A Comprehensive Guide To A UK Driver Check (DVLA)

A UK Driver Check is an essential step in verifying the validity, status, and history of a driver’s license. Moreover, it provides critical insights and monitoring for employers, insurers, and organisations that rely on safe, compliant drivers at all times.

This guide will explore everything you need to know about the DVLA check process. It includes understanding what information is provided and navigating regulatory requirements. Additionally, you’ll find compliance tips and best practices. Whether you’re ensuring the legal eligibility of new hires or maintaining current driver compliance with regular re-checks, this comprehensive guide will help you leverage DVLA checks for informed, risk-free decisions.

What is a UK Driver Check?

A UK Driver Check is, indeed, a crucial due diligence process that verifies the driving records of individuals. Moreover, this check enables organisations to ensure their employees or potential hires possess valid driving licences and maintain clean driving records. As a result, it effectively mitigates the risk of hiring individuals with a history of driving offences.

How do UK Driver Checks Work?

A DVLA check is an online process that reviews an individual’s driving license information through the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

Completing a UK Driver Check is as simple as Consent, Verification, Reporting, and Repeat.

• Consent: The candidate or employee provides their consent for the check.

• Verification: The driving license details are verified against DVLA records.

• Reporting: The employer receives a report detailing the candidate’s driving history, including any convictions, penalties, or disqualifications.

• Repeat: Automatically re-run Driver Checks as many times as required before the driver’s approval mandate for auto-checking needs updating at the 3-year mark. This ensures ongoing compliance and addresses each employer’s specific risk appetite.

Where do UK Driver Check Results Come From?

The source of UK Driver Check results is, in fact, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). Additionally, the DVLA maintains comprehensive records of all driving licences issued in the UK. Specifically, this includes details of any endorsements, disqualifications, and penalty points.

Furthermore, EBC Global has integrated directly with the DVLA to ensure accuracy, reliability, and the fastest possible results.

Who Needs to Complete the UK Driver Check

DVLA checks are essential for several groups.

Employers need to complete these checks to confirm that employees who drive for work hold valid licenses and meet the required qualifications.

Car rental companies rely on them to verify that renters are eligible and legally permitted to drive.

Organisations with employees who drive also conduct DVLA checks to maintain safety, build trust, and ensure regulatory compliance.

While annual DVLA checks are common, employers are advised to increase the frequency of re-checks if an employee accumulates penalty points or regularly drives as part of their job.

Why do Employers Conduct UK Driver Checks?

It is particularly important to conduct these checks for individuals who drive as part of their job, whether they are operating company vehicles, visiting customers, suppliers, or patients. Ensuring that these employees have a valid and clean driving record is crucial for maintaining safety and compliance.

One of the main reasons for employers to run these checks annually, in addition to conducting them during pre-employment background checks, is to comply with the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. This legislation holds organisations accountable for the safety of their employees and the public.

A third of all road deaths in the UK involve someone driving for work.

By regularly verifying driving records, employers can demonstrate due diligence in preventing accidents and ensuring that their drivers are fit to operate vehicles safely.

UK Driver Check Final Report

A DVLA check provides comprehensive information about an individual’s driving record, including:

• License Validity: Confirms if the license is active, suspended, or revoked, helping employers verify legal driving eligibility.
• Disqualifications: Highlights disqualifications from serious offences, indicating potential restrictions for driving-related roles.

• Endorsements: Details any endorsements on the license, including points added for infractions, which may indicate patterns in driving behaviour.

• License Expiry Date: Keeps the license current, helping employers manage risk by tracking when renewals may be needed.
• Permitted Vehicle Types: Lists vehicle types the individual can operate, ensuring qualifications align with job driving requirements.
• Impaired Driving Charges: Shows any impaired driving charges, such as DUI, critical for safety-sensitive roles.
• Driving Limitations: Specifies any license limitations, like corrective lenses or medical needs, relevant to safe driving.
• Speeding Offenses: Lists recorded speeding offences, useful for assessing responsible driving behaviour in safety-focused roles.

View Full Example Final Report Here:

• Example Report 1 – Clean
• Example Report 2 – Endorsements
• Example Report 3 – HGV Driver

Benefits of the UK Driver Check

DVLA checks are beneficial for multiple aspects of employment and safety, including:

• Recruitment: They enable employers to assess whether a candidate is suitable for roles involving driving by verifying their license status and driving history.

