Carrier Safety Ratings
Summary of changes to CVOR – effective April 2, 2007
Background Information
Ontario has had a Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) system in place since October 1986 and has safety rated carriers operating in (or through) Ontario since 1999. These programs were developed through extensive consultations with Ontario truck and bus industry stakeholders.
Since July of 1989, until December 31 2005, all carriers that operated commercial motor vehicles in Ontario (over 4,500 kg RGW or gross weight and buses designed to carry 10 or more passengers) were required to register and obtain a CVOR certificate. This requirement applied regardless of where the carrier's vehicles were registered. Event data that includes collisions, convictions, CVSA vehicle inspections and facility audit results was used to monitor the on-road safety performance of the carrier's commercial motor vehicle fleet as well as the carrier's compliance with highway safety legislation and regulations.
The Federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act
On January 1, 2006, amendments to the federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act came into force. These amendments required that all provinces cease from safety rating and issuing safety fitness certificates to extra-provincial truck and bus undertakings that are base-plated in other Canadian jurisdictions. The intent is that each province will register, safety rate and monitor the on-road safety performance of only its "own" carriers. Monitoring of carriers will be done utilizing event data (accidents, convictions and CVSA inspections) collected by all Canadian jurisdictions and sent to the carrier's base jurisdiction through the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) data exchange system. Since the data exchange system is limited to events occurring in Canada associated with Canadian carriers only, Ontario will continue to monitor USA-plated carriers based on Ontario event exposure only.
In order to comply with these federal requirements, Ontario made significant changes to the CVOR system on January 1 2006 and will make more changes effective April 2, 2007.
On January 1, 2006 Ontario:
- stopped requiring operators base-plated in other Canadian jurisdictions from having to register under Ontario's CVOR program,
- stopped safety rating these same operators, and
- now recognizes safety fitness certificates and safety ratings issued by other Canadian jurisdictions, in lieu of requiring an Ontario CVOR certificate and safety rating.
Building on these initiatives of Transport Canada, all provinces and territories agreed to "harmonize" their carrier safety rating and facility audit programs. As a result, significant program revisions have been made.
Changes effective April 2, 2007
The Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has modernized Ontario's CVOR, carrier safety rating and facility audit programs. On April 2, 2007 a new intervention model will come into effect. In developing the new model, MTO conducted substantial research analysing events that occurred over the past five years and comparing them with future collisions. The results of the MTO study were compared to a similar study conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute.
The ATRI study had similar conclusions as the MTO findings. The result is a predictive model that identifies those types of past events that best predict future collisions. Consequently, the new intervention process can be characterized as "proactive and predictive" compared to the current "rehabilitative" system.
The new model includes the following features.
- The new CVOR model will replace "adjusted fleet size" with "kilometric travel in Canada" as the basis for assessing each carrier's relative exposure to on-highway risk.
- A carrier's safety record will now include event data collected throughout Canada.
- All levels of CVSA inspections will be used in determining the carrier's violation rate and safety rating.
- Ontario will continue to point only those collisions that indicate impropriety (at fault) on the part of the carrier and/or driver.
- Point values assessed for convictions have been revised to align better with the relative likelihood of those types of offences that lead to future collisions and also to be more consistent with those point values assigned by other Canadian jurisdictions.
- The intervention model (i.e. violation rate thresholds) has been re-calibrated to incorporate the new data and pointing methodologies.
- Carrier and CVOR Drivers abstracts will have a new look that incorporates all the new information.
The "road to change" will be a smooth one which will see the new model move forward from April 2, 2007 and will continue to apply the old set of rules for events prior to April 2, 2007. This "BLENDED" method applies a sliding 2-year window, where the old rules apply to the first portion of the 2-year period that took place before April 2, 2007 and the new rules to the second portion that takes place afterwards. The two violation rates are then "blended" in proportion to the amount of time associated with each period. Eventually, after two years, the entire violation rate will be based on the new set of rules and the road to change is complete.
For more information contact:
Carrier Sanctions & Investigations Office
301 St. Paul Street, 3rd Floor
St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 7R4
Phone: 416-246-7166 or 1-800-387-7736 (in Ontario)
Questions and Answers
- What are Carrier Safety Ratings?
