Member Article

Changes to Way Employers Check Staff Driving Records

The abolition of the paper part of the driving licence means employers must adhere to new procedures to check on staff driving records.

The new process is being flagged up by the Teesside office of Henderson Insurance Brokers, which specialises in cover for company car fleets and haulage operators.

The paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence is no longer valid and will no longer be issued by DVLA.

In the wake of this, bosses who need inspect employees’ driving records will need to use an online Government driving licence checking service instead of asking to be shown the employee’s paper driving licence.

Jonathan Willett, a Director at Henderson Insurance Brokers Teesside office, said: “Employers are obliged to make their company vehicle insurers aware of any penalty points that staff may have been accrued and if there are any restrictions on the type of vehicle an employee is allowed to drive.

“The change means that endorsements will only be recorded electronically, and will not be printed or written on either photocard licences or paper driving licences so these will no longer be an accurate representation of a motorist’s driving record.

“Companies now will have to follow an online checking process in the wake of the abolition of the paper driving licence and we have been reminding clients with company vehicles of the new practices.”

It is a firm’s responsibility to ensure that any person who drives a vehicle under the company’s insurance policy meets the terms and conditions under the driving endorsements on the schedule of insurance.

Henderson recommends that licences should be validated at the following stages - policy inception, renewal, new employees, new self-employed drivers, hirers of vehicles or any other person that has access to a vehicle.

Companies will be able to check the validity of drivers’ convictions on a UK driving licence - with the permission of the driver - by using a free online service offered by the DVLA by visiting https://www.gov.uk/government/news/driving-licence-changes

Henderson also advises that companies take a copy of the details as it gives a dated record for the information.

To use the new online service, employers will need the last eight characters of an employee’s driving licence number, a check code that has been obtained by the employee and a note of the driver’s National Insurance number.

The code must be used within 72 hours and can only be used once. Another code will need to be obtained for each subsequent check on a member of staff’s driving record.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Recognition PR Business Team .