Driver qualification files - Nova Scotia

Carriers must keep records showing:

• In respect of each driver employed by the carrier, an annual driver’s abstract that includes the name and date of birth, class of license held, warnings, convictions, collisions, and suspensions imposed in Nova Scotia or a reciprocating jurisdiction; and
• Qualifications and courses undertaken relevant to the driver’s work.

A driver of a commercial vehicle must, within 10 days thereof, inform the carrier employing the driver of all warnings, convictions, and suspensions given or imposed in the Nova Scotia or a reciprocating province. Such notifications must be placed in the driver qualification file.

Carriers can also use National Safety Code (NSC) Standard 15, Facility Audits, as a guideline for driver qualification files. NSC Standard 15 states that the following records should be kept on each driver operating under the carrier’s safety fitness certificate:

• Driver’s name, date of birth, and driver’s licence number;
• Current licence class and status;
• Current driver abstract issued within the past 12 months;
• Driver’s air brake endorsement, transportation of dangerous goods certificate, or long combination vehicles endorsement, as applicable;
• Traffic offences and criminal driving offences for which the driver was convicted over the past two years; and
• Reportable accidents involving NSC vehicles in which the driver was involved over the past two years.

It is recommended that the carrier keep a copy of the driver’s application for employment, any records the carrier collected to verify the accuracy of the application, and a copy of the driver’s road test, if applicable.

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