What is a CVOR abstract?
A CVOR abstract is a summary of a carrier’s or a driver’s safety performance: collisions, convictions and inspections. There are three kinds. The CVOR Abstract (Level 1) and the CVOR Abstract (Level 2) report on a carrier. The CVOR Driver Abstract reports on one driver.
CVOR stands for Commercial Vehicle Operator’s Registration, the system that tracks the safety performance of truck and bus operations in Ontario. Vehicles plated in Ontario, the United States or Mexico need a valid CVOR certificate if they are trucks with a registered gross weight or actual weight over 4,500 kg, buses with seating for 10 or more passengers, tow trucks, concrete pumps or on-road mobile cranes. Trucks and buses plated in another province or territory carry that jurisdiction’s safety certificate instead.
The certificate holder is called the operator or, more often, the carrier. It is responsible for running the vehicles, including the conduct of its drivers, hiring qualified licensed drivers and monitoring their safety performance. Company drivers drive under their carrier’s certificate. If you run your own trucking operation, the certificate is yours.
What is a CVOR Level 1 abstract?
A CVOR Level 1 abstract is a one-page summary of a carrier’s safety record over a 24-month period. It is available to the general public, so it is how an outsider gets a quick read on a trucking or bus company.
You see totals, ratings and rates, but no detail on any single event.
What a Level 1 abstract shows
- Company name and address, operating licence number and operator type
- CVOR status, original certificate issue date and dangerous goods status
- Fleet size, commodity hauled and kilometres travelled, in total and in Ontario
- The carrier's Ontario Safety Rating, threshold and violation rate
- Counts of collisions, convictions and inspections
- Facility audits and ministry interventions within the previous 2 years
What it does not show
- An event-by-event list with offence descriptions (that is Level 2)
- Any one driver's licence status, class or medical due date
- Events outside its 24-month window
The line with the most riding on it is the safety rating. Every operator holds one of four, and the rating is public.
- SatisfactoryThe top rating
- Satisfactory-unauditedSatisfactory standing, unaudited
- ConditionalA rating worth asking the carrier about
- UnsatisfactoryOperating privileges suspended or cancelled throughout Canada
A Level 1 abstract does not name drivers. Convictions and inspections from your time under a carrier’s certificate only add to that carrier’s counts. The record that lists your own driving is the CVOR Driver Abstract.
What is a CVOR Level 2 abstract?
A CVOR Level 2 abstract is a carrier’s detailed record: a 24-month safety performance summary plus a chronological list of every collision, conviction and inspection entered on the carrier’s record over the past five years. Only the carrier, or an agent it authorizes, can get it.
Each event is listed with the points assigned and a description of the offence, so the carrier can go through its own record line by line and confirm every entry is accurate.
What lands on it comes from the whole operation: reportable collisions, convictions against the operator or any driver operating under its certificate, and every inspection of its fleet, with or without defects.
Can you get a CVOR Level 2 abstract online?
No. A Level 2 abstract is never shown on screen or offered as a download. It is mailed to the carrier’s address on file, about 15 days after the order is received.
Separately, a carrier can review its own CVOR record online, including its safety performance summary and details of all its collisions, convictions and inspections. That is a look at the record, not the Level 2 abstract itself.
What is the CVOR Driver Abstract?
The CVOR Driver Abstract is the only CVOR abstract about a driver. It covers up to five years of one driver’s commercial driving in Ontario: convictions for safety-related offences, inspections, and collisions linked to a safety-related conviction, plus licence status and medical due date. It is available to the general public.
The record is tied to your Ontario-issued driver’s licence, so it follows you from carrier to carrier.
It shows your licence number, name, class, conditions, expiry date, status and medical due date, plus a description of each event. A collision is listed only when it is linked to a safety-related conviction of yours. The record covers only time spent operating commercial vehicles in Ontario, so a conviction from your own car is not on it. That belongs on your 3-year driver record.
