The abstract is one line in the driver file
Hiring a driver means a driver's abstract, a criminal record check, verified employment history, and references. Then doing the abstract again every year, for every driver, and being able to prove it.
Credibled runs all of it in one platform. Pay per check, no subscription.
One file per driver, built from the hire onward
Every carrier keeps a file on every driver. What has to be in it varies by province, and by whether you run into the United States. The screening part of that file is what we handle.
| What the file needs | Credibled |
|---|---|
| Driver's abstract at hire | Driver abstract, most provinces, 1 to 3 business days |
| A fresh abstract each year, with a documented review | Order a new one whenever you need it, per check, no minimum |
| Criminal record check | Canadian criminal record check, usually about 15 minutes, identity verification included |
| Confirmed employment history | Employment verification, direct from previous employers |
| References | Reference checks, $9 per candidate, any number of referees |
| Licence class and endorsements confirmed | Shown on the abstract: class, conditions and endorsements |
| Training certificates and tickets | Credential verification for tickets issued by a verifiable body |
| Records for drivers who lived outside Canada | International criminal record checks, 200+ jurisdictions |
| A medical certificate | Not a Credibled product. Your driver's physician or a CCMTA examiner |
| Road test, maintenance and hours of service records | Not screening. Stays in your own system |
The driver completes their part from their phone, with consent captured in the flow before any check runs.
Where we can pull the abstract, and where the driver has to
Abstracts are issued by each province and territory, and the rules differ. Two provinces require the driver to request their own record, which no screening provider can work around. We'd rather you know that before you sign up than after.
Alberta and Quebec: the driver requests it
Alberta. The province requires a verified government account or an in-person visit to a registry agent, by the licence holder. Your driver obtains their abstract and gives you a copy.
Quebec. Records are requested through the SAAQ by the driver, and results are returned by mail. Quebec has two separate documents: the heavy vehicle driver conduct record, which only the driver can request, and the general driver's record, which an operator can request with the driver's written authorization.
These rules apply to every screening provider, not just Credibled.
United States
Motor vehicle records are held state by state. We pull them, with state fees passed through. Access and consent rules vary by state, and some states require a signed release before any provider can obtain the record.
An abstract is a snapshot, not a history
This is the part most providers leave off their website. A driver's abstract is a summary of recent events in one jurisdiction, and treating it as a full picture is how gaps get into a driver file.
It's time-limited
Most provinces hold driver information for roughly 3 to 5 years. Ontario's standard 3 year record shows convictions, suspensions and reinstatements from that window, plus licence status, class, conditions and endorsements. Older history does not appear.
It's jurisdiction-limited
British Columbia's ICBC record may not include older or out-of-province events. Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia share data with other provinces, and Ontario and Quebec have reciprocal traffic enforcement agreements with New York and Michigan, while British Columbia shares more broadly with US jurisdictions. Where no agreement exists, an offence may not cross the border onto the abstract at all.
It's a driving record, not a background check
It says nothing about criminal history, previous employers, or whether the three years of long-haul experience on the résumé happened.
That's why the other checks in the driver file sit alongside the abstract rather than behind it. Our help centre article on abstract limitations goes through this province by province.
Re-screening is the part that gets missed
Pulling an abstract at hire is the easy part. Doing it again twelve months later, for every driver, and having a signed review to show an auditor, is where files fall apart.
An abstract sitting in a file with no record of anyone having read it is not a completed review.
On Credibled you can order a fresh abstract for any driver at any time, for the price of that check, with no minimum and no subscription. Every result is dated and sourced, and the file shows who ordered it and when.
If you run into the United States, the requirement is explicit: at least once every 12 months you must obtain a current motor vehicle record for each driver and review it, and keep both the record and a note of who reviewed it for 3 years.
Both sides of the border, one platform
US rules are stricter than most Canadian provinces, and they apply to your drivers whether your terminal is in Brampton or Buffalo.