- Why is MTO introducing a Carrier Safety Rating (CSR) Program?
- What is the legal authority for issuing Carrier Safety Ratings?
- What are the safety ratings?
- What is a carrier's "safety record"?
- What is a facility audit?
- Do facility audits expire?
- What may the Registrar consider in assigning a safety rating to a carrier?
- How can a carrier achieve a good safety rating?
- When might the Registrar propose that a carrier be rated Conditional?
- What rating would normally be proposed for a carrier that exceeds its Overall CVOR Threshold?
- What rating is proposed for a new carrier?
- How can carriers dispute proposed Carrier Safety Ratings?
- How will Carrier Safety Ratings be communicated to the public?
- Where can a carrier get further information on Carrier Safety Ratings?
What are Carrier Safety Ratings?
A "carrier safety rating" is a public label issued by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles (Registrar) to operators of commercial motor vehicles using Ontario roadways. Ratings are assigned to both truck and bus operators (carriers), including operators based outside of Ontario. These ratings will publicly identify the on and off-road safety performance of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators.
The Registrar will issue one of five ratings to a carrier. The carrier safety ratings that are issued will include information contained in the carrier's safety record (e.g. accidents, convictions, vehicle inspections, and available facility audits of compliance with road safety legislation). The content of a carrier's safety record and the description of each safety rating are contained in O.Reg. 424/97, pursuant to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) (See Appendix B).
Why is MTO introducing a Carrier Safety Rating (CSR) Program?
The Carrier Safety Rating Program is part of MTO's comprehensive road safety plan to improve safety on Ontario's roadways. Improving the safety of all commercial vehicles and drivers is expected to reduce fatalities and injuries and the economic costs associated with collisions. Carrier safety ratings will provide information on carrier safety performance to shippers, insurance companies, financial institutions and the public, helping them to make more informed marketplace decisions.
Carrier safety ratings will also enhance the marketability and economic competitiveness of safe Ontario carriers by enabling carriers to promote their public safety rating to potential customers and insurance companies. Carriers with poor safety records will be publicly identified and motivated to improve their safety performance and may be subject to MTO intervention or sanction.
Carrier safety ratings are implemented consistent with Standard #14 of the National Safety Code. Implementation of Ontario's Carrier Safety Rating Program will ensure Ontario carriers benefit from access to this nationally consistent safety rating program.
What is the legal authority for issuing Carrier Safety Ratings?
The legal authority to issue carrier safety ratings was established by the addition of Section 17.1 (1) and Section 22 to the Highway Traffic Act (See Appendix B). Subsequently, O.Reg. 424/97 was amended to describe carrier safety ratings and the safety rating program.
What are the safety ratings?
One of the following five safety ratings may be proposed for a carrier:
- Excellent
- Satisfactory
- Satisfactory-Unaudited
- Conditional
- Unsatisfactory
What is a carrier's "safety record"?
A carrier's safety record largely consists of information from the carrier's CVOR record and available audits of the carrier's facilities. This includes information regarding accidents, convictions, inspections, audits, interventions, sanctions and other relevant information. The full details of the contents of the safety record are outlined in Sections 5(1) and 5(2) of O.Reg. 424/97 (See Appendix B).
What is a facility audit?
The facility audit is an important component of the MTO's highway safety program. The facility audit complements the on-highway enforcement program and provides the carrier with an educational opportunity to increase its awareness of its highway safety responsibilities.
During a facility audit, Ministry personnel will examine carrier records and documentation related to various National Safety Code components to create a profile of the carrier's safety performance. A physical inspection of vehicles may also play a major role in the audit if insufficient roadside inspections have been done to generate an acceptable random sample of vehicles. Other information may also be reviewed during an audit i.e. Canadian Agreement on Vehicle Registration (CAVR) records, payment of fees/fines and compliance with operating licences, etc.
At the conclusion of a Ministry audit, scores will be assigned that reflect the carrier's safety performance and practices. The audit and scoring will be discussed with the Chief Executive Officer or senior official of the company.
