Being responsible for a fleet and its drivers is no easy task, with so many things to keep track of - one of those is the Driving Licence. Recently, we have had a few queries from concerned Managers asking "how often should I check my employee's driving licences?"
This task is often a cause for concern - leave it too long, and you could miss out on important information. Do it too often, and you can end up wasting your time.
How Often Should I Check My Employee's Driving Licence?
It is recommended that, as a best practice, you check licences at least once a year. However, if you have drivers who already have points on their licence, or your organisation has certain thresholds, it should be done more regularly.
How Can I Check A Driving Licence Online?
You can check someone's driving licence information by visiting the official Government website.
To do this, you will need the last 8 characters of the driving licence number, and a check code.
How Do I Get A Check Code?
The driver needs to generate a check code via the government website. Once done, they can share it with you.
How Can I Check A Large Number of Driver's Licence?
The DVLA offers a solution, but it's an expensive one, which costs around £20,000, or more! They have a service called the Access to Driver Data (ADD) service, which allows you to keep track of driver records instantly.
Don't worry, you don't have to shell out that much! At TachoMagic, we're currently working on our own Automatic Driving Licence checker! This will be a much more affordable solution, and allows you to keep track from the TachoMagic dashboard.
If you're interested in keeping up to date with this, please feel free to get in touch and we can arrange to let you know when we make progress on this, or simply check back here soon!
Why Do Employers Need To Check Driving Licence's?
The last thing you need is to be unknowingly hiring a driver who legally can't drive their vehicle for you.
In an ideal world, everyone would be totally open about this, and would keep you up to date if they shouldn't be driving. However, over the last 15 years of operating, we've heard countless stories of Fleet Managers losing their O Licence, getting fines, and even being shut down because they didn't really know their drivers.
What Happens If You Employ A Driver Without A Valid Licence
The Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it very clear that it is an offence for a person/organisation to allow a driver to drive without a valid licence.
As mentioned, you, and the driver, would be subject to fines, as well as investigations, with the possibility of losing a licence.
It's simply not worth not checking!
Conclusion - How Often Should I Check My Employee's Driving Licence?
As a minimum, you should be checking an employee's driving licence once a year, but as a general rule, the more you do it, the better.
If you have any drivers who are known to have points on their licence, or even previous offences, it is definitely recommended to check more often.
If you're a Manger looking to save time when it comes to your drivers, why not check out our Automatic Download Devices? They automatically download vehicle and driver data, without the need for any manual downloads. Just click on the button below to read more!
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