We can't obtain a FAST card, a Transportation Security Clearance, or a Marine Transportation Security Clearance. Those are government programs. We screen alongside them.
Motor vehicle records
From any state, with state fees passed through.
Employment history
Over the previous 3 years, verified directly with previous employers rather than from a database.
Annual MVR and review
A current record for each driver every 12 months, reviewed, with both kept for 3 years.
US criminal record searches
Where a driver has US history. Pass-through court access fees apply and are published.
A thin Canadian record is not a red flag
Canadian carriers hire a lot of drivers who arrived recently. Screening tools built around a Canadian credit file or a long Canadian licence history fail on exactly those candidates, and the hire stalls for no good reason.
A short Canadian abstract on a driver with 8 years abroad is a gap in your file, not a problem with the driver. These checks close it.
Identity verification
Works across more than 13,500 document types, so it doesn't depend on a Canadian credit history.
International criminal record checks
More than 200 jurisdictions, with turnaround and pricing published for each.
International employment verification
Contacts previous employers abroad.
Credential verification
Confirms a licence or ticket with the issuing body.
Dispatch, warehouse, yard and office
Drivers get screened because a regulator says so. The rest of your operation often gets nothing, and it's the rest of your operation that handles the freight, the manifests and the keys.
| Role | Common checks |
|---|---|
| Dispatchers and planners | Criminal record check with ID, references |
| Warehouse and yard staff | Criminal record check with ID, employment verification |
| Yard drivers and shunt operators | Add a driver abstract |
| Cash handling, high-value freight | Add a credit report |
| Owner-operators and contractors | The same file as an employee driver |
| Management and safety roles | Add education verification and references |
Owner-operators are worth a second look. They're not on your payroll, but they are on your safety record.
Two branches, one driver, one charge
Carriers with several terminals recruit from several terminals. The same driver applies to two, and both screen them. Nobody notices until the invoice.
Credibled catches it at the point of request. If anyone on your account has ordered a check for that driver in the last 30 days, you see it before anything is charged, across every check type, with the requester's name and the date. Then you choose: cancel, or proceed anyway.
In a market where drivers apply to six carriers in a week, it also spares the candidate being asked for consent and ID twice by the same company.
Priced for a fleet that hires all year
No contract.
Pay per check. No subscription, no minimum, no annual commitment, no platform fee. You only pay for completed checks, never ones still waiting on a driver.
A named person.
Every account gets a named account manager, whether you run 5 drivers or 500. When a result lands incomplete on a Friday and the driver is loading Monday, that's a phone call rather than a ticket.
Run it from your own systems.
Trigger checks, pull results and receive status webhooks through the screening API, so annual abstracts can fire from your fleet software.
Screening APIProvincial and state access fees for abstracts and motor vehicle records are passed through at cost and published per jurisdiction, so an annual abstract cycle is a number you can budget before you commit.
Questions carriers and fleet managers ask
Abstracts and consent
Can an employer ask for a driver's abstract?
Why do employers check driving records?
What is a driver's abstract?
Should we order a 3 year or a 5 year record?
Can you pull an abstract in Alberta or Quebec?
Does a criminal record check include the driver's licence?
Turnaround
How long does a driver abstract take?
Why is a check taking longer than expected?
Compliance and records
Do you provide the CVOR abstract?
How often should we re-pull abstracts?
Can you automate the annual abstract?
Do you do medical certificates, MELT or road tests?
What do we show an auditor?
Drivers and roles
Can you screen drivers who recently moved to Canada?
Can you screen owner-operators and contractors?
Can you screen non-driving staff?
Cost and getting started
How much does it cost?
Is there a contract or minimum volume?
Do you catch duplicate checks across our terminals?
Can we trigger checks from our fleet or HR software?
Can I start today without talking to sales?
Provincial and US requirements on this page were verified on 13 September 2026.
Screen the driver, not just the licence
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