Charges may also be laid as a result of the audit and could result in conviction points on the carrier's CVOR Record. If a carrier fails an audit, the Registrar will propose that the carrier be assigned a Conditional safety rating. If a Conditional rating is assigned, the carrier will remain at that rating for a minimum of six months.
A carrier that is rated Conditional due to a failed audit score must pass another audit to be proposed for an improved safety rating. Carriers that need to improve their audit score to move up in rating may wish to apply to the ministry for a voluntary audit, but must wait six months to do so. A score of less than 55% on either of the driver or vehicle components of the facility audit constitutes a failure. A score of greater than 80% on both the driver and vehicle profiles of a facility audit is deemed to be an Excellent audit.
A carrier can request an audit to improve its safety rating. Carriers may also request a copy of "Your Guide to MTO's Facility Audit", a self-audit guide intended to assist them in preparing for a Ministry enforcement audit. This manual may be obtained by calling 416-246-7166 or 1-800-387-7736 within Ontario. Requests may also be faxed to 905-704-2467.
Do facility audits expire?
Facility audits are eligible for consideration in determining a safety rating under the following circumstances:
- Any facility audit completed after January 1, 1999, in which the carrier achieved at least 55% on both the driver and vehicle profiles of the audit.
- Any facility audit completed after June 1, 1999, in which the carrier failed to achieve at least 55% on both the driver and vehicle profiles of the audit.
- Facility audits will not be considered for an upgrade to a Satisfactory or Excellent safety rating, if the audit was completed more than 36 months ago.
What may the Registrar consider in assigning a safety rating to a carrier?
The Registrar may also consider information other than that contained in the carrier's safety record if it is relevant to the assignment of a safety rating, including the safety record of a person related to the carrier (operator).
Please refer to Section 16 of O.Reg. 424/97 in Appendix B for further details.
How can a carrier achieve a good safety rating?
One of three safety ratings will normally be proposed for a carrier with good safety performance. Carriers with an acceptable facility audit may be eligible for an Excellent or Satisfactory safety rating. Carriers that have not been audited will be rated only on the basis of their CVOR violation rate. The highest rating a carrier without an audit may receive is Satisfactory-Unaudited. Figure 1 illustrates how the percentage of overall CVOR threshold (and the facility audit score where applicable) will determine the eligibility of carriers for these safety rating categories.
Excellent Safety Rating:
A carrier would normally be eligible for an Excellent safety rating if:
- The carrier has at least 24 months of demonstrated operation in Ontario,
- The carrier maintains an overall violation rate of 10% or less of overall threshold,
- The carrier also maintains an accident violation rate of 10% or less of the accident threshold, and
- The carrier has been audited and achieved scores of at least 80% on both the driver and vehicle profiles of a facility audit.
Satisfactory Safety Rating:
A carrier would normally be eligible for a Satisfactory safety rating if:
- The carrier has at least six months of demonstrated operation in Ontario,
- The carrier maintains an on-road performance level of 65% or less of its overall CVOR threshold, and
- The carrier has been audited and the facility audit score is 55% or better on each of the driver and vehicle profiles.
Satisfactory-Unaudited Safety Rating:
A carrier that has not been audited would normally receive a Satisfactory-Unaudited safety rating provided it maintains an on-road performance level of 65% or less of its overall CVOR threshold.
When might the Registrar propose that a carrier be rated Conditional?
A carrier may be considered for a Conditional safety rating if any of the following circumstances occur:
- If the carrier's on-road performance level exceeds 65% of its overall CVOR threshold.
- If the carrier does not achieve at least 55% in each of the driver and vehicle profiles of a facility audit.
- Upon the expiry of a suspension or plate seizure.
- If a person or company related to/affiliated with the carrier has an on-road performance level that exceeds 65% of its overall CVOR threshold or does not achieve at least 55% in each of the driver or vehicle profiles of a facility audit.
All Conditional ratings are in effect for a minimum of six months, except when a carrier rating is proposed for a rating downgrade from Conditional to Unsatisfactory. When such a rating downgrade is proposed there are no minimum time requirements. During this time the carrier is expected to identify and improve the components of its safety performance which resulted in the assignment of the Conditional rating. Following the six-month Conditional period, the Registrar may propose a rating based on the performance of the carrier at that time.
