Third Party Auditor Certification Program

Alberta Transportation's Third Party Auditor (TPA) Certification Program was created to meet the requirements for conducting commercial carrier safety fitness audits under the Federal Motor Vehicle Transport Act and Alberta's Traffic Safety Act. In general, this program consists of a course of study designed to help candidates conduct a National Safety Code (NSC) audit within Alberta. The audit program, called ARC (Assessment of Regulatory Compliance) is available on the department's website at: http://www.transportation.alberta.ca/668.htm

Successful candidates who complete this certification process will be able to conduct audits acceptable to Alberta Transportation for determining a carrier's safety fitness rating and/or their eligibility for receiving permits/certificates.

To assist prospective individuals with learning how to use ARC, the Carrier Services Section of Alberta Transportation has developed this training program and is prepared to certify successful candidates so they can conduct ARC audits to an acceptable standard. Below is the hyperlink for the Third Party Auditor Certification Program (pdf 34.1 MB).

To supplement this audit information, a summary of many of Alberta's regulatory requirements can be found on the department's web site - Educational Manual (pdf 7.3MB) The audit program also requires auditors to be proficient with federal transport legislation, particularly that dealing with drivers' hours of service. Detailed information on this regulation is available on the department's web site at: www.transportation.alberta.ca/675.htm

At a minimum, the auditor certification program requires potential candidates to:

• Have a minimum grade 12 education or equivalent;
• Have a minimum of five years work experience in the transportation field;
• Have a good to excellent knowledge of applicable Alberta legislation before entering this auditor program. This knowledge can likely be obtained by:

• Having extensive involvement in the trucking and/or bussing industry at a management or transportation safety position;
• Completing the transportation regulatory courses associated with the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Program offered at Lethbridge Community College (Phone: 403-317-3568; Fax: 403-317-3521); or
• Completing an equivalent course of study or work experience;

• Have access to and a working knowledge of computers and computer software;
• Be able to maintain business insurance;
• Successfully undergo a Police Information Check;
• Have a valid vehicle operator's licence with an acceptable Driver's Abstract;
• Have access to standard business equipment including: laptop computer; printer; fax; etc.;
• Be a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant.
  

Interested candidates are required to complete the Transportation Third Party Application Form (pdf 50 K)and submit it to Carrier Services at the address below.

Once the application form is approved, the candidate will be asked to attend a qualification interview. A non-refundable application fee of $100.00 will be assessed upon successful completion of initial entrance exam and interview. Successful candidates must be able to demonstrate that they have the required regulatory knowledge and appropriate skills necessary to interact with carrier management and staff at all levels. This is evaluated by passing the personal interview and by achieving an acceptable score on a 2-hour open book interview exam consisting of multiple choice questions on general National Safety Code requirements and an analysis of a set of hours of service daily logs using Alberta and Federal regulations. To achieve an acceptable score on this exam, candidates will require an excellent knowledge of transportation legislation applicable to Alberta carriers.

To assist prospective candidates with evaluating their level of knowledge in general NSC requirements and in the federal hours of service requirements, sample questions have been prepared that are similar to those found on the interview exam. Sample Interview Questions (pdf 77 K) These questions are considered to be at a basic knowledge level and anyone who has any difficulties answering them are recommended to take further training before considering applying for this certification program.

Successful candidates will then be accepted into the certification program after all applicable fees and required documents have been received. A program registration fee of $500.00 will be required once the initial interview process is successfully completed. A receipt will be issued upon payment. Each participant will be asked to sign and to follow a Code of Conduct (pdf 43 K) prior to completing their certification.

Satisfactory completion of the self-taught program course material (including its quizzes and 4-hour open book proctored final exam) is required in order to be eligible to begin to conduct audits. Several of these initial audits will be evaluated by departmental staff or other certified auditors. Final certification can be received only when all criteria have been successfully met and the candidate has clearly demonstrated that they can conduct Alberta's NSC audit protocol to the required high standard and have the communication skills needed to interact with a commercial carrier's staff at all levels in the organization.

Once certified, auditors will be required to maintain their certification by completing occasional re-certification courses and by conducting the specified minimum number of audits each year.

*** Certified auditors are eligible to conduct audits for several safety compliance programs administered by Carrier Services ***

Individuals who do not wish to obtain certification may access the course material at no cost.

For more information contact:

Carrier Services
#401, 4920 – 51 Street
Red Deer, AB T4N 6K8
Phone: (403) 755-6111 (toll-free in Alberta by first dialling 310-0000)
Fax: (403) 340-4811
Email: carrier.services@gov.ab.ca