We all know that there is a huge shortage of drivers at the moment, and anyone with an HGV or even a standard driving licence is in high demand. Although finding a driving vacancy might be straightforward, that doesn\u2019t mean you can walk straight in, pick up the keys and start work right away. Anyone applying for a driving job will be expected to show their driving licence, as will anyone who is given a company car or pool car as part of their role, even occasionally.<\/p>\n
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Employers will most commonly ask for driving licences for insurance purposes. We all know that our personal insurance premiums will go up when we get points for speeding or other motoring offences. The same is true for corporate insurance policies held by our employers. Points on your licence isn\u2019t unusual; around 10% of all UK drivers have points. All employers ask is that you let them know about any points you rack up, whether on business or personal trips. Not telling your employer about points could not only cause huge insurance headaches if you are involved in an accident, but as there\u2019s often a clause in your contract about keeping your employer informed, it could cause work issues too.<\/p>\n
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The driving test and entitlements have been tweaked several times over the years and not everyone who has a current licence is allowed to drive the same classes of vehicles. Anyone who passed their driving test in 1996 or earlier is allowed to drive fairly large vans on a standard lorry, but as of 1st January 1997, the entitlement changed and people who passed after this date can only drive a van up to 3,500kg in weight. Employers who operate a fleet of vans or lorries of different sizes will want to see your driving licence to check what you\u2019re allowed to drive and work out whether some employees will require to sit an additional test to drive bigger vans. Employers have a duty of care too \u2013 they can\u2019t just assume you\u2019re telling them the truth that you have an HGV licence. They\u2019re going to want to see proof.<\/p>\n
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Employers have to get your permission to run any checks on your personal details, including driving entitlement. Often, people applying for driving jobs will be asked to bring their licence to interview with them, or scan and upload their details ahead of time. Employers can check entitlement to drive online using a code which the employee generates, in exactly the same way as car hire companies will check out a driver. These online checks are only available for driving licences issued in the UK, which is why many employers will encourage overseas hires to take a UK test as soon as possible. Employers generally have a policy of asking workers to supply their licence again on a regular basis, usually every year or two years. Employers also have a duty to keep scans or photocopies of driving licences securely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We all know that there is a huge shortage of drivers at the moment, and anyone with an HGV or even a standard driving licence is in high demand. Although finding a driving vacancy might be straightforward, that doesn\u2019t mean you can walk straight in, pick up the keys and start work right away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[34],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n