# Quebec Thaw Period 2027 (Période de Dégel): Zones, Dates and How They Are Set

Quebec's 2027 thaw period dates are not published yet. The three thaw zones, the load limits, the 2026 dates and how Transports Québec sets them.

Source: https://www.highpointgps.com/resources/periode-de-degel-quebec
By Max Karnaukh, VP of Sales, published 2026-10-14, updated 2026-10-14

## When Is the Quebec Thaw Period in 2027?

Quebec's Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable (MTMD) has not yet published the dates of the 2027 thaw period (période de dégel): it announces them each spring, shortly before load restrictions begin, zone by zone. As a reference, the 2026 thaw period ran from March 16 to May 15 in zone 1, April 13 to May 22 in zone 2 and from April 20 in zone 3.

According to the ministry's load and dimension guide, restrictions normally begin in mid-March in zone 1 and end around the end of May in zone 3. The real dates move with the weather: in 2024, zone 1 started on March 4; in 2025, on March 24. We will update this guide as soon as the ministry publishes the 2027 dates.

The 2026 dates come from the ministry's official dates page. The 2024 and 2025 dates come from the thaw history in the ministry's 2026 publication "En période de dégel, roulez léger".

| Year | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | March 16 to May 15 | April 13 to May 22 | From April 20 |
| 2025 | March 24 to May 2 | March 24 to May 16 | April 14 to May 23 |
| 2024 | March 4 to April 12 | March 18 to May 10 | March 18 to May 17 |

## What Are Quebec's Three Thaw Zones?

Quebec has had three thaw zones since 1991. Their boundaries reflect the usual frost depth, how the thaw moves through each region, spring weather and east-west truck traffic. The start and end of the restrictions are slightly staggered from one zone to the next.

Zone 1 is southern Quebec, below a line that runs through Gracefield, Mont-Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Saint-Alexis-des-Monts, Beaupré and Rivière-du-Loup, then follows Autoroute 85 to New Brunswick. Montreal, Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières are in zone 1.

Zone 2 is the area between that line and a second line that starts at the Ontario border at 48° north, passes near Rouyn-Noranda and Val-d'Or, runs north of Lac Saint-Jean to the Manic-3 dam, then along the 51st parallel to the eastern border north of Blanc-Sablon. The Îles-de-la-Madeleine are also in zone 2.

Zone 3 is everything north of that second line. For a trip near a boundary, the ministry's Zones de dégel page gives the full legal description of each line and a detailed PDF map.

## How Does Transports Québec Set the Thaw Dates?

The dates follow how far the thaw has gone into the pavement. Since the winter of 2014-2015, the ministry has calculated it from its road weather stations (more than 60 on the network), most of which have a 3-metre electronic probe buried in the pavement. Weather forecasts are also part of the decision.

Start: restrictions begin in a zone when at least 30% of its stations show a thaw depth of 30 cm. End: they finish 5 weeks after the thaw depth reaches 90 cm at 50% of the stations.

Announcement: under section 419 of the Highway Safety Code, the minister sets the dates and zones by order published in the Gazette officielle du Québec. In 2026, for example, the order setting the zones and the zone 1 period is dated March 12. The ministry also posts the dates on its official dates page and states that the start and end can be moved earlier or later depending on the weather.

## What Are the Load Limits During the Thaw Period?

During the thaw period, load limits are reduced on all public roads in the zone, not only on ministry highways. The pavement is then 30 to 70% weaker than usual, and a small cut in load reduces damage a great deal. Depending on the axle category, the reduction is generally 8 to 20%.

Gross vehicle weight limits drop too: for example, the 62,500 kg limit becomes 57,500 kg (8%) and the 25,250 kg limit becomes 22,750 kg (10%). The ministry's Guide des normes de charges et dimensions (2026 edition) lists the limits for every axle and vehicle category.

Contrôle routier Québec officers, about 300 across the province, run more weighing operations during the thaw. An overloaded truck does not leave until the load has been redistributed over the axles or the excess unloaded.

| Axle category | Normal period | Thaw period | Reduction |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| E.4: single axle | 10,000 kg | 8,000 kg | 20% |
| E.6: tandem | 18,000 kg | 15,500 kg | 14% |
| E.10: tridem or equivalent tridem | 26,000 kg | 22,000 kg | 15% |
| E.14: self-steering axle ahead of a tridem | 34,000 kg | 29,500 kg | 13% |

## Are There Exemptions During the Thaw Period?

The ministry's Guide des normes de charges et dimensions (2026 edition) describes special provisions for the thaw period, including these:

A tow truck pulling, or carrying on its deck, a single unloaded vehicle (damaged, broken down, seized or abandoned) keeps the normal-period limits.

