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Commercial Driver Abstract

Commercial Driver Abstracts report on safety code infractions and inspection results for current and prospective drivers.

Changes to the CDA

Driver abstracts are updated to differentiate between contraventions as a result of a court conviction or those issued under the administrative penalty model. Administrative penalties are issued for impaired driving charges only.

  • “Offence Date” will be removed entirely from driver abstracts. The term “Occurrence Date” will be used for both a conviction and an administrative penalty.
  • “Conviction Date” will continue to be used for a conviction record, but the term “Issuance Date” will be used for an administrative penalty.

Overview

The Commercial Driver Abstract (CDA) provides industry with accurate information on new and current commercial drivers. Previously, the only information available was found in the current driver abstract and information the drivers were willing to share about their driving history.

Request a CDA

If you are not or have not been a commercial driver in the last 3 years, the original Driver Abstract would be adequate if requested by an employer.

A CDA is compiled of all of the same information as listed in the Driver Abstract, but includes Administrative Penalties, National Safety Code (NSC) convictions for non-moving violations and inspection results obtained while operating a commercial vehicle. If you are currently a commercial driver or have been in the past, a CDA should be requested to give you the most accurate information into your driving history.

Order a CDA online or through a registry agent. A verified Alberta.ca Account is required for online orders. You will need to have held an operator's licence in Alberta at some point in order to request a CDA.

Your CDA can also be requested by:

  • your employer or prospective employer, who can ask you to sign a waiver which allows them to request your CDA on your behalf
  • a police officer
  • Government employees to perform their duties, such as driver assessments and National Safety Code audits

Fees

It costs $15 for each requested abstract, plus service charges applied by the Registry Agent.

If you have an excellent safety fitness rating, you do not have to pay the $15 fee. Registry agent service charges still apply though.

Types of driver abstracts

  1. Driver Abstract (offences with demerit points assigned by regulation) information and also includes Administrative Penalties for moving violations.
  2. Commercial Driver Abstract which contains:
  • Driver Abstract information
  • Administrative Penalties for impaired driving charges
  • National Safety Code (NSC) non-moving convictions such as:
    • hours of service violations
    • cargo securement violations
    • dangerous good violations
    • mechanical violations
  • CVSA Inspection results from (NSC) infraction results from inspections conducted under the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)

The CDA is inclusive of information from any NSC violation received while operating commercially registered vehicles.

CDA violations

The CDA includes all moving convictions (offences with demerit points assigned by regulation), non-moving convictions, and administrative penalties for impaired driving offences, as well as CVSA inspection results from the date the CDA is requested going back 3, 5 or 10 years.

Collisions are not shown on the CDA.

There is no fee for requesting corrections to your CDA. However you will need to pay the $15 fee to receive an updated copy of the CDA from a registry agent once the corrections are done.

View a CDA sample report.

For moving violation errors contact:

Driver Fitness and Monitoring
Phone: 780-427-8230
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)

For non-moving convictions and inspection errors contact:

Carrier & Vehicle Safety
Phone: 780-427-8901
Toll free: 310-0000 before the phone number (in Alberta)

Demerit points

Demerit points are only assessed for specific moving violations. Read Demerit Point Program and Service of Documents Regulation for full details.

Although demerit points are not assessed for non-moving violations, you will not be able to renew your operator’s licence if you have unpaid fines.

Contact

Connect with Carrier and Vehicle Safety and sign up for updates.