Licence to check with Driver Hire
Transport and logistics recruitment specialist Driver Hire has emphasised the importance of ensuring the compliance of driving staff, to safeguard fleets’ O-licences and FORS (Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme) listings.
It is the transport manager’s responsibility to check that their drivers all have a correct and valid licence for the work they’re undertaking, points out Driver Hire; and, at a more micro level, they may wish to keep an eye on a specific driver who they feel may be piling up penalty points.
But keeping tabs on drivers in a busy transport office, where there are phones ringing constantly and a steady stream of messages and emails to deal with, can be a challenge. Nonetheless, for good operational reasons, and in line with clear recommendations from the traffic commissioner, it remains a task that must done.
The past few years have seen a number of licence checking services coming onto to the market to help transport managers maintain essential checks on their drivers.
Driver Hire Training – the training arm of Driver Hire – offers a well-established service with its dh Licence Check product. It currently carries out around 175,000 checks annually, for its 400-plus customers.
“Regular licence checking is the basis of driver compliance,” said Sam Ennis, business development manager at Driver Hire.
“When choosing a service, make sure it’s officially linked to DVLA. Another essential is that the service delivers a permanent and secure audit trail.”
Key features of dh Licence Check highlighted by the firm include the ability to set specific parameters to meet the needs of individual organisations. Users can run checks at a schedule to suit their requirements – monthly, quarterly or more frequently if required. The settings can be adjusted for particular depots or even an individual driver, so that compliance activity can be highly targeted.
“Data is presented via an easy-to-use dashboard,” continued Sam.
“Red and amber alerts highlight any causes of concern. And the portal also allows you to monitor and even book training for your team – especially important with a Driver CPC deadline looming in 2024. Everything you need is in one place.”
A further convenience feature is Snap Onboarding. This enables a transport manager to add each driver to the system simply via a picture of a driver’s licence taken on a phone, which then triggers the driver consent process online. It removes almost all of the hassle associated with checking drivers’ licences, says Driver Hire.
“dh Licence Check is part of a portfolio of services from Driver Hire Training all designed to assist with compliance,” Sam concluded.
“Our Transport Manager Refresher and OLAT courses, for instance, are another way of helping transport operators to implement a robust compliance regime in their business.”
