fees for route surveys, consulting, training, and budget analysis. Pricing is quote-based, customized to route, load dimensions, jurisdiction, and project complexity, with no publicly listed rates. The company employs roughly 50+ specialists distributed across 40+ cities in three time zones, positioning itself as the largest team of specialized transport permit experts in Canada, with combined team experience exceeding 300 years in logistics, trucking, transport law, accounting, pricing, and permits. Go-to-market is primarily direct sales (phone, email, web forms) supplemented by remote inside-sales business development targeting US and Canadian carriers, with supporting presence at industry events (e.g., Truck World) and organic content marketing via the corporate website and social channels. Ownership transferred in September 2023 to a new-generation management team led by President Stéphane Labillois and VP Operations Christopher Alain, marking an inflection for inorganic growth via regional roll-ups.

Name

NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars

Legal name

Nova Permis

Website

https://novapermits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars is a Quebec-based, privately held North American provider of oversized and overweight trucking permits, pilot car escort coordination, and route planning services, serving specialized transportation carriers across the US and Canada since 1992.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Transportation Permit Services: Obtaining special permits for oversized loads, overweight vehicles, and temporary travel permits. Core revenue stream for the company serving the trucking industry.
2. Pilot Car/Escort Vehicle Services: Coordination and provision of certified pilot car operators across North America for oversized and specialized transport safety.
3. Route Planning and Survey Services: Analysis of routes for non-standard loads, including on-site field analysis for superloads, route planning with 30+ years of accumulated road information.
4. Consulting and Training Services: Over 300 years of combined experience providing consultation in logistics, trucking, transportation law, accounting, pricing, and permits. Training in tie-down, laws, road safety, and escort vehicle operation.
5. Budget Analysis for Transport Projects: Estimating costs of permits and compliance requirements for oversized load transportation projects to help clients offer precise pricing.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars manages the acquisition of specialized transportation permits (oversize, overweight, trip, and fuel) and coordinates pilot car/escort vehicles for oversized and overweight loads moving across North America. The company additionally provides route planning, on-site route surveys, budget analysis, training, and transport law consultation, all supported by its proprietary Permit Manager software platform that automates the compliance workflow.

Product overview

NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars is a specialized transportation permit and escort service provider operating across North America since 1992. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services organized around a core permit acquisition and route planning platform: oversize permits, overweight permits, temporary/permanent trip and fuel permits, route planning, on-site route surveys, budget analysis, Canada-USA pilot car/escort services, consultation, training, and transport law advisory. The portfolio includes Permit Manager, a proprietary software platform developed with ProMiles for automating the permit acquisition and compliance process. The group operates through two main brands—Nova Permis (Canadian market) and Axys Permits (American market)—plus the acquired Secure Specialized brand in Ontario.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Permit Manager: Software platform developed in partnership with ProMiles Software Development Company (PSDC) and AXYS in 2019, automating functions in the North American transportation compliance process including quotes, permit obtaining, and escort assignment.