A carrier may also be assigned a Conditional rating as the result of a failed audit. In this case, the carrier cannot improve its rating until six months has elapsed since the date of the Conditional rating assignment and the carrier passes a subsequent audit.
Figure 1
Carrier Safety Ratings and Normal
Performance Levels
| AUDIT SCORE | ON-ROAD
PERFORMANCE (Percentage of CVOR Threshold) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 * | >10 to 65 | >65% to 100 | >100 ** | |
| 80% to 100% | Excellent | Satisfactory | Conditional | Unsatisfactory |
| 55% to < 80% | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Conditional | Unsatisfactory |
| 0 to < 55% | Conditional | Conditional | Conditional | Unsatisfactory |
| No Audit | Satisfactory- Unaudited | Satisfactory- Unaudited | Conditional | Unsatisfactory |
Notes:
* To be eligible for an Excellent
safety rating, the carrier would not normally exceed 10 % of its Overall CVOR
Threshold and not exceed 10 % of its Accident Threshold.
** A
carrier is rated Unsatisfactory for the duration of a plate seizure, suspension
or cancellation.
What rating would normally be proposed for a carrier that exceeds it's Overall CVOR Threshold?
The CVOR system monitors a carrier's safety record and brings to the Registrar's attention any carrier whose overall violation rate exceeds its overall threshold level. A carrier whose violation rate exceeds this threshold would normally be considered for sanction such as plate seizure, suspension or cancellation.
The carrier would also be considered for an Unsatisfactory safety rating. The Registrar would propose that the carrier's rating be Conditional until such time as the sanction takes effect and Unsatisfactory for the duration of the sanction. Upon the completion of the sanction period a Conditional rating will automatically apply and no rating higher than Conditional will be assigned following the sanction until at least 6 months has elapsed. The Registrar may, however, during the Conditional period following sanction, propose an Unsatisfactory rating where applicable, even though 6 months has not yet past.
What rating is proposed for a new carrier?
When a carrier applies for a CVOR, a Satisfactory-Unaudited rating is immediately proposed. The new carrier is un-rated for the first 40 days of operation while the rating is proposed and until the rating comes into effect. After six months of operation, the safety rating system automatically triggers an analysis of the carrier's safety record, and a new rating is proposed if the carrier no longer fits the Satisfactory-Unaudited profile.
Most carriers will remain Satisfactory-Unaudited for the first six months of operation. However, a carrier's safety rating may drop to Conditional or Unsatisfactory due to an accumulation of points on the CVOR record or a failed audit. Lower safety ratings will be proposed when warranted.
How can carriers dispute proposed Carrier Safety Ratings?
A carrier has the right to send to the Registrar a written dispute of its proposed safety rating to the address indicated on the safety rating letter. The written dispute may include records as well as written submissions. Such a written dispute must be submitted to the Registrar within 30 days of being notified of the proposed safety rating.
After considering all submissions and records contained in the written dispute, the Registrar will assign a safety rating. The assigned safety rating may be the one that was originally proposed or may be a different rating than the one proposed. There is no appeal from this assignment of a rating.
How will Carrier Safety Ratings be communicated to the public?
Carrier safety ratings are identified on the Public
CVOR Abstract (Refer to
- ServiceOntario
kiosks
- MTO's network of Drivers and Vehicles Offices (See
Appendix J)
- Via the MTO website at www.carriersafetyrating.com.
Where can a carrier get further information on Carrier Safety Ratings?
Further information on the CSR Program can be obtained from:
Carrier Sanctions and Investigation Office
Ministry of Transportation
301 St. Paul Street, 3rd Floor
St.
Catharines, Ontario
L2R 7R4
Phone: 416-246-7166 or 1-800-387-7736 (in Ontario
only)
Fax: 905-704-2039
Additional information regarding the Carrier Safety Rating Program may be obtained by visiting the MTO Web site. Recent issues of CMV News are also available at this Web site.
