Tag: licence check

Car dealership staff member working on vehicle

Dealer Groups Save Hours with Real-Time Checks

3rd May 2022 No Comments Automotive, Real-time licence checking

Car dealer groups, often employing up to 100 employees per branch, must regularly check their employees’ driving licences. With a large percentage of dealership staff required to test-drive or manoeuvre stock, deliver courtesy vehicles, or even re-fuel, they must have a valid licence.

With the current chip crisis affecting new vehicle supply (and sales), it’s critical that automotive groups minimise hassle, cost, and delays elsewhere, in order to operate as efficiently as possible. Using an automated licence checking tool like Licence Link is a significant time-saver – enabling dealers to get staff to get behind the wheel quickly and safely. Will Blackshaw, Managing Director at Blackshaws explains –

“As a dealership, Licence Link really helps us. We’ve got many staff members who drive – especially in a workshop environment, with multiple technicians driving customers’ cars. It’s absolutely paramount that they are being driven legally and within our insurance parameters.

Our insurance company like to see the reports, it helps reduce our premium – everyone enjoys a reduction in their premiums! And obviously, we need to have the confidence that our drivers are compliant and legal.”

Why Must Dealers Check their Team Members’ Licences?

Dealers that fail to check their employees’ licences risk severe consequences – from legal action to fines to invalidated insurance policies. If staff are caught with excess endorsements or disqualifications, it could cost the business thousands.

For a small cost per check (less than a high-street cappuccino), dealers can be certain that every driver in their business complies. Even in a small or family-owned business, employers should not rely solely on the trust and discretion of their staff. Even a loyal employee may unknowingly attain points, resulting in the employer being held liable. It’s quick, easy, and secure to run checks with a tool like Licence Link, and all data is quickly accessible via their handy reporting suite.

“Licence Link is very easy to use. Frighteningly, it identified quite a few concerns and issues that staff weren’t aware of, with licence expiries coming up. For any new driver, we put their information in the system and get a check done. In seconds, we know what their status is from a driving compliance point of view. It works really well and it’s so simple” – explains Blackshaw.

Benefits of Regular Licence Checks

Following the pandemic, most dealers have digitalised their processes. As a result, they were able to reduce paperwork, increase data security, and boost convenience. Licence Link falls perfectly in line with these new standards, offering a fully digital permissions process. Dealers gain digital approval to check their team’s licences via a simple email link, with permission that lasts three years. This streamlines the outdated manual process to alleviate delays, and consequently save hours for HR teams.

Multi-site groups can easily manage driver transfers with Licence Link. Similarly, systems that offer multi-branch reporting provide an overview of every driver and branch, so management can maintain complete control when handling compliance.

In short, dealer groups see substantial benefits when using an automated licence checking tool, freeing up time and providing assurance. To find out more about the benefits of licence checking, get in touch today.

Take check of your drivers, or your fleet could end up in hot water

9th July 2021 No Comments COVID-19

With the lifting of coronavirus restrictions fast approaching, business owners should be prepared. According to Licence Link, the return to ‘normality’ could see a spike in driver endorsements – following the imminent reopening of nightlife and the return of commuters. Now it’s time to take stock of your drivers’ licence points or risk serious consequences.

According to figures released by DVLA, 92,000 UK drivers already have between 9 and 11 points on their driving licence, making them a high risk to employers. * This figure is only set to rise too – with motorists having racked up a hefty 1.5 million points during the first half of 2020 alone, amidst a full lockdown. **

With these figures in mind, it’s crucial to consider how your business may be affected if your staff were to incur points – whether they’re employed as a driver, have access to a grey fleet vehicle, or are insured on your fleet policy. For example, being convicted of drink driving, speeding, or using a mobile behind the wheel – even out of working hours – could result in anything from 3 points to a driving ban. From invalidating your insurance to rendering your business temporarily driverless, this could have a serious impact.

