Driving Record Abstracts: Should Your Company Be Requesting Them?

According to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, when driving “is an essential duty of the job,” an employer can request driving record abstracts and may refuse an applicant for a poor record. The Insurance Board of Canada recognizes vehicle collisions as “the greatest potential source of loss for many businesses.”

Business owners are generally responsible for the negligence of employees when they operate a vehicle on behalf of the organization. When hiring for jobs that require commercial drivers or the use of a company vehicle, requesting driving record abstracts can help an employer see the driving behavior of candidates and whether they are a safe and responsible driver.

Three-year driving record abstracts are the most requested by employers in Ontario. They include driver identification details, a history of demerit points, active fine suspensions, Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code of Canada convictions, suspensions, and reinstatements over the past three years.

Forty-four per cent of driving record abstracts have red flags. Several industries in particular would benefit from due diligence.

Public Transit

Public transportation services like buses, metro, and trains are beholden to public safety. An accident caused by a public transportation driver would damage the service’s reputation among citizens. Public transit services need to be thorough in hiring drivers. For example, to drive a school bus in Ontario, you must have fewer than six demerit points on your driving record.

Transport Truck Companies

Employers must trust their truck drivers to be safe and competent during their long drives across the country to ensure the safety of other drivers and to protect the goods they’re carrying.

All National Safety Code (NSC) employers must have a driver’s abstract onboard prior to offering any employment for NSC duties. The employer must obtain and review a new abstract from each employee annually. All traffic violations are recorded on the drivers’ abstracts and as a result can reflect poorly on the employer.

Independent Contractors

In today’s gig economy, some companies may use independent contractors as drivers with the expectation they can mitigate liability, but the line between employee and contractor is becoming increasingly grey.

Hiring independent contractors without checking their driving record abstracts is an unnecessary risk. In case of an accident, even if the employer isn’t found legally liable, it would still reflect poorly to have hired a poor driver.

You want dependable employees whom you can trust to deliver your products, transport your clients, and represent your business. With Triton’s driver’s abstracts, you can make smarter hiring decisions to hire better-qualified staff, increase workplace safety, and reduce organizational turnover.

Triton offers industry-leading turnaround times for driving record abstracts. If you would like to learn more, our friendly experts will be happy to help answer any questions you have. You can reach us by phone at 1-855-790-7516, by email at customerservice@tritoncanada.ca, or at our website.