Importance of Driving Licence Checks for Employers

For a large and busy fleet management company, it can be very difficult to keep ahead and on top of things, validating employees driving licences can be one of those issues. It’s a long process if you conduct your driving licence checks manually and some employees can easily slip the net in terms of being checked and validated. If something goes wrong, your business may need to pay huge penalties depending on the severity of the issue. Hence, having a driving licence checking service in place for your organisation allows you to check your employees who drive on company business, to make sure they hold a valid UK licence.

One solution to this problem is to find a way to validate and monitor driver/licence data accurately and quickly. At Licence Check, they have introduced a validation service into their davis platform where companies can carry out driver identity checks by simply capturing the data from the licence card. This validation process helps to identify forged documents. The Licence CDR (Card Data Reader) is a simple software used for this validation process.

Role of The Licence CDR in Driving Licence Checking and Validation

The Licence Card Data Reader reads the licence information in a single pass. You just need to drop the card into the device reader and it reads both the sides simultaneously. The Licence CDR uses ultraviolet light technology for identifying forged data and captures photos and holograms from the ID card. If all the information read is correct, it then automatically uploads it to the internal system, where it gets stored as a part of driver's record. It has a capacity to read records of multiple formats, such as international identity cards.

Benefits of Driving Licence Checking and Validation

•        As an employer, safety of the organisation and the driver is your responsibility. Sometimes your employee's licence information can be misleading. Hence, driving licence checks for employers is necessary as it saves customers from potential risks and business from unnecessary problems.

•        Electronic licence checking process saves you a lot of time as it is valid for three years.

•        Reduces the risk of forged documentation and helps capturing fraud identity.

•        Data is secured and available 24/7.

•        Employers can avoid potential penalties under safety legislation.

•         Once the validation process is completed, the employer can view the licence data to make sure it is valid and that the employee is available to drive on company business.

How Driving Licence Check and Validation is Helpful To An Organisation

In earlier days, fleet management companies used to conduct manual checking of their employee's driving licence, which was extremely time consuming and an administrative burden. Now, real-time licence validation services have been introduced and have made UK driver licence check and monitoring process much faster and easier.  The data includes all the relevant information such as driver's name, date of birth, address, and other driving details like entitlement, disqualifications, and penalties. It also provides a quick response with accurate licence/driver information, once the driver has granted consent.

A service that Licence Check provides, davis and their CDR (Card Data Reader) allows for smarter, faster, and a cost-effective way to validate and capture the licence data. The CDR reads both sides simultaneously and captures all the data including photo and holograms. The device checks for certain security features of the licence to make sure that the licence is not forged. The entire process of licence validation and security check takes very little time. The Licence CDR is a small and robust unit and it requires a USB cable for power supply. The Local PC has to install the software to drive the reader and it has user-friendly features, hence it doesn't require any special training for usage. Here the driver just needs to drop the card into the slot and once the unit has read the data, the card automatically pops out.

What you get as an employer?

•        The device ensures that the driving licence photocard is valid and legit.

•        Allows you to also validate CPC and Tacho Cards if your company have drivers who drive on vocational entitlements.

•        Keeps your fleet valid and up to date.

•         Check the status of your driver by the consent process to make sure they are okay to drive for your company.

A Guide To Choosing A Driving Licence Verification Company

Driver licence checking is now a simple and easy process as there are a number of companies who are DVLA registered. If you are looking for a company but are unsure about how the process works, and how to find a reputable company that can help you with this process whilst maintaining confidentiality, here is a step by step guide on how to choose a certified license checking company.

Step One: Do Your Research

Finding companies who can conduct this kind of verification is the first step. With this in mind, you should look for companies that are affiliated or accredited to the DVLA. Remember to always check how long a company has been in operation, its reputation and any related reviews or feedback they may have.

Step Two: Narrow Down and Add to A Shortlist

Now that you have narrowed down your search and have shortlisted a few companies that you are interested in using for the driver licence checking, it is now time to check out their prices. To do this, you can email them or just visit their website to get a quotation. This will help you set a budget for the process involved. There are many companies that offer special discounts or corporate packages. Keep in mind any additional benefits that these companies provide, such as regular updates on driving licence changes.

Step Three: Employ A Company and Get Started

Once you have a company finalised, then you can start sending your employee details to this service provider. You may choose to either send them a scanned copy of each driving licence or just the relevant information and they will take care of the rest. You will get the licence data back instantly as soon as drivers grant consent.

With these few simple steps, you can be sure that you employ the correct company to do a Licence Check in compliance with the DVLA. This enables you to make sure that you hire legal drivers from day one.

Benefits of Driving Licence Verification To Employers

If you’re looking to start up your own business or looking to hire more people to drive for you, then now is the time to look into a driving licence verification company. A lot of companies don’t know about or look into such verification checks.

Verification Carried Out Quickly
As soon as driver grant consent, either by signing a mandate document or through the online e-consent process, the results will show instantly in your account. So if you’re hiring someone new, you can get a confirmation about their licence quickly and easily, in a time frame that will not hold up their start date.
Security
All of the driving licence data is stored securely in your own company account. This gives you a guarantee that confidential details will not be shared or discussed with anyone.
Get a Complete Overview
Some companies can also provide a complete overview of the employee. This overview includes their current status and when the next check is due, along with their past history.
Banned Licence Holders
In the case of your employee being an unlawful licence holder, you will be notified quickly and discreetly so that you can take the necessary precautions or steps to prevent any problems this may cause for your business.
A reliable license check company uses modern and advanced computer tools, which ensure that the data generated is genuine and authentic. Now is the time to contact a licence verification company, so that you have peace of mind about your existing or new employees.