• Ensuring Compliance: Regular DVLA checks help organisations meet legal and regulatory obligations, especially in sectors where safe driving is essential, like logistics, public transportation, and delivery services.

• Meeting Industry-Specific Requirements: For roles in industries with strict driving standards, such as transportation, construction, and healthcare, DVLA checks ensure employees meet the required criteria, protecting the company from potential risks.

• Protecting Road Users and Pedestrians: By confirming that drivers have safe records and valid licenses, DVLA checks help reduce risks, ultimately contributing to safer roads and enhancing public safety.

How Long Are The Checks Valid For?

It’s essential, therefore, to check a driver’s details before they begin employment to confirm they have a valid licence and meet the necessary role criteria. However, as with criminal record checks, a DVLA check is only accurate at the moment it is conducted.

As a result, many employers choose to conduct annual checks to ensure ongoing compliance and to detect any changes in the driver’s status, such as new endorsements or disqualifications.

For roles involving significant driving or higher risks (e.g., HGV drivers, taxi drivers), more frequent checks, such as quarterly or biannual, may be advisable.

Furthermore, regular checks help mitigate risks and ensure that drivers remain qualified and safe to operate vehicles. For drivers with points on their licences, increasing the frequency of checks based on the severity of endorsements is recommended.

Conduct quarterly or biannual checks using our automated monitoring to ensure no new endorsements are added. This process helps drivers stay compliant and ensures your insurance coverage remains protected.

You control how often the auto-check function runs during the 3-year mandatory DVLA approval period. Each individual agrees to this when consenting to the DVLA check.

UK DVLA Driver Statistics

Legal Compliance

It’s a criminal offence for a company to allow an employee to drive a vehicle for work without a valid licence, tax, and MOT. Employers must ensure that their employees are legally permitted to drive the vehicles they are assigned, which includes verifying the validity of their driving licences.

Previous penalties were criticised for not sending a sufficiently strong message to a company’s board of directors about the importance of good health and safety management. Regular and thorough licence checks are now a crucial part of any comprehensive duty of care policy.

Employers have both a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that their drivers are properly licensed and qualified to operate the vehicles assigned to them.

Key Regulations and Guidelines

UK Employers should also be aware of the sentencing guidelines under corporate manslaughter and health and safety legislation, which impose tougher fines for non-compliance. These guidelines, which came into force on February 1, 2016, mean that large companies could face substantial fines for serious health and safety offences, and up to £20 million fines for corporate manslaughter.

Legal Compliance

Ensuring that drivers hold valid licences helps employers comply with road traffic laws and regulations. This includes verifying that the licence is appropriate for the type of vehicle being driven (e.g., HGV, PSV).

Safety

Regular checks help identify any changes in a driver’s licence status, such as new endorsements, suspensions, or disqualifications. This is vital for maintaining safety standards and reducing the risk of accidents.

Insurance

Many insurance policies require employers to regularly check their driver’s licences. Failure to do so can result in invalidated insurance coverage. As a result, the company is exposed to significant financial risk in the event of an accident. Employers should ensure that their insurance policies cover all drivers and that regular checks are conducted to maintain coverage, especially for drivers with endorsements.

The following are just some of the main regulatory reasons why regular licence checks are crucial for employers:

Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007

Employers have a duty of care to both their employees and the public. This responsibility includes, moreover, ensuring that drivers are fit to drive and that vehicles are safe and properly maintained. Consequently, if a company fails to conduct regular licence checks and a driver with an invalid or inappropriate licence causes a fatal accident, the company could be found guilty of corporate manslaughter.

Therefore, regular licence checks serve as a key preventive measure, helping to demonstrate that the company is fulfilling its duty of care. In turn, this can be crucial in defending against allegations of corporate manslaughter.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Employers are required to ensure the health and safety of their employees, including those who drive for work.

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

The DVSA enforces road traffic laws and ensures that vehicles are in good mechanical condition, drivers are fit and competent, and that passengers or loads are carried safely.

Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC)

Professional lorry, bus, and coach drivers must hold a Driver CPC, which involves initial qualification and periodic training every five years.

