The Value in a Clean Commercial Driver Abstract

If you’re a professional truck driver in Canada, you’re likely aware that you have a thing called a “commercial driver abstract” (CDA). Companies should be requesting a copy of any new driver’s CDA, and continue to check them regularly as a driver continues to work for them.

For those not aware, though, a CDA is a document that generally contains:

• Basic information to identify you, like a name and license number
• Condition codes related to your license, like an air brakes endorsement or medical code
• A list of any convictions (i.e., tickets you’ve received and then paid) related to driving
• A record of any license suspensions
• A list of inspections by Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) officers
• Traffic collisions

The reason why we wrote the above list as things a CDA generally contains is because CDAs can look different between provinces. For example, Alberta CDAs do not contain traffic collision information [2], whereas a CDA from Nova Scotia does [9].

The next sections will discuss CDAs in more detail.

Personal versus Commercial Abstracts

All drivers have a driver abstract and, generally, a commercial one. If someone hasn’t driven commercially, their CDA won’t contain commercial-specific information unless they were caught breaking a commercial rule while doing what they believed was personal driving.

The biggest difference between a personal driver abstract (PDA) and CDA is the information it contains. While it varies between provinces, commercial-specific violations related to commercial regulations (like an overweight ticket) and CVSA inspections won’t show up on a PDA. However, all convictions/suspensions on a PDA will show up on a CDA, which is why it’s important for professional drivers to also drive professionally in their personal vehicles; a personal speeding ticket may impact your employment!

Another big difference is that a CDA generally doesn’t contain specific demographic information like a PDA does. This is to reduce bias during hiring as companies review CDAs with applications and resumes.

Accessing Your CDA

As mentioned above, each province manages its own PDAs and CDAs. Therefore, you’ll need to contact the province from which your license is issued to get your abstract.

We’ve compiled a list of websites for each province related to this topic. See the References section for this list.

Appealing Incorrect Information

What do you do if you believe there is incorrect information on your abstract? While rare, errors occur.
Contact the provincial department that issues abstracts to ask about the appeal process for getting incorrect information removed from your abstract. See the References section for a list of links for each province.

Why You Need a Clean CDA

Now that we’ve discussed CDAs, let’s talk about why it’s important to keep them clean. When we say “clean”, we mean free from tickets, collisions, suspensions, negative CVSA inspection results, and anything else that indicates unsafe/noncompliant driving behaviors.

As a truck driver, your CDA is vitally important. Carriers will use it to decide if they will hire you. Insurance companies, both at carriers and for your own, personal automotive insurance, will use abstracts to decide on insurance premiums.

In short, your career is greatly impacted by the quality of your CDA. Too much negative information on your CDA and it can be impossible to get the jobs you want. Furthermore, if you get a few tickets with a carrier, you may find yourself stuck working for them if your CDA prevents you from being hired elsewhere.

Therefore, protect your CDA! Understand the safety rules that apply to you, do thorough vehicle inspections and seek service when needed, and practice safe driving behaviors.

Most importantly, though, ask for help! There’s a lot to know when it comes to professional driving and no one knows it all, so always reach out for help to prevent getting into collisions, getting tickets, and failing CVSA inspections. A clean CDA is something to be proud of!

References

As mentioned in this article, each province has their own program for commercial driver abstracts. Here are the relevant links for each province:

1. British Columbia: https://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/Your-driving-record
2. Alberta: https://www.alberta.ca/commercial-driver-abstract
3. Saskatchewan: https://sgi.sk.ca/driver-records-abstracts
4. Manitoba: https://residents.gov.mb.ca/reference.html?d=details&program_id=309
5. Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/get-driving-record
6. Quebec: https://saaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/drivers-licences/driving-record-request
7. New Brunswick: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/services/services_renderer.200564.Driver_Records.html
8. Prince Edward Island: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/service/request-driver-abstract
9. Nova Scotia: https://novascotia.ca/sns/rmv/licence/abstracts.asp
10. Newfoundland and Labrador: https://www.gov.nl.ca/motorregistration/commercial-vehicles-and-drivers/request-driver-record-abstract/