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Your company completed all the necessary screening before hiring a commercial driver.
A year later, do you know what’s changed?
A driver’s licence status can change. New traffic convictions or licence suspensions can occur. In some cases, an employee’s criminal record may also change after they’ve been hired. Yet many transportation companies continue relying on screening completed months or even years earlier.
At the same time, the transportation industry continues to face significant hiring challenges. Trucking HR Canada’s Labour Market Outlook 2024–2030 projects that the industry will need to recruit more than 40,400 new truck drivers by 2030 to keep pace with demand and replace retiring workers. As fleets work to hire qualified drivers quickly, maintaining a consistent and efficient screening process becomes increasingly important.
That’s why many Canadian trucking companies use both a driver’s abstract and a criminal record check as part of their hiring process. While each serves a different purpose, together they provide a more complete picture of driver risk.
Here’s what transportation employers need to know.
Quick answer: In many cases, yes.
A driver’s abstract and a criminal record check are not interchangeable. Each provides different information that can help employers make informed hiring decisions.
A driver’s abstract focuses on an individual’s driving history, while a criminal record check provides information about criminal convictions, depending on the type of check requested.
For many transportation employers, using both checks helps support hiring decisions, customer requirements, insurance expectations, and broader risk management practices.
The exact screening requirements will depend on factors such as:
A driver’s abstract and a criminal record check are both used in transportation screening, but they are not interchangeable.
The key difference is simple:
A driver’s abstract tells you how someone has driven.
A criminal record check provides information about criminal history that may be relevant to employment.
Neither replaces the other, which is why many transportation companies incorporate both into their hiring process.
Quick answer: Most trucking companies should consider using both a driver’s abstract and a criminal record check as part of their driver screening process. The exact requirements will depend on the province, type of vehicle, cargo, route, insurance requirements, client contracts, and internal company policy.
For example, a company hiring local delivery drivers may focus on licence status, driving history, and basic employment screening. A company hiring long-haul drivers, cross-border drivers, or drivers transporting high-value goods may need a more detailed screening process.
Transportation employers should consider:
In practice, a driver’s abstract is often treated as a transportation-specific requirement, while a criminal record check is used as part of broader employment screening.
Yes. Driver screening and abstract requirements can vary by province and territory. Commercial transportation is shaped by both federal safety frameworks and provincial or territorial licensing rules, so employers should confirm the requirements that apply in each jurisdiction where they operate.
Driver screening requirements vary by province and territory. Commercial transportation employers should review the licensing, abstract, and carrier safety requirements that apply in the jurisdictions where they operate. While the terminology and available records may differ, employers should not assume that a driver’s abstract and criminal record check serve the same purpose.
Because requirements change and can vary by operation, transportation companies should review provincial rules and consult qualified compliance or legal advisors when building formal policies.
Hiring is only the beginning of the employee lifecycle.
A driver who met every hiring requirement on their first day may experience changes later, including licence suspensions, new driving convictions, or other circumstances that affect their role.
Without a consistent re-screening process, these changes may not be identified until after an incident occurs.
Many transportation companies choose to include ongoing screening as part of their workforce risk management strategy.
This may include:
As fleets grow, managing these requirements manually becomes increasingly difficult. A standardized screening program helps organizations stay organized, reduce administrative effort, and maintain consistency across locations and hiring teams.
A compliant driver screening program should be clear, consistent, and easy to apply across locations, recruiters, hiring managers, and fleet teams.
Here is a practical framework transportation employers can use.
Start by identifying which positions require a driver’s abstract, criminal record check, or both.
Different roles may require different levels of screening. A blanket approach may be too broad, while an inconsistent approach may create operational and compliance risk.
A driver’s abstract and a criminal record check should be evaluated separately because they measure different risks.
Driving risk may relate to licensing, traffic convictions, suspensions, or safety performance.
Criminal record risk may relate to role suitability, trust, security, and workplace safety.
By separating the two, employers can make more accurate and fair hiring decisions.
A screening policy should clearly state how often checks are renewed.
For example:
This creates consistency and helps hiring teams avoid one-off decisions.
Employers should collect proper consent before conducting background checks and should only collect information that is relevant to the role.
Screening information should be handled securely and retained according to applicable privacy obligations and internal policies.
This is especially important when handling criminal record information, which can be sensitive and must be managed carefully.
Transportation hiring often moves quickly. If screening takes too long, qualified drivers may accept another offer before onboarding is complete.
A strong screening provider should support:
For trucking companies, speed and compliance should work together. A faster process should not come at the expense of accuracy, privacy, or consistency.
Building a consistent driver screening program shouldn’t slow down hiring.
Triton helps transportation employers complete secure digital criminal record checks through an online platform designed to support faster hiring and standardized screening workflows.
Transportation companies use Triton to help:
Whether you’re hiring a handful of commercial drivers or managing a national fleet, Triton helps organizations streamline criminal record screening while supporting a more consistent hiring process.
Learn how Triton’s background screening solutions can help your transportation organization build a faster, more consistent driver screening program.
No. A driver’s abstract shows driving history and licence information, while a criminal record check provides criminal record information. Many trucking companies use both because they assess different risks.
Many do, particularly for safety-sensitive roles, high-value cargo, customer sites, or cross-border routes. Requirements vary by employer and role.
A driver’s abstract typically includes licence status, licence class, demerit points, suspensions, and driving-related convictions. The information available varies by province or territory.
Many fleets review driver’s abstracts before hiring and then annually. Additional checks may be completed after incidents, licence changes, or other policy triggers.
Some employers complete periodic criminal record re-checks based on company policy, role risk, or customer requirements.
No. Requirements and available driver’s abstracts vary by province and territory. Employers should follow the rules that apply where they operate.
Many transportation companies use a combination of driver’s abstracts, criminal record checks, licence verification, employment verification, and other role-specific screening based on the position.
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Please complete the form below and a member of our sales team will reach out to you within 1 business day. In the meantime, if you need to reach us urgently, you can also call us at 1 844-874-8667.
Complete the form below to start the online account set-up sequence. Note you will need to have complete information for your company, billing department and intended users.
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