Checking a Nova Scotia or Atlantic carrier: NSC certificate and safety rating
Updated 2026-10-27
Freight moving through the Port of Halifax and across the Maritimes often rides with small Atlantic carriers that a broker in Ontario or Quebec has never heard of. Each Atlantic province issues National Safety Code (NSC) certificates to the carriers based there, and the carrier profile behind the certificate is the record to read before you book.
The number to ask for
Ask for the NSC number and the province that issued it, with the carrier's legal name. Match both against the certificate and the profile from that province. A carrier based in New Brunswick, PEI or Newfoundland and Labrador is checked against its own province's record, not Nova Scotia's.
What the carrier profile shows
The profile summarises the carrier's safety record over the monitoring period.
- Safety rating: Satisfactory, Satisfactory Unaudited, Conditional or Unsatisfactory
- Convictions for the carrier and its drivers
- CVSA inspection results, including out-of-service defects
- Reportable collisions
- Audit results and the certificate's status
Port and container loads
On drayage and container moves, also confirm the carrier's cargo insurance covers the commodity and value of the box, and that the truck and driver who show up match the carrier you booked. Identity theft targets busy port lanes because loads turn over fast.
Keeping it current
A profile is a snapshot. HaulProof reads Canadian and FMCSA records together and alerts you the same day a monitored carrier's rating, authority or insurance filing changes, so a change in the carrier's status reaches you before the pickup.
General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with the province concerned.