Check the medical due date every time. Class A to F licence holders file a medical report every five years until age 46, every three years from 46 to 64 and every year from 65. If the report is not received by the due date, the licence is downgraded to Class G.
This is the CVOR record we deliver. Order your Ontario CVOR Driver Abstract with your licence number, for $39.99, paid once, and the PDF arrives in your inbox instantly after payment. The guide on how to read a CVOR Driver Abstract explains each line, and how to get a CVOR abstract lists what to have ready.
CVOR Level 1 vs Level 2 vs CVOR Driver Abstract: how do they compare?
They differ in who each record is about, how far back it goes and who is allowed to get it.
| Record | About | Period covered | What it contains | Who can get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVOR Abstract (Level 1) | A carrier | 24 months | One-page summary: safety rating, violation rate, fleet size, kilometres and counts of collisions, convictions and inspections | The general public |
| CVOR Abstract (Level 2) | A carrier | 24-month summary plus up to 5 years of events | Every collision, conviction and inspection in date order, with points assigned and offence descriptions | The carrier only, or its authorized agent |
| CVOR Driver Abstract | One driver | Up to 5 years | Licence class, conditions, status, expiry and medical due date, plus convictions, inspections and collisions linked to a safety-related conviction, from commercial driving in Ontario | The general public |
| 3-year driver record | One driver | 3 years | Demerit point total, Highway Traffic Act and Criminal Code convictions, suspensions and reinstatements, in any vehicle | Anyone with the driver's licence number |
Or work back from the question you need answered.
| The question | The record that answers it |
|---|---|
| What safety rating does this carrier hold? | CVOR Level 1 (public) |
| Which collisions, convictions and inspections are on our carrier record, and are they right? | CVOR Level 2 (carrier only) |
| Has this driver had convictions or inspections in a commercial vehicle in Ontario? | CVOR Driver Abstract |
| When is this driver's commercial medical due? | CVOR Driver Abstract |
| How many demerit points does this driver have right now? | 3-year driver record |
| Any Criminal Code driving convictions or suspensions in the past 3 years? | 3-year driver record |
Which CVOR abstract does a driver applying to a carrier need?
The CVOR Driver Abstract. Level 1 and Level 2 are about the carrier’s own registration, so neither can stand in for a record of your driving.
Some carriers also ask for your 3-year driver record, because it shows your demerit point total and convictions in any vehicle, including your own car. The CVOR Driver Abstract has no point total. When a request just says “send your abstract”, sending both saves a round of emails. Your 3-year Ontario driving record arrives the same way, instantly by email.
Company driver applying to a carrier
- The CVOR Driver Abstract, for your commercial driving in Ontario
- Often the 3-year driver record as well
- A look at your own copy first, medical due date included
Owner-operator with your own CVOR
- As the carrier, your operation has its own Level 1 and Level 2 record
- As the driver, your CVOR Driver Abstract covers you personally
- Send whichever matches the request: the business, or you
Fleet or safety manager hiring
- A current CVOR Driver Abstract, or a signed release to obtain it
- Their 3-year driver record for demerit points and personal driving
- A fresh copy at least once a year after hiring
Sizing up a carrier you might hire
- The Level 1 abstract, which is public
- Its safety rating and violation rate
- Counts of collisions, convictions and inspections
For what else carriers look at, see drivers abstracts for truck drivers. The CVOR abstract vs driver abstract guide compares the two driver records in more depth.
What do carriers do with a driver’s records?
They check your abstract when they hire you and at least once a year after that. That is what MTO’s safety manual for commercial operators tells them to do.
The reason is that your record feeds theirs. A conviction you pick up while driving under a carrier’s certificate also goes on that carrier’s CVOR record, and it stays there for five years from the date of the offence.
At hiring
The carrier should get your abstract, either as a current copy from you or through a release you sign. Driver abstracts in a carrier's files are scored in a facility audit.
