DVLA Licence Checks: A Simpler Way for Employers to Manage Driver Screening

Managing DVLA licence checks is an important part of employing people who drive for work. Whether you’re recruiting HGV drivers, managing a delivery fleet or employing staff who use their own vehicles for business journeys, you need to know that drivers hold the appropriate licence entitlements.

But checking a licence when someone joins the business is only part of the process.

Driving records can change during employment. Penalty points, disqualifications and expiring entitlements can affect whether someone remains appropriately licensed for their role.

For employers managing large or distributed workforces, the challenge is keeping those checks consistent without repeatedly chasing drivers, collecting information and manually recording results.

This is where automated DVLA licence checking can help.

In this guide, we’ll explain how employers can simplify driving licence verification, manage driver permission, schedule repeat checks and maintain accessible screening records using EBC Global Pro.

 

What is a DVLA licence check?

A DVLA licence check allows an employer to verify driving licence information held by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

It can confirm whether an individual holds a valid driving licence, which vehicle categories they are entitled to drive and whether relevant endorsements or disqualifications are recorded.

Depending on the driver’s record, a check can provide information including:

• Driving licence status and validity dates.
• Vehicle entitlements, including relevant category restrictions.
• Penalty points and endorsements.
• Recorded driving disqualifications.
• Relevant Driver CPC and digital tachograph information, where available.

This provides employers with more current information than simply looking at a physical driving licence. However, a DVLA licence check does not provide the driver’s medical information or establish every aspect of their suitability to drive for work.

For a more comprehensive explanation of driving entitlements, employer responsibilities and the information available through a check, read our UK Driver Check guide.

 

Who should employers consider checking?

Driving licence verification is relevant to more than professional drivers.

Employers may need to consider checks for HGV and LGV drivers, delivery drivers, company car users, field engineers and employees using their own vehicles for business journeys.

The latter group is commonly referred to as the grey fleet.

Because these employees do not necessarily appear on a traditional fleet list, they can be overlooked when organisations establish their driver checking procedures.

A useful starting point is identifying everyone who drives as part of their duties, regardless of who owns the vehicle. The appropriate checks should then reflect the driving activities involved and the organisation’s risk assessment.

 

How can employers carry out DVLA licence checks?

The government’s online service allows an employer to check someone’s driving licence information using a code supplied by the driver.

The employer needs a valid DVLA check code and the last eight characters of the driver’s driving licence number.

Check codes are valid for 21 days and can only be used once. Employers must also have the driver’s permission to access their information.

Check someone’s driving licence information – GOV.UK

For a business conducting one or two occasional checks, this may be a perfectly practical solution.

However, employers managing larger workforces must consider how they will request information, record permission, review results and repeat checks when necessary.

 

Using a DVLA licence checking provider

For employers conducting regular DVLA licence checks, a screening platform can make the process more manageable.

Rather than completing each check separately, organisations can incorporate licence verification into their existing recruitment and compliance workflows.

With EBC Global Pro, employers can request DVLA checks, collect driver permission digitally, access reports and configure automatic rechecking intervals.

This can be particularly useful when driving licence checks form part of a wider screening process involving identity verification, Right to Work, DBS checks or employment history verification.

For a detailed comparison of the different checking methods, read our guide to DVLA checks for employers.

 

Why are one-off DVLA licence checks not always enough?

A pre-employment driving licence check provides a useful picture of a candidate’s recorded driving status at that point in time. However, it cannot tell an employer what might change six months later.

An employee could receive penalty points, become disqualified or have an entitlement expire after their initial check. If the organisation only verifies licences during recruitment, it may not identify those changes until a later review.

This is particularly relevant for businesses employing professional drivers or managing large numbers of employees who drive regularly.

The aim of ongoing DVLA licence checks is to help employers maintain an up-to-date picture of the driving entitlements recorded for their workforce.

 

How can employers simplify DVLA licence checks?

The biggest challenge for employers is often not completing an individual DVLA check. It is managing the process consistently across multiple employees.

For example, a recruitment team may need to verify the driving licences of new starters while an operations department manages ongoing checks for existing employees.

Without a central process, information can become spread across emails, spreadsheets and separate systems.

EBC Global Pro brings the different stages of DVLA licence checking into one screening workflow.

1. Collect and record driver consent digitally

Before accessing an individual’s DVLA driving record, employers need the appropriate permission.

With EBC Global Pro, the driver receives an invitation containing a link to their consent declaration.

The process is straightforward:

1. The driver receives an email invitation, with an optional text notification.
2. They read a declaration explaining who is requesting the information and what DVLA information will be disclosed.
3. They confirm their permission and submit the declaration.
4. A confirmation message lets them know the process is complete.

The completed declaration provides a record of the permission obtained.

For EBC’s DVLA Driver Check workflow, permission can cover repeat checks for up to three years, provided the applicable conditions continue to be met.

The declaration ends when the driver stops driving in connection with the organisation or the three-year period expires, whichever occurs first. Drivers can also withdraw permission.

This means employers do not necessarily need to request fresh permission before every scheduled check, provided the existing authorisation remains valid.

 

2. Reduce repeated data entry

When employers manage several background checks for the same candidate, repeatedly collecting the same information creates unnecessary work.

In EBC Global Pro, relevant candidate details can be populated from the application form into the DVLA Driver Check.

This includes information such as the candidate’s name, email address, driving licence number, National Insurance number and postcode.

Recruitment teams can review the details before submitting the check.

A DVLA Driver Check can also be added to a reference setting so that it becomes part of the standard screening workflow for relevant candidates.

This helps organisations establish a more consistent approach to screening without manually recreating every check.

 

3. Automate ongoing DVLA licence checks

A one-off driving licence check provides a snapshot of the driver’s record.

