Posted: Friday, 03 June 2016
If you employ or contract foreign drivers for your fleet, it is important to check their licences. Employing somebody who is not able to drive legally in the United Kingdom is an offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Our licence checking service allows you to carry out foreign licence validation checks. This service is available to customers on our Advanced and Premium plans. It may be the case that a foreign driver has accumulated penalty points since arriving in the UK, in which case our licence checking service will make you aware of them.
Drivers who produce a European Union driver's licence are entitled to drive in the United Kingdom without limitation. However, as with a UK full licence the driver must be entitled to drive the category of vehicle which they operate.
Drivers who produce a non-EU driver's licence may drive in the United Kingdom for up to 12 months from the date they became a resident. After 12 months they must pass a UK driving test to be allowed to continue to drive in the United Kingdom. Some countries are exempt from the above however. These include Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Japan. Drivers with such a licence can drive without limitation, however they must exchange their licence for a full UK licence if they reside in the UK for more than 12 months.
The last thing you want as a reputable business is to fall foul of the law and so we strongly advise fleet operators thinking about taking on a foreign driver to thoroughly vet them.
The best way to do this is with our driver licence checking service. By carrying out a check of this type, you will meet your duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act and under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. In addition to checking licences, we also recommend you obtain and follow up references and ensure that each driver fully understands UK traffic law, including the highway code, driving hours and tachographs.
For help and guidance with licence checking, or to find out more about licence checking and foreign drivers, simply give our friendly and expert team a call today on 02070 604 860.