Why Should You Use a Driving Licence Checking Service?

There are several risks involved in hiring people without doing relevant background checks. It is true that you would probably consult ex-employers or references but it is crucial that the details provided by an employee are checked as thoroughly as possible. This is why it is important that you use a driving licence checking service in order to check the authenticity of your employees driving credentials. This holds true for any employer, regardless of the company size.

There are a number of secure and fully-managed driving licence verification services available today. They focus on providing you with complete and accurate details with regards to the driving experience and licence validity of your employees. They work by requesting and delivering online results directly from the DVLA database. Be it any kind of driver enquiries you have or a complete check on your employee, the entire service is carried out by these experts. This helps companies manage drivers correctly.

The system is mostly cloud-based, and it helps to reduce the overall time spent checking employee details. The system helps to verify the individual driving licence record and status. They will then provide you with the results quickly and efficiently. The entire process is executed through secured web-based applications and you can be assured that none of the sensitive data provided by you will be lost – due to strict security and data protection policies in place.

The companies who offer driving licence checking services also provide you with a complete range of online management reports, tailored for your organisation. These are sent to you via e-mail or can be exported from your own personal account into an excel document. The summary of any results and immediate actions required are emailed to users that are setup on the company account, so they can update accordingly.

On the whole, hiring such companies ensures that you are able to enhance your organisations efficiency. With fast and accurate details, you can hire genuine and authentic drivers after receiving the relevant results. And if you are not sure about a potential employee after receiving their details from the driving licence checking service, you can always avoid hiring them.

Driving Licence Category Codes - A Short Overview

In the UK, driving and traffic rules are designed to ensure the safety of everyone on the road. According to the DVLA, not every driver can drive every type of vehicle. There are fixed skill tests that a person needs to pass (both theory and practical tests) in order to obtain a UK driving licence for a specific vehicle or specific vehicles. Vehicles are defined under fixed categories and driving licence category codes reveal the type of vehicle the licence holder is allowed to drive.

As mentioned above, a driver needs to complete a specific driving test to obtain a licence for each and every category, according to the  code depicted on the driving licence. By looking at this code, you can find out what vehicles drivers are allowed to drive. For example,

• A1 - on a licence means you can drive light motorbikes with an engine size up to 125cc, a power output of up to 11kw, a power to weight ratio not more than 0.1kw/kg - this category also includes motor tricycles with power output to 15kw
• B1- on a licence means you can drive motor vehicles with 4 wheels up to 400kg unladen or 550kg if they are designed for carrying goods.
  

So, it all depends on what test the driver has passed.

Details of category codes:

The licence category codes not only reveal permissible vehicles but also indicates the minimum age of the driver as each category has minimum age levels.

• For driving motorcycles ranging from 11KW-25KW without sidecars, the category codes vary from A1 to A. Minimum age limits are from 17-21 years depending on the particular type of motorcycle.
• A B1 category code indicates the driver can drive 3 or 4 wheelers less than 550kg weight limit.
• For driving cars of all types such as an eight seater, hatchback, sedan, SUV, automatic cars, trailer accompanied cars the code varies from B, B Automatic, to B+E categories. The minimum age limit in each case is 17.
• For medium to larger vehicles like trucks, trailers, Lorries etc. the code varies from C, C+E to C1. The minimum age for the C1 category is 18 and for others it is 21.
• For mini buses and buses the codes are D1, D1+E and D, D+E respectively.
  

Apart from the above there are some other codes that are also applicable.

Why is it important to carry out DVLA Licence Checks on your employees?

It is a requirement for every company to do DVLA licence checks on their employees who drive on company business at least once a year. Most employees need to drive in order to do their duties whilst at their workplace, so employers must ensure that all their employees hold valid UK driving licences with the correct vehicle entitlements they need to do their job.

If any of your employees are found driving without a full UK driving licence, consequences can include:

• A fine of up to £1000 plus three to six penalty points
• Banned from obtaining a full licence for a set period of time

This is where we come in. Employers can use our secure online licence checking platform to check and monitor their driver pool. When your employees grant consent online through the e-consent process or by the D796 paper mandate document, you can view their licence record and can have access to data such as:

• Whether they hold a full UK driving licence
• What licence categories they hold
• Status of the licence
• Current endorsements and points on driving licence
• Access to the licence record 24/7 in a secure environment

As soon as your employees grant consent you can check them as many times you like within a 3 year period. You can schedule automatic licence rechecks based on how many points the driver holds, what conviction they have and whether they are low, medium or high risk drivers.

What are the benefits to employers for having an online licence checking service in place?

There are a number of benefits for having a licence checking service in place, such as:

• Our system will assist you in managing compliance, making sure that your employees are legally entitled to drive.
• A permanent and secure online audit trial - which reduces the admin burden and proves you've performed driving licence checks on your drivers.
• Accurate reports for individual records as well as your whole fleet.
• Instant checks and notifications - raising any immediate actions that require your attention.
• Training through the online system and support when you require it during our opening hours
• It saves you time and it saves you money!

By utilising our DVLA authorised licence check service, you are doing everything you possibly can to protect your organisation against high risk drivers in your fleet.

If you require any more information in regards to our service, don't hesitate to contact us.