Driver qualification files - Ontario

Ontario does not currently have regulations specifying exactly what records must be kept in a driver’s qualification file. However, certain portions of the driver qualification files will be scored in a facility audit.

Generally, a carrier is required to keep any records used to verify the driver was qualified, and remains qualified, to drive for the carrier.

Carriers can 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 (referred to as the CVOR in Ontario):

• 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 (MTO recommends every three 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.

Driver disclosures of violations and collisions/accidents, the driver abstract, and the certificate of dangerous goods training are the items scored in a facility audit.

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.