Licence Check has launched a new text message-based method of driver authorisation in its DAVIS driver and vehicle risk platform; helping to speed up the process and also support remote working.

The SMS E-Approval process is the latest way for drivers to grant permission to have their licence checked within Licence Check’s cloud-based DAVIS (Driver and Vehicle Information Solution) platform

Called SMS E-Approval, it is thought to be an industry-first and is the latest way for drivers to grant permission to have their licence checked within Licence Check’s cloud-based DAVIS (Driver and Vehicle Information Solution) platform.

The new solution has been timed to launch ahead of the forthcoming third anniversary of GDPR in May; Licence Check warned last month that many companies will now find that a significant proportion of their driver permissions will expire and need renewing in the coming weeks and months, after businesses re-mandated drivers three years ago.

The SMS option, originally intended to overcome driver reluctance to provide email contact information, will also help remote working and social distancing as lockdown rules of some form remain in place.

The automated process uses text messages to initiate and complete the permission process directly to the driver’s mobile phone and bypasses the need for the driver to actually log into the DAVIS application to provide assent. The process includes a two-factor authentication check to confirm identity.

Licence Check general manager Terry Hiles said: “Despite the progress towards gradual relaxation of lockdown, it is important that social distancing is maintained and the SMS method is another way to ensure that vital duty of care checks to protect the wider public can continue.

“We believe SMS E-Approval to be an industry-first but most importantly, we believe this to be the one of the quickest end-to-end process for obtaining driver permission,” he continued.

DAVIS now offers a total of six methods of capturing and recording driver permissions, offering a solution for almost every eventuality and circumstance.