Navigating Truck Driver Files in Canada: What You Need to Know

Essential Components of a Canadian Truck Driver File: A Detailed Guide

In this episode of the National Safety Code (NSC/CVOR) podcast, host Chris Harris, also known as Safety Dawg, provides a comprehensive breakdown of the essential and recommended contents of a truck driver file in Canada.

Chris outlines mandatory items such as the driver's license, motor vehicle record, records of convictions and collisions, and dangerous goods training certificates. He also discusses strongly recommended elements, including the truck driver application form, references, regular road tests, ongoing training, a current medical certificate, annual reviews, and a recall system for monitoring important expiration dates. 

Chris emphasizes the importance of these records for both regulatory compliance and insurance purposes. Listeners are invited to text for a copy of the Safety Dawg Canadian Truck Driver Checklist to help keep their driver files organized.

00:00 Introduction to Truck Driver Files
00:33 Mandatory Requirements for Truck Driver Files
02:06 Recommended Practices for Truck Driver Files
04:00 Ongoing Training and Compliance
05:46 Conclusion and Resources


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Transcript

Chris Harris, Safety Dawg 1: 0:23

Truck driver files. What has to be in a truck driver file in Canada? Welcome to another, um, episode of the National Safety Code, or NSCCVR podcast. What has to be in a truck driver file? Let's get into it. My name is Chris Harris, your host, and I am Safety Dawg, and I'm based here in Ontario. So, there are two pieces of this training that I wanted to speak to you about. One, what is required, and two, what is recommended. We'll get into recommended, but there's a real So, what is required? First of all, the driver's license. You've got to have a copy of the driver's license, and we would prefer front and back. In Ontario, front and back is required. You need a motor vehicle record. within 30 days of employment, and then if this is an audit process, within 12 months of the audit date. So, when the driver is first hired, the abstract shouldn't be older than 30 days, and then if this is an audit, within 12 months of the audit. Or, in other words, you've MVR, Motor Vehicle Record, once a year. Uh, you need to know about all of the convictions that the ministry can find. So make sure you've got a list of all the convictions for that driver and all collisions that involve commercial motor vehicles. This is what is required. Don't forget. So it is required that all commercial motor vehicles, accidents or collisions be recorded. And then what action you as a carrier took about these collisions. So that's really important. That's required. Uh, dangerous goods training, if you haul dangerous goods. So please make sure you do that. And of course, dangerous goods, um, the training is only good for three years. You have to redo the training every three years. Now let's get into what is recommended. And when I say recommended, This really isn't a suggestion. Your insurance company wants you to have this stuff, and the ministry also wants you, really, to have this stuff. It's just not part of the audit process, but they really recommend that you have things like a truck driver application form. References. You want to be, you know, Confirm the last three years, at least the last three years of employment history. And now we get into the difference between what is required and what is recommended. All collisions, a record of all collisions is strongly recommended and any actions that you took if the driver was in your employee in that time. And you might say, hey Chris, uh, a collision that happened in a driver's car. Why do I need to know about that? Well, that type of a collision might render that driver uninsurable on your truck fleet. So you do want to know as much detail about it as possible. You need to have a policy that says to the driver, Hey, you got to tell me about all these things. All right. So, uh, road test is certainly a strong recommendation. By everyone and training. So there's a list of training that you should do as part of the new hire orientation. And of course, Any ongoing training. You need a current medical certificate. Now, in lieu of the current medical certificate, you can actually use the driver's license or better yet a driver abstract because it tells you on the abstract when the driver's medical is about to expire. So you want to have that and ongoing training. We already mentioned that. You should be training your drivers, uh, one as required, um, on an ongoing basis. The ministry, uh, encourages that, transportation ministry, but also things like health and safety associations and the labor board. They all tell you, you've got to, you've got to train your employees on a regular and ongoing basis. So annual review is also a really good idea or Basically, it's required. You want to make sure that the driver still meets your requirements for driving a commercial truck in your fleet. Um, and you also want a recall system. And the recall system should be things like when the driver's license expires, when the driver's medical expires, uh, driver abstracts. You need to get them at least once a year. Things like that. Um, so review the driver abstracts. It is required to get them once a year. However, it is strongly urged that you get them much more frequently, such as 90 days, uh, to make sure that the driver is qualified, has the right class of license to operate the vehicles that you are asking that driver to operate. Um, and then review the carrier profile, the provincial profile, or in Ontario called the CVOR profile. Uh, Every one to six months, depending on your fleet size. I, that's what the ministry says. I really believe every fleet should be checking their carrier profile once a month to see what is on it. So, if you want a copy of the Safety Dawg Canadian Truck Driver Checklist, And this will help you organize your truck driver files. Then text me, um, text me the word DQ checklist. All right. Um, and I will send you a truck driver file, Canadian file checklist. So text that to 365 364 0714. Again, text the word, or the words, DQ Checklist, so that's two words, to 365 364 1. 0714 and I'll send to you my checklist to help you keep your driver files organized. All right, I'm Chris Harris. I'm Safety Dawg and I'm based here in Ontario, so I know something about CVOR and National Safety Code. All the best. See you in the next training.