Why you should be conducting driver licence checks

Many of us will be aware of the need to check a customer’s driving licence when we’re loaning them a car, or they are undertaking test drive. However, have you ever considered the importance of checking your own employees’ driving licences?

Whether you sell cars, conduct MOTS or service vehicles, there are several situations where you may need to verify the driving licences of your staff. A few examples include:

• Technicians carrying out road tests
• Vehicle delivery and collection drivers
• Valet staff moving vehicles around your premises
• Staff driving for work purposes

Why do we need to do this?

• Employer legal duty of care

Employers are required to ensure that any employee who drives for work purposes, holds a valid and appropriate driving licence. This is the case regardless of whether the employee has their own personal vehicle, or a company car.

This responsibility is supported by several pieces of legislation, including the Road Traffic Act 1988, the Health and Safety at Work. Act 1974, and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

It is essential that businesses confirm employees are legally permitted to drive for work, and where appropriate, carry out regular checks for higher-risk drivers.

• Reduce risk to others

Checking the licences of both your customers and staff, prevents uninsured, unqualified, restricted or disqualified drivers from operating vehicles. This reduces the risk of harm to employees, customers and the public.

• Insurance Validity

If an employee drives without a valid driving licence, your businesses insurance could be invalidated or void. This exposes businesses to significant financial liability, including costs for damage, injury claim, compensation and legal costs.

• Grey Fleet Compliance

Grey fleet drivers (i.e. employees who drive their own vehicles for work), can present significant compliance risks. This is because even if the employee is using their own vehicle, both the employee and the employer have certain responsibilities. For employers this includes:

• Duty of care
• Verifying roadworthiness (valid MOT and vehicle tax)
• Driving licence verification
• Record keeping and monitoring
• Protecting Reputation

Failure to ensure employees are legally permitted to drive can create not only financial risk, but also significant reputational damage.

If an incident involves an unlicensed or non-compliant employee driver, it can undermine customer trust, harm stakeholder confidence, and negatively impact your brand. This may lead to customers taking their business elsewhere.

To conclude

Driving licence verification can prevent harm, ensures insurance remains valid, and protect your business from reputational and financial risk. It should be part of your compliance processes.