However, employers managing ongoing driving responsibilities may need to check licences again throughout employment.

EBC Global Pro allows employers to configure automatic DVLA rechecks at intervals of:

1, 2, 3, 6 or 12 months.

A one-off check can also be selected where repeat checking is not required.

The interval is configured at project level, allowing employers to apply a consistent checking schedule to drivers within the same project.

For example, a transport business may decide that employees undertaking frequent commercial driving require more regular checks than staff who drive occasionally.

The appropriate frequency should reflect the organisation’s risk assessment, driving activities and any relevant requirements.

At EBC Global, we recommend employers consider annual DVLA checks as a starting point, with more frequent verification where the risk profile warrants it. There is no single checking interval that is appropriate for every organisation.

Automatic rechecks continue under the conditions configured in EBC Pro while the relevant driver authorisation remains valid.

 

4. Review DVLA licence check reports in one place

Once a check is completed, the result is available through the driver’s record in EBC Global Pro.

The report provides relevant driving licence information, including recorded entitlements, endorsements and licence status.

Employers can access the most recent report while retaining visibility of previous results. This is particularly useful when an organisation conducts repeat checks, as it provides a history of the information returned over time.

For example, if a driver is checked every three months, the employer can review the reports generated at each checking interval.

The platform also provides a way to record that a returned result has been reviewed and accepted. Rather than relying entirely on separately saved documents, recruitment and compliance teams can access the information through the screening platform.

 

5. Track checks, results and upcoming expiries

For employers managing large numbers of drivers, visibility over the checking process is essential.

EBC Global Pro provides a Tracking area where employers can review DVLA checks and generate reports across selected date ranges.

The platform also provides visibility of relevant expiries, including driver consent approaching its three-year limit and driving entitlements approaching their end dates.

Checks progress through recorded statuses, helping teams understand which actions have been completed and which may require attention. Employers can also configure email recipients for returned check results.

This provides a more consistent way to manage DVLA licence checks across different teams or locations.

 

What does a DVLA licence check look like in EBC Global Pro?

For employers managing several background checks, DVLA licence verification can be incorporated into the wider candidate screening journey.

Rather than treating driving licence verification as an isolated activity, EBC Global Pro allows employers to include the check within their established screening settings.

The process involves five main steps.

 

Which employers benefit most from managed DVLA licence checks?

Managed DVLA licence checking can be particularly useful for organisations that employ large numbers of drivers, recruit regularly or need to complete repeat checks throughout employment.

 

Logistics and transport businesses

For logistics businesses, driving licence verification is an important part of managing employees who operate commercial vehicles.

Recruitment teams may need to check new drivers, while operations and compliance teams need visibility over existing employees.

Scheduled rechecking can help organisations maintain a consistent approach across different depots, teams and driving roles.

 

Recruitment agencies supplying drivers

Recruitment agencies placing drivers with clients may need to verify relevant driving entitlements before a candidate begins an assignment.

When multiple candidates are being screened at the same time, a structured checking process can help teams coordinate requirements and review results more efficiently.

 

Organisations managing grey fleet drivers

Not every employee who drives for work uses a company-owned vehicle. Grey fleet drivers use their own vehicles for work-related journeys.

These employees can be overlooked if an organisation’s driver checking arrangements focus only on company vehicles or dedicated fleet drivers.

Including relevant grey fleet employees within the organisation’s checking policy helps create a more consistent approach to work-related driving.

 

Businesses with mobile employees

DVLA licence checks can also be relevant to organisations employing field engineers, mobile care workers, construction staff and other employees who regularly travel between locations.

For these businesses, the challenge is often maintaining a proportionate checking process across employees whose primary job is not driving.

 

Managing DVLA Licence Checks Alongside Other Employment Screening

Driving licence verification is often one part of a wider pre-employment screening process, particularly for organisations recruiting professional drivers or employees working in regulated environments.

Depending on the role, employers may also need to conduct Right to Work verification, identity checks, employment history verification or relevant criminal record checks.

Managing these requirements through separate processes can mean repeatedly requesting information from candidates and reviewing results across different systems.

EBC Global Pro allows employers to incorporate DVLA licence checks alongside other relevant employment checks within a structured screening journey. This helps recruitment teams manage candidate requirements more consistently while reducing unnecessary administration.

The checks required will depend on the role and applicable requirements. For example, DBS check eligibility depends on the nature of the work, while medical fitness requirements for professional drivers must be assessed separately from the DVLA Driver Check.

 

Why choose EBC Global for DVLA licence checks?

When selecting a driving licence checking provider, employers should consider more than how quickly an individual check can be completed. The wider process is important and must be considered too.

How is driver permission obtained? Can checks be repeated when required? Are historical reports available? Can the organisation track outstanding checks and upcoming expiries?

EBC Global Pro brings these activities into a structured screening process.

Employers can manage digital driver consent, configure repeat checks, access DVLA reports and maintain visibility over screening activity through the platform.

 

A DVLA checking provider with first-hand experience

EBC Global’s DVLA checking service has also undergone a DVLA audit.

This provides an opportunity for employers to understand more about the processes and requirements associated with delivering DVLA licence checks. You can read about our experience in EBC Global’s DVLA audit article.

For organisations evaluating screening providers, understanding how driving licence information is accessed, handled and reported is an important part of the decision.

Experience DVLA licence checks with EBC Global

If you’re responsible for checking employees’ driving licences, managing driver recruitment or overseeing ongoing workforce compliance, the best way to understand a screening platform is to experience it.

EBC Global offers a free 12-day screening trial, giving employers the opportunity to explore how checks are managed through EBC Global Pro.

See how digital consent, scheduled rechecking and centralised screening records can support a more consistent approach to DVLA licence checking.

 

DVLA licence checks: Frequently asked questions