Commercial Vehicles Safety Ratings

The Ministry of Transportation classifies commercial motor vehicle carriers into four (4) classes of safety ratings;

• Excellent
• Satisfactory
• Satisfactory – Unaudited
• Conditional Safety Rating
• Unsatisfactory Safety Rating

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole.

It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if a CVOR ticket cannot be dropped, many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the CVOR points and safety rating of the company and/or driver.

Carriers qualify for the highest level of safety performance and receive an excellent safety rating by maintaining an overall violation rate not more than 10% of their overall CVOR threshold and by maintaining an accident violation rate not more than 10%.

This means that companies with the least traffic tickets and MTO violations receive the highest rating from the Ministry of Transport. To keep this rating, it is important for drivers and carriers to dispute every traffic ticket and to ensure training is kept up to date.

To receive this rating, the carrier must also:

• Achieve at least 80% on both the driver and vehicle profiles of an approved facility audit
• Have operated in Ontario for at least two (2) years to be rated Excellent

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole. It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if CVOR tickets cannot be dropped. Many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the safety rating of the company and/or driver.

Carriers and trucking companies who do not qualify for an Excellent CVOR Rating may receive a satisfactory safety rating:

• When their facility audit score is at least 55% or better on each of the driver and vehicle profiles
• If they maintain a CVOR violation rate of 65% or less of their overall CVOR threshold level
• In order for an audit to be assessed as part of the safety rating, it must have been completed by a qualified auditor, and
• Have operated in Ontario for at least six (6) months to be rated Satisfactory.

The CVOR rating directly affect the ability to operate and your insurance premiums.

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole. It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if CVOR tickets cannot be dropped. Many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the safety rating of the company and/or driver.

Carriers and trucking companies who do not qualify for an Excellent CVOR Rating may
receive a Satisfactory-Unaudited rating. A Satisfactory-Unaudited rating applies to those
carriers who:

• Maintain an on-road CVOR rate of 65% or less of their CVOR violation threshold level.
• Who have not been audited.

In order for an audit to be assessed as part of the safety rating, it must have been completed by a qualified auditor.

The CVOR rating directly affects the ability to operate and your insurance premiums.

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole. It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if CVOR tickets cannot be dropped. Many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the safety rating of the company and/or driver.

Carriers and trucking companies who do not qualify for an Excellent CVOR Rating may receive a Conditional Safety Rating. A carrier will receive a Conditional safety rating for a minimum of six (6) months in any of the following circumstances:

• If the carrier’s CVOR violation rate exceeds 65% of their overall threshold level;
• if the carrier does not achieve at least 55% in each of the driver and vehicles profiles of a facility audit (i.e. fails the audit-only for audits conducted after June 1, 1999);
• upon appealing a proposed sanction (Unsatisfactory safety rating)
• upon reinstatement of a suspended CVOR certificate (i.e. following an Unsatisfactory safety rating).

If your company receives this rating from the Ministry of Transportation, you should contact OTT Legal and review the companies performance to improve the ranking. The CVOR rating directly affects the ability to operate as well as your insurance premiums. At this level, the ability of the company to operate could be in jeopardy.

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole. It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if CVOR tickets cannot be dropped. Many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the safety rating of the company and/or driver.

Carriers and trucking companies who have numerous traffic tickets, accident, and or audit violations will not qualify for an Excellent CVOR Rating and may receive a Unsatisfactory Safety Rating.

An unsatisfactory safety rating will be issued to any company whose CVOR points (violation rate) exceeds their allowable threshold. This results in a possible suspension or cancellation of their operating privileges for a period defined by the Registrar as well as;

• Any sanction or condition the Ministry may wish to impose.
• The Unsatisfactory safety rating is effective for the period of the suspension or cancellation.

If and when a carrier’s operating privileges are reinstated, the company will be rated a Conditional Safety Rating for a minimum of six (6) months, unless their subsequent safety performance results in a further sanction and rating downgrade.

If the carrier appeals the sanction, the carrier will receive a Conditional safety rating until the appeal decision is rendered, again, unless their subsequent safety performance results in a further sanction and rating downgrade.

If your company receives this rating from the Ministry of Transportation, contact OTT Legal and review the companies performance to improve the ranking. The CVOR rating directly affects the ability to operate as well as your insurance premiums. At this level, the ability of the company to operate could be in jeopardy.

Safety Rates affect not only the driver, but the company as a whole. It’s important to manage the safety rating, even if CVOR tickets cannot be dropped. Many times they can be reduced thereby controlling the safety rating of the company and/or driver.

OTT Legal Services are committed to protecting the confidentiality of personal information from CVOR ticket consultations in Toronto and throughout Ontario that are requested through electronic communications as specified in our CVOR Traffic Ticket Privacy Policy. We do not share or give out any personal information to any persons or agencies regarding CVOR issues with our clients. Perspective and current clients with traffic tickets or CVOR tickets should understand and appreciate the risks associated with the transmitting of personal and or confidential information electronically and the potential for illicit interception.