DVLA Licence Check: A Guide for Employers

Ensuring the safety of both your employees and the public should always be a priority, especially for businesses that require driving vehicles. In Great Britain, road collisions pose a significant risk, with an estimated 1,645 fatalities and over 130,000 casualties reported in 2023 alone. While these figures reflect a decline since the peak of the pandemic, they highlight the ongoing importance of road safety. 

One essential way to mitigate these risks is through conducting DVLA licence checks on employees who drive for work purposes. These checks provide crucial information about an individual's driving record, helping you identify potential red flags and make informed decisions about their suitability for driving roles.

What is DVLA Licence Check?

A DVLA licence check is an online assessment of a person's driving licence information kept by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in the UK. It provides details such as:

• Licence validity, which confirms if the licence is currently valid.
• Disqualifications, revealing any periods where the person was disqualified from driving.
• Endorsements, showing penalty points or other endorsements on the licence.
• Licence expiry date, which indicates when the licence will expire.
• Vehicle types allowed, listing the categories of vehicles the person is qualified to drive.

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Who Conducts DVLA Licence Check?

In most cases, employers who hire people to drive vehicles conduct DVLA licence checks. This verification is an important step because it is their duty to make sure that the driver they are employing has the right licence and qualifications. 

Of course, car renting companies can also conduct DVLA licence checks to establish a person's driving eligibility. 

The Importance of DVLA Licence Checks

For organisations, conducting DVLA licence checks is not just for formality. It serves to:

Ensure the safety of employees and the public 

Verifying that employees who drive for work have valid licences and clean driving records is crucial for the safety of the employees themselves, other road users, and the general public.

Hiring employees with a clean driving record reduces the risk of accidents or incidents that may occur while performing job-related driving tasks. 

Prioritise compliance

In the UK, it's a legal requirement for employers to verify the driving eligibility of anyone who drives on behalf of the company. Failure to do so can result in severe penalties, including fines and potential liability in case of accidents.

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Safeguard the validity of insurance

Most insurance policies for company vehicles require that all drivers have valid licences and meet certain criteria. DVLA checks help ensure that the company's insurance remains valid.

Protect company reputation

Hiring drivers with poor driving records can negatively impact a company's reputation, especially if an accident that causes damage to properties, injuries, death happens. Conducting DVLA checks demonstrates a commitment to safety and responsible hiring practices.

How to Conduct DVLA Licence Checks: A Guide for Employers

Generally, DVLA checks are easy to conduct as the information can be verified online provided the employer has the details they need to access the database. 

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Step 1: Get the candidate’s written consent

The first step is to obtain the candidate’s written consent. The consent should clearly state that they willingly provide the details needed for the DVLA check, and that they allow you to access their information.

Remember, it’s a criminal offence to obtain personal information without the individual’s permission. Driving information is personal to the candidate - obtaining it without the necessary consent is illegal. 

Step 2: Access the candidate’s driving information online

Once you have obtained the candidate’s written consent, ask them details you need to check their driving information. You need:

• The last 8 digits of their licence number
• Their check code 

Once you have these details, you can proceed here.

Step 3: Conduct the check

Once you have the access to the candidate’s licence information, you will be able to access their driving record, including licence status, endorsements, and penalty points. With these, you can now verify if they have the right licence and qualifications to drive the vehicle required for the role. 

Moreover, you can check against your company’s policies - what qualifications would get the candidate hired? 

Choosing the Candidate: Legal Requirements and Company Policies 

Initially, after obtaining the candidate information, the hiring team conducts the basic verification. Is the candidate’s licence valid? Can they drive the vehicle required for the role? According to the official guide, here are some things an employer must look into:

• Age and licence of the candidate as it indicates the type of vehicle they can drive. For example, the licence to drive lorries, minibuses or buses is only valid until the driver is 45. After that, their licence must be renewed every 5 years until they reach 65. At 65, licence renewal should be yearly. 
• Qualifications. Professional lorry, bus and coach drivers must posses not only their licence but also their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC); this requires them 35 hours of training every 5 years. 
• Need for tachographs. A tachograph is a device fitted to vehicles, primarily commercial trucks and buses, that automatically records the vehicle's speed, distance travelled, and the driver's activity. Depending on the situation, your employee may need this. 

After this comes the more in-depth verification based on your policies. For example:

• Experience - Have they been driving for a while now, or is their licence relatively new? What terrains are they comfortable with?
• History - Have they been flagged for any issue that may affect how they would fulfil their role? 
• Mileage - Do you require that they are experienced in long-haul driving? 
• Accidents - What accidents have they been involved in? Are there concerning patterns that may be relevant for the job? 

Helping the Candidate Get their Check Code

Should a candidate have some inquiries on how to generate their check code, you can help them with the following instructions:

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• Prepare the necessary details, which include: some text
  • their driving licence number
  • their National Insurance number 
  • the postcode on their driving licence
• Next, they can view their information online via this tool.
• Create the check code. Below their information page, there’s an option to “share licence details.” Clicking that leads them to another page where they can:some text
  • Create a code
  • View all the codes they have generated so far, whether they are active, viewed, or expired. Viewed means the person they gave it to has accessed their driving information. 

The code is case-sensitive and expires in 21 days.  

Use DVLA Checks Along with Other Background Checks to Help Ensure Right Hire

While DVLA checks are essential for assessing a candidate's driving record, they offer a limited scope of information. To further minimise the risk of hiring individuals who may pose a threat to safety, employers should consider implementing a broader background screening process. This may include:

• DBS Checks: These checks reveal any convictions or pending charges that could indicate a history of violence, theft, or other concerning behaviour. 
• Identity Verification: Verifying a candidate's identity helps prevent fraud and ensures you have accurate information for other background checks.
• Employment History Verification: This confirms the candidate's work experience and can uncover any discrepancies or gaps in their employment history.
• Reference Checks: Speaking with former employers and references can provide valuable insights into a candidate's past performance, reliability, and character. 

The good news is, DVLA licence and these background checks can be easily performed when you partner with a trusted background screening platform, such as Veremark. 

Trust Veremark for Your Background Check Needs

For your DVLA check and other background screening needs, trust Veremark. We offer easy, automated, and straightforward background screening to reduce risk with reliable candidate verification tailored to any industry and role. 

With no lock-in contracts, you can pay as you go for employment checks, choosing from a selection of online background checks for employment, with 24/7 global customer care support. Veremark's screening process keeps you informed, accelerating your time to hire.

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