Every year after
The carrier should get a fresh abstract and review it to decide if you are still fit to drive for them.
After a conviction, collision or inspection
Convictions, reportable collisions and inspections are recorded on the carrier's CVOR record, which the ministry monitors along with its violation rate and safety rating.
When the carrier record slips
Poor safety performance can bring disciplinary letters, interviews, audits, fleet size limits, plate seizure, and suspension or cancellation of operating privileges.
Reading yours first means nothing on it comes up for the first time in an interview or a review. Employers setting up a process can start with drivers abstracts for employers.
Is a CVOR Level 1 abstract the same as a Level 1 inspection?
No. The level on an abstract tells you how much of a carrier’s record it contains. The level on an inspection tells you what a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) safety inspection covered.
| Term | What the level describes | Range |
|---|---|---|
| CVOR Abstract Level 1 or Level 2 | How much of a carrier's record the abstract contains | Level 1 (24-month summary) or Level 2 (summary plus five years of events) |
| CVSA inspection Level 1 to Level 5 | What a CVSA safety inspection covered | Level 1 (full examination of vehicle and driver) to Level 5 (vehicle only, without the driver) |
Inspections of every level done anywhere in Canada appear on a carrier abstract. That includes passed inspections as well as those with defects or out-of-service defects.
Inspections done in Ontario while you were driving a commercial vehicle appear on your CVOR Driver Abstract, so that is the record that shows a carrier your inspection history. Your Ontario drivers abstract covers the rest: your demerit point total and convictions from any vehicle.
Frequently asked questions
Can a truck driver get a CVOR Level 2 abstract?
Not for a company you drive for. A Level 2 abstract goes only to the carrier or an agent it authorizes, so an owner-operator with their own CVOR can get one for their own operation. A company driver who wants their own commercial history needs the CVOR Driver Abstract, which is available to the general public.
Can I check a carrier's safety rating before I take a job there?
Yes. Safety ratings are public, and a carrier's rating appears on its Level 1 abstract along with its violation rate and counts of collisions, convictions and inspections. An Unsatisfactory rating means its operating privileges are suspended or cancelled throughout Canada.
Will my carrier see tickets from my personal car?
Not on your CVOR Driver Abstract, which covers only your time driving commercial vehicles in Ontario. A conviction from your own car does show on your 3-year driver record, and some carriers ask for that record too.
Does a ticket in a company truck go on the carrier's CVOR record?
If the truck is operated under the carrier's CVOR and the ticket ends in a conviction, yes. A carrier's CVOR record includes convictions against the operator or any driver operating under its certificate, and each item stays there for five years from the date of the offence. An Ontario conviction in a commercial vehicle also belongs on your own CVOR Driver Abstract.
Do I need my carrier's CVOR number to get my own CVOR abstract?
No. The CVOR Driver Abstract is tied to your Ontario driver's licence, so your licence number is what identifies it. You do not need the carrier's details or permission.
Does a CVOR Driver Abstract show my demerit points?
No. It lists your licence details and your commercial convictions, inspections and qualifying collisions, but no demerit point total. Your point total is on the 3-year driver record, which is why some carriers ask for both.
How quickly can I get my CVOR Driver Abstract?
It costs $39.99, paid once. Fill in one short form with your Ontario licence number and the PDF arrives by email instantly after payment. Occasional delays can occur.
Sources: The CVOR certificate requirement, the vehicles it covers and the four safety ratings follow the Ministry of Transportation’s description of the CVOR program. Descriptions of the CVOR Driver Abstract and the Level 1 and Level 2 abstracts, and of online carrier record review, follow MTO’s own product descriptions. Carrier monitoring, CVSA inspection levels and the collision rule on the CVOR Driver Abstract follow MTO’s Commercial Vehicle Operators’ Safety Manual, five-year retention on carrier records follows the MTO Truck Handbook, and medical report intervals follow Ontario’s medical standards for commercial drivers.