Drivers’ Hours Rules

Employers must comply with rules regarding drivers’ hours to prevent fatigue. This includes keeping records of drivers’ hours, ensuring drivers take required breaks, and monitoring working time.

Ultimately, employers are legally required to regularly check that their drivers hold valid licences. It’s up to employers to make sure they are entitled to drive the vehicles they operate. This is crucial for compliance and safety.

Using EBC Global for Your Background Checks

EBC Global offers a comprehensive UK Driver Check that seamlessly aggregates data from numerous sources. By entering just a few details, you can quickly obtain a concise report with information from the DVLA. As a result, you make informed decisions to protect your organisation.

Moreover, EBC Global helps businesses stay compliant with regulatory requirements. By using our platform, you can ensure that your UK Driver Checks are both thorough and up-to-date.

To learn how EBC Global can help you with your UK Driver Check (as well as other background checks), contact us today to book a demo  our friendly sales team.

FAQ’s

What are the other Licence Check Codes on the back of UK driving licences?

The licence codes printed on the back of driving licences and indicate specific conditions or restrictions that apply to the individual. For the extensive full list of the codes, please see Driving licence codes – GOV.UK

Can I customise the frequency of the re-checking feature?

Yes, EBC Global customers can pre-set the frequency of auto-checks to every 1,2,3, 6 or 12 months.  Drivers are required to consent to checks being run on their licence for 3 years until the DVLA approval period ends. This means that drivers only have to provide their consent once every 3 years.

Multiple driver profiles can be created for auto-checks to be run at different intervals. For example re-checks would be run more frequently for drivers at risk of losing their licence.  The frequency of auto-checks can be changed at any time.

What are DVLA Licence Vehicle Category Codes?

Driving licence categories in the UK indicate the types of vehicles individuals are permitted to drive. Here are some of the main Permitted Vehicle Types (PVTs) and their descriptions:

Mopeds

• Category AM: 2-wheeled or 3-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 25 km/h (15.5 mph) but not more than 45 km/h (28 mph). This includes light quad bikes.

• Category P: 2-wheeled vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 45 km/h (28 mph) but not more than 50 km/h (31 mph) and an engine size not more than 50cc.

• Category Q: 2-wheeled and 3-wheeled vehicles without pedals, with an engine size not more than 50cc and a maximum design speed of no more than 25 km/h (15.5 mph).

Motorcycles

• Category A: Motorbikes with a power output more than 35kW or a power-to-weight ratio more than 0.2kW/kg, and motor tricycles with a power output more than 15kW.

• Category A1: Light motorbikes with an engine size up to 125cc, a power output of up to 11kW, and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.1kW/kg. This includes motor tricycles with a power output up to 15kW.

• Category A2: Motorbikes with a power output up to 35kW and a power-to-weight ratio not more than 0.2kW/kg. Motorbikes must derive from a vehicle with no more than double their power.

Cars and Light Vehicles

• Category B1: Motor vehicles with 4 wheels up to 400kg unladen or 550kg if designed for carrying goods.

Medium and Large Vehicles

• Category C1: Vehicles between 3,500kg and 7,500kg MAM with a trailer up to 750kg.

• Category C: Vehicles over 3,500kg with a trailer up to 750kg.

Buses

• Category D1: Minibuses with 16 passenger seats and a maximum length of 8 metres, with a trailer up to 750kg.

• Category D: Any bus with more than 8 passenger seats, with a trailer up to 750kg.

Trailers

• Category BE: Combination of a vehicle in category B and a trailer, where the trailer weighs more than 750kg.

• Category C1E: Combination of a vehicle in category C1 and a trailer over 750kg, provided the combined weight does not exceed 12,000kg.

• Category CE: Combination of a vehicle in category C and a trailer over 750kg.

 Additional Resources

• DVLA Check | A Guide for Candidates and Employers

• Employers responsibilities – Risk management for employees who drive at work

• A third of road deaths involve someone driving for work  New analysis shows driving for work deaths increase

• 37,500 people have been convicted of getting behind the wheel while disqualified – Thousands of drivers ‘brazenly’ ignoring bans | UK News | Sky News

• For UK employers, there is information publicly available on the government website, such as the DVLA website, which provides details on driving licences and endorsements Penalty points (endorsements): Overview – GOV.UK.