Who needs to check?
- Are you an “O” Licence holder?
- Does your organisation have a company car fleet?
- Are you a vehicle leasing company?
- Do any of your employees drive their own cars for business purposes?
If you can answer yes to any of these questions then dh Licence Check can help.
Whether you are a small, medium or large fleet operator, you will have employees driving, for you as part of their work and therefore you are legally obliged to ensure that their licence is valid and covers the vehicle they are driving.
It is extremely important to know that these legal obligations extend beyond just full or part time employees, they cover any individual who is driving for you as part of their work for example, temporary staff and contractors.
Similarly, all organisations who provide their employees with a company car have a legal obligation to monitor their employees entitlement to drive and regularly check the validly of their licence. Again these legal requirements don’t just apply to employees but any nominated person associated with the company car for example, family members, partners or spouses.
If you have employees undertaking business miles on behalf of your organisation using their own vehicles then the same legal obligations apply to you. With approximately five million people using their own cars for work (this is referred to as grey fleet), this is a huge risk, which many organisations are unaware of.
In short, any organisation that requires an individual to drive as part of their work has a legal obligation to monitor their entitlement to drive and verify the validity of their driving licence.
What do you actually have to do?
Monitoring an individual’s right to drive requires organisations to regularly check the status of the individual’s driving licence.
Unfortunately many organisations think that simply taking a photocopy of a licence is a sufficient check; however, this leaves companies exposed to a number of issues:
- Fraud – Producing an old or fraudulent counterpart is more common than some may think. Unfortunately if the status of a driver’s licence could put their job at risk some people may be tempted to make dishonest declarations about their licence
- Human Error – A visual check of a licence leaves organisations exposed to human error, critical endorsements maybe missed, overlooked or misinterpreted
- Wasted Time – Constantly chasing employees to produce their licence is a time consuming task. Having a system which automatically carries out the required checks will save time and therefore money
In order to ensure a throughout check has been undertaken organisations must check the status of the individuals driving licence with the DVLA. As an official bureau of the DVLA, dh Licence Check has direct access to the data you require.
The dh Licence Check online system automatically carries out the required check directly with the DVLA, meaning no manual intervention or phone calls are required. The system is completely configurable allowing you to align the system to your companies own policies and procedures.
Every check and its results are stored within the system and provide you with a full and comprehensive update including, licence categories, restrictions, endorsements, expiry dates, conviction dates, disqualifications and much more.
Why do you have to check?
The law clearly states that all organisations who require individuals to drive as part of their work have a legal obligation to regularly monitor their entitlement to drive and verify the validity of their driving licence.
There are a range of legislative acts which underpin this requirement, examples include:
- The Health and Safety at Work Act
- The Corporate Manslaughter Act
- Road Traffic Act 1988
The statistics surrounding unlicensed drivers and high risk drivers are shocking. Nearly one in three drivers covering business mileage have penalty points on their licence and a third of all crashes involve a vehicle that is being used for work.
These statistics highlight the risks faced on a daily basis by all organisations who require individuals to driver as part of their work face on a daily basis. The dh Licence Check system can help reduce this risk and provide you with complete peace of mind that your legal obligations are being fulfilled.
Find out more about driving licence checks for:
To find out more about how dh Licence Check can help your organisation contact a member of our team on 01274 511511 or email us at info@dhlicencecheck.co.uk
Alternatively click here to request a demo today.