What’s more, if the employee fails to disclose this information, your business could be held liable for fines (or worse), so it’s imperative to always keep check of drivers. With Licence Link’s real-time licence checking tool, Fleet Managers can set automated checks for their workforce – reducing the risk of missed or undeclared points. They can flag high-risk drivers to check more frequently too, providing peace of mind that new endorsements will be identified quickly.

Melvin Jeffers, Sales and Customer Relations Leader at Licence Link explains:

“With thousands of employees still awaiting a return to the workplace, its inevitable HR teams will be overrun in preparation. Using Licence Link is a significant time-saver, safeguarding against the risk of missed checks. It’s so easy to make mistakes when tracking results manually, often for hundreds of drivers. For less than a few pounds per check, you can be sure your staff have a valid licence and pose no risk to your business. Your HR team can focus on other priorities, with no hassle of managing compliance.”

With the lifting of restrictions just weeks away, now’s the time for businesses to prepare – identifying high-risk drivers, checking the terms of insurance, and scheduling regular driver checks. All this can be managed seamlessly with a provider like Licence Link.

References for figures:

*  THISISMONEY.co.uk, 2021, ‘On the brink of a driving ban: Britain has 92,000 motorists with between 9 and 11 points on their licence – and are just one offence away from losing it.’, [online]. Available from: https://bit.ly/3hmjoGy [Accessed: 08/07/21]

** TTC Protecting people on the move, 2020, ‘Motorist speeding offences soar during lockdown’, [online]. Available from: https://bit.ly/2TEjboZ [Accessed: 08/07/21]

Team back from furlough? Don’t forget to check their licences

7th May 2021 No Comments Advice for HR Teams, COVID-19

More employees are returning to the workplace – some for the first time in months, as the UK lockdown continues to ease. Licence Link urges employers to take precautions before returning team members to the road again – a simple licence check can save getting stung.

During the furlough period, many businesses temporarily paused their routine licence checks for absent team members. It’s important to be aware of any driving convictions incurred, affecting their licence, before staff return. Failure to check could result in devastating consequences for a business.

From clocking points for a speeding ticket to more serious convictions, if an employee fails to disclose a change to their licence, their employer could face penalties. This includes insurance exemptions (above a certain level of points), driver downtime (loss of licence) or even breaking the law. Failure to check can result in hefty fines, or worse.

Over 2.8 million motoring offences were issued in 2018 and 2019* alone. Although the pandemic will have affected this volume for 2020/1, it clearly shows that motoring offences are not a rarity – so they should be anticipated. Employers are naive if they fail to take precautions as part of their duty of care, they must ensure the safety of other road users and essentially cover their backs.

Melvin Jeffers, Sales and Customer Relations Leader at Licence Link explains:

“As a business, your staff are your responsibility – why risk it? With Licence Link, each check costs less than a cup of coffee. We return the results in real-time, so there’s no delay when it comes to getting your team back on the road. It couldn’t be easier.”

For businesses with drivers yet-to-return from furlough, don’t forget to check licences before employees take to the wheel – it could save your business thousands.

NHS driver checks

Licence Link API gets key workers on the road quicker

15th March 2021 No Comments COVID-19

Licence Link has assisted the NHS throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Coinciding with the early stages of the pandemic, the Birmingham-based driving licence checking firm introduced a new API for NHS Fleet Solutions, speeding up the driving licence checking process for employees.

A representative of NHS Fleet Solutions shared how the API has been beneficial:

“During COVID-19, our NHS teams and key workers have worked tirelessly around the clock. Licence Link made it simple for us to check and manage the driving licences from public sector employees applying for lease cars.”

With increased pressure on the emergency services, the API was introduced at the ideal time, vastly speeding up the process to check licences for key workers. Many public sector staff get their lease cars through NHS Fleet Solutions, so the API made the process much faster for all, eliminating rekeying between systems. Admin staff now only have to input licence data once – returning results quickly and seamlessly.

With Licence Link, key workers can authorise checks to their licence electronically.

Licence Link’s API will continue to provide value and speed up the process for key workers to lease a vehicle through NHS Fleet Solutions.

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