Tag: driver compliance

Employee getting into a grey fleet vehicle

Check Your Grey Fleet Or Risk Non-Compliance

14th March 2023 No Comments Grey Fleet

In recent years, factors such as COVID-19, the limited availability of new car registrations, and the cost-of-living crisis, have encouraged many employers to move away from offering company cars. In addition, companies like Deliveroo and Uber have largely embraced this, with the majority of their drivers using their own cars. Now, more privately owned vehicles, or cars funded through cash allowance schemes, are used for work-related journeys instead. Known as the ‘Grey Fleet’, according to the BVLRA, there are roughly 14 million of these vehicles currently on UK roads*.

Despite many employers relinquishing ownership of company cars, they’re still responsible for checking that every driver has a valid licence, and that vehicles used during working hours are fit for purpose. This applies to organisations in both the private and public sectors – some of which rely on thousands of Grey Fleet vehicles.

Whether managing five or five thousand drivers, it’s essential Fleet Managers have the tools to support their team. Otherwise managing compliance can be incredibly risky and time-consuming. Luckily, Licence Link – the digital licence checking solution – automates the job, relieving hours of admin and reducing the risk of missed licence checks.

Many employers still handle licence checking in-house – maintaining spreadsheets, diarising reminders, manually inputting driver details online, and gaining approval for every check. It’s easy to see how a driver could slip beneath the radar. For fleets looking for a faster and more reliable option, Licence Link streamlines the entire process, managing Grey Fleet and company car drivers as one.

Here’s how:
  • Employers can get fast, digital approval from their drivers. It takes just minutes to sign an eDeclaration, can be completed from their phone, and lasts three years.
  • Set auto alerts in advance of upcoming checks.
  • Alter the frequency of checks based on driver risk or vehicle category.
  • Schedule in advance to prevent missed endorsements.
  • Licence Link returns results in real-time – reducing downtime and delays.
  • All previous checks are readily accessible in the reporting suite.

With Grey Fleet vehicles accounting for a significant (and growing) percentage of those used for business travel, it’s important employers don’t overlook licence checking for this category. Failing to do so could result in hefty fines, invalidated insurance or endangering other road users – regardless of whether the business owns the vehicle or not. Licence Link is cost-effective, hassle-free, and user-friendly, so there’s no excuse for non-compliance.

References:

*BVRLA, Grey Fleet, https://www.bvrla.co.uk/industry-campaigns/air-quality/grey-fleet.html#:~:text=There%20are%20an%20estimated%2014,up%20to%20%C2%A35%20billion. [Accessed 10/03/23]

Festive checks - winter driving conditions

Don’t let your responsibilities slip this festive season

13th December 2022 No Comments Advice for HR Teams, Driver Compliance

With the festive rush in full swing, it’s tempting for fleets to cut corners, especially with extra orders to fulfil and deliveries to be scheduled ahead of Christmas. Many fleets will be feeling the pressure – whether distributing parcels, delivering pizzas, or managing public transport routes. It’s vital that Fleet Managers stay on top of licence checking to avoid costly consequences, keeping their business sleighing ahead into the New Year.

Many fleets still coordinate driver checks in-house or use inadequate solutions, leaving their (already stacked) HR team to handle hundreds of checks and approvals. Adopting a system like Licence Link – with automated alerts, digital approvals, and real-time results – is a fast-track way to prevent missed endorsements, unexpected downtime, and skyrocketing stress levels. Here’s how…

Prevent your HR team from getting snowed under with excess paperwork

Fleets using the free online checking service (aimed at individual drivers) will spend hours inputting driver details and liaising with their team to manually approve checks. Licence Link helps avoid the associated bottlenecks and delays, whilst eliminating the need to gain approval each time.

Fleet Managers can automate alerts for every driver, so there’s no need to keep a manual record of upcoming checks. Whether you have 20 or 200 drivers, this is a significant time-saver, preventing the risk of missed endorsements. In addition, the HR team can ask drivers to sign a digital declaration straight from their phone – taking seconds. Approval lasts for three years, allowing the business to carry out unlimited checks, without continuously chasing for approval.

Protect the safety of other road users this Winter

As the weather turns, wet and icy driving conditions inevitably lead to an increase in road traffic accidents. Be sure all your team has a valid licence to minimise risk to other road users! Systems like Licence Link provide real-time results on driver checks. Another key factor is the maximum points covered by insurance providers. It’s essential to monitor any drivers at risk of exceeding this threshold, or fleets could unknowingly invalidate their policy. With Licence Link, HR teams can increase the frequency of checks for drivers in the high-risk zone. Ensure new points are quickly identified, and appropriate actions are taken.

Avoid unanticipated downtime impacting busy delivery schedules

With many fleets facing a spike in demand over the holiday, it’s key they have enough drivers to manage delivery schedules. An unexpected disqualification or exclusion due to excess points could be detrimental during the seasonal demand surge – leading to disgruntled customers, complaints, and excess stress on the remaining team. Licence Link provides Fleet Managers with complete visibility, enabling them to mitigate this risk. They can instantly access driver data at every branch. This enables them to determine which team members are nearing the threshold, allocating schedules accordingly. Alternatively, they can arrange a plan B or ensure extra drivers are on standby to minimise disruption.

Be sure your fleet complies and ace the festive rush

To get ahead and avoid disruption, businesses that coordinate licence checking in-house should re-evaluate. For a small fee per check Fleet Managers can mitigate disruption, save time, and ensure their schedules run efficiently. So, if your HR team is under pressure during this festive period, get ahead by adopting an automated solution, like Licence Link.

Get in touch today at: www.licencelink.co.uk

Digital Approvals

GDPR, and the Benefits of Licence Checking

15th January 2019 No Comments GDPR Compliance

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) had a huge impact on employers when implemented by the DVLA on the 25th May 2018. To help customers prepare, Licence Link provided the tools required to comply with GDPR, built into their licence checking system. These included digital approvals – enabling employers to quickly attain approval from drivers before checking their licence, and automatic alerts – notifying HR teams when an employee’s approval is due to expire (after 3 years).

Licence Link makes it easy for fleet customers to meet their duty of care requirements – as they did with GDPR. This removes the hassle from the process. Licence Link also offers many other useful features for customers to benefit from, including:

Driver, CPC and Tacho checks

When using Licence Link’s driving licence checking service, customers can also check CPC and Tacho cards at no additional cost. This makes the process simpler for employers, who can complete all three checks in one system.

Driver Association

Employers can also keep check of associated drivers’ records. These include anybody outside the business who drive the company vehicles, such as an employees’ spouse, partner or children. It’s crucial to check every driver (employed or not), as they could impact the groups’ insurance policy. Any excessive points or endorsements could breach the terms and conditions, or invalidate the policy altogether.

Employers can easily link the associated drivers’ records to the employee, making it easy to check they have a valid licence and are safe to be on the road. If the employment comes to an end, all associated records are removed from the system, eliminating the risk of a GDPR breach.

Driver Approvals

Licence Link’s digital process speeds up the time taken to gain driver approval. There’s no need to send, scan or sign paper mandates. The fully electronic process automatically alerts each driver with an approval request, enabling them to accept from their mobile device in just moments. This removes the time, hassle and administrative burden on the business.

Conclusion

With three-in-one checks, regular system updates and the valuable features in Licence Link, customers can benefit from significant process efficiencies and time savings. This makes it easy to comply with the law.

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