I've recently seen an increase in the number of conversations about Driving License checks and the uncertainty about how to fully check an employees ability to drive.

Surely, if you have a copy of their photocard driving license that shows they can drive? Actually, NO!

Call me suspicious, but it is possible for an individual to present a photocard license to seemingly prove their eligibility to drive even when they have been banned.

In addition to getting a copy of their photocard license there's an extra check that you should do to check the current category of vehicles the individual is licensed for along with any points or indeed any ban!

How to carry out a driving license check

The process to make this check is simple:

Step 1 - The individual generates a code for the online check. You can't do the check without their permission.

To generate a code, they'll need their driving license number, national insurance number and their postcode.

The code is valid for 21 days once generated and looks like this:

 Step 2 - Once the code is generated there a two options:

Option 1 - They share the code with you which can then be used to view the license details and download the driving summary document- Check a driving license online

As well as the code, you'll also need the last 8 characters of their driving license number from their photocard license.

Option 2 - The employee can click on the 'print or save a driving summary' option when the code is generated and then send you the PDF driving summary.

Either way, I would recommend that you keep a copy of the summary document on their personnel file and make sure that this is updated annually, or more frequently if required.

Driving license checks when driving personal vehicles

If you have company vehicles its likely that your insurance company will ask you to declare that your team all have full UK driving licenses. So carrying out this extra check will make sure that you can answer with confidence and not risk invalidating your insurance.

It's important to note that the check should be done for anyone who drives on your company business, including those using their own vehicle and claim mileage expenses.

If you have employees using their own vehicles, I'd also recommend a procedure to check the roadworthiness of their vehicle and that they are adequately insured.

If annual checks such as these cause you a headache and you'd like support, then lets discuss how we can help!