Licenced
by RICHARD BROWN
Is DVLA direct the best solution for licence checking?
You are probably aware that every
employer should ensure that driving licence
checks form an integral part of a published
driver policy document, and this policy
should make absolutely clear the reasons
why employees will be asked to consent to such checks and
it should be integrated as a mandatory part of the induction
process where the employee’s job makes it likely that they
will drive on the company’s business in any capacity. But
what is the best way to handle the process of licence
checking?
Y
Since the abolition of the paper counterpart in June 2015,
the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (“DVLA”) is the only
official source for checking a driver’s record to establish
driving licence validity, confirm entitlements, current
endorsements, restrictions and penalty points.
There are a number of different ways this information can
be obtained, including the DVLA’s ‘Share Driving Licence’
service, their telephone hotline, a direct link to the DVLA
database, or a professional agency that specialises in
managing this service for a charge.
The most suitable option will typically be dictated by the size
of the driver pool, the organisation’s own corporate policies
and any insurance obligations. When making a decision its
worth bearing the following in mind:The DVLA is the only official source of data for UK licence
holders and driver’s informed consent will be required in all
cases without exception.
However, the DVLA system does have some weaknesses, for
example their service is a ‘Request & Response’ facility only
and not a push update service. So changes to the driver
record can only be identified by manually re-checking which
has to be initiated by driver and employer each time an
inspection is required. You also are not able to check other
EU/World licence records.
Most Commercial operators hold a 3-year driver consent
allowing frequent, automated rechecking and monitoring
facilities for all critical events and alerts making the whole
process streamlined. These Commercial service providers
also can obtain foreign licence holder convictions for UK
offences.
The time taken to manage the whole process of licence
checkin