BRAMPTON, Ont. — APPS Transport Group has received the Commercial Vehicle Operator Registration (CVOR) rating of Excellent, the highest rating given by the Ministry of Transportation. All carriers operating commercial motor vehicles in Ontario are required to register and obtain a CVOR. The rating is based on overall violation rates, accident rate and roadside inspections.

“It was a lot of hard work,” says Richard Prentice, APPS Transport Group’s safety and compliance manager.

“We have a great preventative maintenance program at APPS and we provide a good environment for our drivers,” explained Prentice, who is also APPS’s driver manager.

APPS officials say the company is dedicated to pre-trip truck inspections, keeping drivers well-informed of new and revised regulations and instituting daily monitoring of driver hours, activity and inspection reports to screen any recorded problems with the trucks and ensure they are fixed as quickly as possible.

Last year the CVOR changed their rating system from the size of the fleet to the number of kilometres driven. “We thought this would put us at a disadvantage because we are low in kilometres compared to most fleets,” Prentice said. “We mostly stay in a 160 km radius so we are subject to a lot more traffic and possible accidents.”

To get an Excellent Safety Rating, a carrier must have an overall violation rate of less than10% – APPS scored a rate of 8.2%. In their 2005 facility audit, APPS scored 93%. An Excellent rating requires an average of 80% or higher.