Leeds-based specialist logistics company, Clipper Logistics Plc is seeing multiple benefits, including faster licence checking and greater road risk management, after switching to Licence Check’s DAVIS platform.

National driver training manager, Jon Aspden, Clipper Logistics

Clipper operates a 450-strong vehicle fleet, mainly Class One articulated and Class Two rigid heavy goods vehicles, but also including 35 light commercial vehicles and 50 grey fleet cars, with around 500 recognised drivers plus agency staff.

National driver training manager Jon Aspden, who is responsible for all driver training, risk assessment and driver profiling within the business, spent two years researching the licence checking market after deciding to switch from the previous provider and appointed Derby-based Licence Check last September following a tender process.

Since then, he’s already reported numerous benefits, including an improvement in the time taken for licence checks due to the removal of written driver mandates in favour of e-mandates; some 54% of licence checks are currently carried out by Licence Check using this method.

The business is also using the inbuilt risk profiling module through DAVIS, with those most at risk checked more frequently. The module, which monitors and records driver behaviour using telematics across the whole fleet, also identifies factors such as speeding, fuel consumption, time of journeys and location, bringing improved governance and compliance for all drivers.

Similarly, to manage its grey fleet vehicles more effectively, Clipper also employs the grey fleet module within DAVIS which manages the compliance around employee-owned vehicles. This includes verifying vehicle credentials, such as road tax and MOT, and enabling the easy upload and storage of key documents such as motor insurance policies, as well as checking for the correct level of business use cover.

“The grey fleet module allows us to manage our grey fleet vehicles as efficiently and effectively as we do our owned vehicles and ensures that we are compliant with the provisions of GDPR in terms of the safe and secure storage of sensitive data and vehicles,” explained Aspden.

“Obviously, the nature of our business, being in specialist logistics as we are, means we need to ensure all our drivers remain fully compliant at all times. And now, with DAVIS, we are confident of achieving that objective,” he added.