DVLA Check | A Guide for Candidates and Employers

A DVLA check is an essential background check if you employ anyone who drives on behalf of your company. This also includes third parties who have access to a company vehicle, and employees who drive their own vehicle for work-related tasks.

What is a DVLA check?

A DVLA Check provides an online view of an applicant’s driving licence information, which is held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

What will a DVLA check show?

DVLA checks will show licence validity, any disqualification, licence expiry date, vehicle types the candidate can drive, and any offences or penalty points.
It can also be used to determine whether a candidate meets industry-specific requirements.

What is a DVLA check code?

A DVLA check code is an online counterpart of your photo card driving licence.

This code allows you to view or share your driving licence information, such as your driving record, the vehicles you can drive or any penalty points or disqualifications.

The DVLA Check code replaces the paper part, which is no longer issued.

How do you get a DVLA Check code?

With your driving licence and National Insurance number to hand:

  1. Click on www.viewdrivingrecord.service.gov.uk.
  2. Click “Start”
  3. Enter your driving licence number, National Insurance number and postcode into the relevant fields, tick the consent box and click “View Now”
  4. There are four tabs near the top of the page. Click on the right-hand tab entitled “Share your Licence Information”
  5. Click “Create a code”

Why should employers take out a DVLA Check?

Failure to complete DVLA checks could lead to the hiring of unsuitably qualified or dangerous drivers. And if they are involved in an accident, and it is proved they were driving as part of their job, the organisation in question can face large fines. Also, you employers will be charged under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.

How often should I perform DVLA Checks on my employees?

It is recommended to perform these checks once a year. Employers must keep a signed copy of the driving licence, as well as the DVLA check to ensure compliance and for auditing.

In some industries, these checks are performed more regularly. Software is available to that automatically checks licences quarterly, biannually or annually; with alerts for any issues.

If an employee accumulates points on their licence, the employer should apply more regular checks for that employee.

Can I perform a DVLA Check on behalf of the employee?

Employers will require written consent from the employee or candidate before they can perform a DVLA Check on their behalf. This is because comes under the current data protection law (GDPR), as this process requires sensitive data (National Insurance number, driving licence number).

Is the government website effective for DVLA Checks?

To perform the occasional DVLA check, the DVLA check website provided by the government is fit for purpose. However, for companies with larger fleets or a lot of drivers, it is not recommended to rely on this service. This is due to the manual nature of the website and the level of administration work required.

Driving Licence Checks for Employers

DVLA Check Infographic

How can employers check driving licences?

For smaller organisations with few drivers, the DVLA check process provided by the government is straightforward. Therefore, it is easier for these companies to maintain efficiency and compliance.

For larger organisations, there is a greater need for efficiency, particularly as they perform hundreds if not thousands of DVLA checks annually. Therefore, additional requirements, including reporting, reminders, and automatic re-checking are needed. Unfortunately, the DVLA’s check service does not provide these functions.

There is software available to facilitate DVLA checks at scale. We provide this software in the form of Employment Check Pro.

Employment Check Pro provides a robust, fast, and automated employment background check platform for organisations of all sizes. In addition to providing instant background checks, Employment Check Pro also searches the DVLA database to check if the licence holder has any penalty points, endorsements or driving bans. You can also produce reports from the software, covering DVLA checks and a vast multitude of other important information.

You can also set Employment Check Pro to automatically check licences quarterly, biannually, or annually with alerts for any issues.

Like many of the organisations we work, we take information security seriously, particularly with the vast amounts of personal data being handled. As a result, we are an ISO27001-accredited organisation, with regular internal audits taken out to ensure a strong information security framework. 

To book a demo of Employment Check Pro, visit /pro/ or fill in the form below:





     

    This article is intended to provide information regarding DVLA checks in the UK. This information should be used a guide. Further information on DVLA checks can be found here.

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