Products and services

• Oversize Permits (Permis pour surdimensionné) Acquisition of all transport permits for oversized loads, including flashing lights, specific signs, and required routes based on load configuration. For trucking carriers moving non-standard dimensional cargo across North America.
• Overweight Permits (Permis pour surcharge) Securing of permits and adapted routes for overweight loads, preventing immobilization and ensuring reliable delivery to destination. For trucking carriers transporting heavy cargo.
• Trip and Fuel Permits / Permanent Licensing (Permis de circulation temporaires ou permanents) Acquisition of temporary or permanent circulation permits for trucks and commercial vehicles across North America, ensuring compliance with country, state, and province-specific requirements.
• Route Planning (Tracé de route) Planning of optimal routes for non-standard loads using over 30 years of accumulated information on North American roads, highways, width, height, construction, physical constraints, and structure limitations.
• On-site Route Survey (Analyse de trajet sur le terrain) On-site route analysis for superloads, including structure measurements, public service coordination, and image capture to ensure safe passage for non-standard cargo exceeding previous route limits.
• Budget Analysis for Transport Projects (Analyse budgétaire d'un projet de transport) Estimation of costs of permits and legal compliance requirements to enable accurate client pricing and fair profitability for oversized/overweight transport projects.
• Canada-USA Pilot Car / Escort Vehicle Services (Escorte routière Canada-USA) Provision of a compliant fleet of pilot car operators across North America for the safety of oversized and specialized transport convoys.
• Consultation Expert consultation services drawing on over 300 years of combined experience in logistics, trucking, transportation law, accounting, pricing, and permits.
• Training (Formation) Training services covering tie-down securing, laws, road safety, defensive driving, compliance management, and escort vehicle operation delivered through in-house specialists and industry collaborators.
• Transport Law (Droit du transport) Legal advice from specialized transportation lawyers in Canada and USA, connecting clients with professional networks for proactive management or resolving costly unforeseen issues.
• Permit Manager Software platform developed in partnership with ProMiles Software Development Company (PSDC) that automates functions in the North American transportation compliance process, including quotes, permit acquisition, and road/police escort assignment. Used by transportation companies to order permits and manage compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years of experience in specialized transport permits
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ProMiles Software Development Company (PSDC)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Partnership between ProMiles Software Development Company (PSDC), NOVA, and AXYS to develop Permit Manager software. This powerful platform automates many functions in the North American transportation compliance process, enabling efficiency in quotes, obtaining transport permits, and assigning road/police escorts.
• SCRA (Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNova Permits is a member of SCRA, the Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association, a professional organization serving the specialized transportation industry.
• AXYS Permits Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAXYS Permits Inc. was founded in 2007 by the same owners to better serve the American market. Headquartered in Florida, AXYS collaborates in synergy with Nova Permits and offers the same expertise to the US market.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Bestpass: Toll management and transportation services platform for commercial trucking fleets. Sells into the same carrier compliance and permit-adjacent workflows, particularly for fuel and trip permits.
• Geotab: Global telematics and fleet management platform with regulatory reporting and compliance features. Sells into enterprise trucking customers and competes for compliance services share of wallet, though focused on telematics rather than permits.
• Motive (formerly KeepTruckin): Fleet operations platform combining ELD, compliance, and spend management for commercial trucking customers. Operates in the same trucking compliance buyer environment and is expanding into adjacent regulatory workflows.
• PrePass: Major weigh-station bypass and toll management service for commercial carriers. Serves the same trucking customer base with regulatory and compliance-adjacent services, though its product is electronic screening rather than permit acquisition.
• Fleetio: Cloud-based fleet maintenance and operations management software for commercial vehicle fleets. Sells into the same trucking buyer and overlaps with NOVA's compliance-oriented value proposition, though focused on maintenance rather than permits.
• Drivewyze: Connected weigh-station bypass and smart roadside services for commercial fleets. Operates in the regulatory/compliance stack of the same trucking customers, providing a digital alternative to legacy services.
• Samsara: Large fleet management and IoT platform serving enterprise trucking and logistics customers. While not a permit broker, Samsara's compliance and telematics modules increasingly touch the same regulatory workflows that drive NOVA's service demand.
• Omnitracs (now Solera/AudaExplore): Long-standing fleet management, routing, and compliance software vendor for commercial trucking. Overlaps with NOVA's routing and regulatory service orientation, though at a much broader fleet-software scale.

Direct peers

• JJ Keller & Associates: Established US provider of regulatory compliance, safety, and operational services to trucking fleets. Overlaps with NOVA in serving carrier compliance needs (FMCSA, DOT) and sells into the same transportation buyer, though its core focus is broader fleet compliance rather than oversize/overweight permits specifically.

Others

• ProMiles Software Development Corporation: Long-time technology partner that co-developed the Permit Manager platform with NOVA and Axys. ProMiles operates in adjacent trucking compliance and routing software, making it an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/novapermits
• Facebookfacebook.com/novapermitsandpilotcars

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NOVA Permits & Pilot Cars