Driving licence checks

20 August 2024

Driving licence checks - An important start point when managing road risk is checking that drivers are qualified for the vehicle they are using.

While statute does not lay down a minimum interval for checking licences – it is the employer’s responsibility to know that an employee is qualified to drive a specific class of vehicle, and the driver’s responsibility to hold such a valid qualification – official guidance says you should check during recruitment, and then at regular intervals.

The number of points on a licence indicate a driver’s risk level. As points are accrued for driving offences – such as speeding or mobile phone use – they are an immediate flag that a driver may need to be educated about the company’s expectations of safe driving and monitored to ensure they achieve them. Points are likely to be the tip of the iceberg in terms of driving behaviour, as they represent the number of times the person was caught breaking the law.

Ideally drivers should volunteer any licence change information, and this requirement should be stated in a driving for work policy.