How do I check a trucking company’s driver qualification files before buying?
Choose the sample of driver files yourself rather than accepting the ones the seller hands over, then compare each against the company’s own checklist. Look for missing items, stale dates and files that look freshly tidied. Ask your lawyer or an experienced safety advisor what a complete file should hold.
Start by asking how the files are kept, who maintains them and when they were last reviewed. A person who keeps them current every week gives you a different picture from one who scrambles before a visit. Ask for a list of every driver, current and former, and pick your own names from it, including a few who left recently.
Read the files as a set, not one at a time. Gaps that repeat across several drivers suggest a habit, while a single missing item may be an accident. Look at how dates line up: hiring, road tests, medical clearances and licence checks should make sense in sequence. Note any file with a conspicuous batch of paperwork all dated the same week.
Then ask what happens when something expires. Is there a reminder system, and who answers for it? Ask whether any driver is working with an open item, and what the seller did about it. Finally, ask the seller whether any customer, insurer or inspector has questioned the files, and what came of it. Keep a written list of every gap you find so it can feed your price talks and the purchase agreement.
Key takeaways
- Pick the sample of drivers yourself, including recent leavers.
- Look for repeated gaps and dates that bunch together.
- Ask who tracks expiries and what happens when one is missed.
Related reading
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Selling
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Due diligence
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- Expert answerHow do I judge how often a courier company’s drivers miss delivery windows?
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Transport CanadaGovernmentMotor carriers, commercial vehicles and drivers
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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