CVOR’s Are a Pain – Here’s How To Manage Them

OK, the CVOR. What a pain! What does it mean? How do I manage it?

That is what I’m here for. How to read the Commercial Vehicle Operator Record. Let us first start with the overall threshold. It is called the “Overall Violation Rate.” This rate is the most important number on the CVOR. It is a quick reference telling the viewer about the overall health of your companies CVOR.

CVOR Warning Letter

It the Commercial Vehicle Operator Record is above the 35% threshold you have already received from the MTO a “Warning Letter.” This letter is trying to bring your focus to the CVOR. It is saying that things have gone off course and they are working to get you to take action on the CVOR before it gets any worse. So the letter is what you see. But behind the scenes, they are now paying more and more attention to your trucks. You may be experiencing more than a usual number of inspections at the scales. This added attention is great if every check is clean and clear. Not so good if you are getting violations.

Remember that most of the violations found listed on the CVIR (Commercial Vehicle Inspection Report) put additional points onto the CVOR. So if you are already above the 35% threshold, this added inspections will not help if you are getting more points. It can make the situation much worse.

CVOR Above 50%

Then another level of the Overall Violation rate that you need to be both aware of and concerned with is 50%. If you go above the 50%, then you are added to the list of possible Facility Audits. That is not a good thing. During the review, the MTO often find shortcomings and therefore issue summons. These summons usually mean that you do one of two things, plead guilty and pay the fines, or you must appear in court.

If this is the result of the audit, always hire a professional and go to court. If you are found guilty of the charges then not only will you pay the fine, but more importantly you will get even more points added to the CVOR. Remember that paying the penalty is short-term pain. The points from the convictions stay on your Commercial Vehicle Operator Record for 24 months, causing long-term pain.

Keep you CVOR below 35% and avoid all of this pain and aggravation. Good luck and keep trucking safely.