One in five fleets failing to regularly recheck driving licences, finds CFC

One in five fleets is failing to regularly recheck driving licences after carrying out an initial check, fleet software market leader CFC Solutions has found.

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The company reports that around a fifth of companies that have undertaken checks using its Licence Link software do not have any plans to see if the status of their drivers has changed – notably by gathering more penalty points – even though advice from the Association of Car Fleet Operators is to recheck every six months.

Neville Briggs, managing director at CFC, said: "There is varying guidance on how often driving licences should be rechecked with the DVLA. ACFO recommends every six months but we recommend that if a driver has a high number of points – eight or more – then their employer should be running a check much more often, perhaps every month.

"However, what has surprised us is the relatively high number of fleets who appear to be treating driving licence checks as a ‘once only’ exercise. They use Licence Link once, take account of the results but then have no structured plans to rerun the check. It is a worrying trend and, in all probability, a duty of care failing."

CFC advises that the frequency of driving licence rechecks should be made based on how many points a driver has on their licence. For most fleets, the guidance is annually for those with no points, every six months for those with 1-3, every three months for those with 4-7, and every month for those with 8-12.

Briggs said: "This approach is based on the principle that drivers with points represent a greater risk to the fleet and that the more points they have, the higher the risk they are. This is a commonsense approach followed by all risk management specialists.

"Clearly, drivers in the highest risk categories, where they are only one or two offences away from a ban, need to be checked very regularly. They are both the highest risk from a duty of care point of view but also have the most to lose in the event of a ban – probably their job – and so are much more likely to try to hide that information."

Briggs added that what was needed among those fleets failing to recheck was a shift in the level of assumption that they made about their drivers and their licences.

He said: "Fleets that choose not to recheck are making two false assumptions - that drivers will update them about any changes and that these changes rarely happen. In fact, our experience with Licence Link is that drivers with ‘bad’ licences are willing to lie – just last week we uncovered one who had a drink-driving ban - while the points status of drivers can change very rapidly, often in course of a matter of months.

"We would urge these fleets very strongly to put a structured approach to licence rechecking in place. Otherwise, they are playing with the safety of their fleet."

Comments

[armil@trucking jobs]

i think re checking of license should be done regularly and companies must be a bit strict about it. this will ensure the safety of their fleets and they are also the one who will benefit in the long run. they should not took these things for granted because its not only the safety they are putting at stake but as well as their companies reputation.