Checking driver’s licences is a key part in transport managers staying compliant and monitoring drivers penalty’s and discretions. In a recent update (April, 2022) to the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Guidance and Directions they suggest that “regular checks are carried out on the drivers’ licences (usually every 3 months)”.

This guidance suggests that driver s with a clean licence should be checked four times rather than just twice a year. Clearly drivers with points should be checked more frequently as they represent a greater risk to the business if they received more points. The frequency of checks should correlate with the number of points the driver has on their licence and the risk they present – more points leading to higher frequency in licence checks and vice versa. But the starting point should now be every 3 months.

An audit of over 12,000 drivers’ licenses conducted via Descartes SmartLicence, Driving Licence Check identified 2.5% of drivers had an expired licence or were perilously close to losing their licence with 9 or more points. In total 3000 offences were identified in the sample. And most drivers would not tell their employer if they received new points so frequent and automated checks are essential.

Through Descartes’ licence check solution SmartLicence, transport managers can use built in default or customisable licence check frequencies to give them complete control and assurance that their drivers hold a valid licence.

If you’re an existing user of SmartLicence and would like to know how to alter the frequency of your licence checks please get in touch with our service desk.

If you are not using an automated licence checking solution you can sign-up to SmartLicence for £3.50 per check or less if you are an existing user of Descartes SmartAnalysis or SmartCheck.