Driver licence checks are not "one-off" exercise, says CFC
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 (ACFO) 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.
Mr Briggs said: '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.'