Limits are raised by 1,000 kg for the tandem (E.6) at the rear of a tractor pulling a type 1 tank semi-trailer, and for the E.9 group of the first semi-trailer of a B-train double. These increases do not count toward the gross vehicle weight.

For a specific case, check the guide or call the ministry's information service before you load.

## Where Can You Check the Current Thaw Dates?

The official dates page on the Transports Québec website (transports.gouv.qc.ca) is the reference: the year's dates are posted there before restrictions begin, then updated if the weather moves them earlier or later.

For information by phone, the ministry lists 511 in Quebec, or 1-888-355-0511 anywhere in North America.

The orders themselves are published in the Gazette officielle du Québec. For the zones, see the Zones de dégel page and its detailed PDF map; for the limits, the Guide des normes de charges et dimensions.

## How Does GPS Tracking Help a Fleet During the Thaw?

A fleet that runs in more than one zone needs to know which truck was where, and on what date. With GPS tracking, the trip history shows every truck's movements, and a geofence drawn around a thaw zone records each vehicle entering and leaving it. Dispatch can then plan loads around each zone's dates. GPS does not weigh the load: it shows where and when the truck travelled, so each trip can be matched to the right zone's dates.

High Point GPS is a Montreal fleet telematics company and Geotab partner, founded in 2013, that installs and supports GPS tracking for over 500 fleets across Canada and the United States, in English and French.

## FAQ

### When will the 2027 Quebec thaw period start?

The 2027 dates are not published yet. Transports Québec sets them each spring from the thaw progress measured at its road weather stations, then publishes them on its official dates page and by order in the Gazette officielle. Restrictions normally begin in mid-March in zone 1. In 2026, they began on March 16 in zone 1.

### Which thaw zone is Montreal in?

Montreal is in zone 1, along with Quebec City, Gatineau, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivières. Zone 1 covers southern Quebec, below a line that runs through Mont-Tremblant, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Beaupré, among other places. In 2026, the zone 1 thaw period ran from March 16 to May 15, earlier than in zones 2 and 3.

### How much are loads reduced during the Quebec thaw period?

According to Transports Québec, reductions are generally 8 to 20% depending on the axle category. A single axle drops from 10,000 kg to 8,000 kg, a tandem from 18,000 kg to 15,500 kg and a tridem from 26,000 kg to 22,000 kg. The limits apply on all public roads in Quebec during the zone's thaw period.

### How are the start and end dates calculated?

The ministry tracks the thaw in the pavement with its road weather stations. Restrictions begin when at least 30% of a zone's stations show a 30 cm thaw, and end 5 weeks after the thaw reaches 90 cm at 50% of the stations. Weather forecasts are also considered, and the dates can be moved earlier or later.

### Where can I find the official thaw period dates?

On the Transports Québec website, on the official thaw period dates page, which gives each zone's dates and any changes. The orders are published in the Gazette officielle du Québec. You can also call 511 in Quebec, or 1-888-355-0511 elsewhere in North America, for information from the ministry.

## Sources

- [Transports Québec: Thaw period, official dates](https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/en/camionnage/degel-periode-restrictions-charges/Pages/periode-degel.aspx)
- [Transports Québec: Zones de dégel (in French)](https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/entreprises-partenaires/ent-camionnage/degel/Pages/Zones-de-degel.aspx)
- [Transports Québec: Dégel, période de restrictions de charges (in French)](https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/entreprises-partenaires/ent-camionnage/degel/pages/periode-restrictions.aspx)
- [Transports Québec: En période de dégel, roulez léger, 2026 (PDF, in French)](https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/entreprises-partenaires/ent-camionnage/degel/Documents/cahier-degel.pdf)
- [Transports Québec: Guide des normes de charges et dimensions des véhicules routiers, 2026 edition (PDF, in French)](https://www.transports.gouv.qc.ca/fr/entreprises-partenaires/ent-camionnage/charges-dimensions/Documents/Guide-normes-charges-dimensions_Edition-2026.pdf)