Posted: Friday 21 August 2015
If you were hoping to someday rid yourself of the need to check the driving licences of your employees by utilising driverless cars, we have both good and bad news. The good news is that we are one step closer to driverless cars with the release of an official government rulebook outlining how companies can test their vehicles. The bad news is that we are nowhere close to having driverless cars dominate the roads. Moreover, when and if they do, it is likely that operators will need a full driving licence just in case something goes wrong.
Posted: Wednesday 19 August 2015
According to regulations currently in place, drivers suffering from certain medical conditions must surrender their licences every 12 months and apply for renewal. In the time it takes for the DVLA to complete the renewal review process, drivers can still legally operate on UK roads by obtaining a letter from the regulator giving them permission to do so. One would think renewal should only take a few weeks, but that is not necessarily the case – as was discovered by a Polish driver who lives and works in the UK.
Posted: Tuesday 11 August 2015
The minimum driving age in the UK is currently 17. When a child reaches that age, he or she can begin training in preparation for passing a practical skills test. Nonetheless, what happens if someone under the age of 17 is caught driving illegally? The courts may ban him or her from driving in the future. Sounds reasonable, right? Yet there is a problem with the way the law is currently implemented.
Posted: Tuesday 04 August 2015
Transitioning to the discontinuation of the paper driving licence counterpart has been anything but smooth. Even after being delayed by six months in its implementation, putting the system in place has resulted in complications that the government either did not see coming or did not think would be such a big deal. Now fleet operators are calling for more changes to the system in the very near future.
Posted: Tuesday 28 July 2015
It does not take much for a new law to have a profound impact here in the UK. As a case in point, a piece of 2013 legislation known as 'Cassie's Law' has resulted in the revocation of more than 600 driving licences after individuals demonstrated they could not pass a vision test. Imagine one of those drivers being a trusted worker who usually operates your company vehicles.
Posted: Tuesday 14 July 2015
More than a month after the abolition of the paper driving licence counterpart, the government has acquiesced on one of the programme's most controversial points: the 72-our policy regarding access codes that consumers can use to provide licence information for car hire. Codes are now good for three weeks at a time.
Posted: Thursday 09 July 2015
It has been more than two years in the making. Now that it is finally here, the inclusion of the Union Jack on British driving licences seems a bit anti-climactic. It is significantly less important when one considers the challenges now being faced as a result of phasing out the paper counterpart. Nonetheless, your next driving licence will feature the Union Jack along with the EU banner if you live in England, Wales, or Scotland. Northern Ireland is exempt for now.
Posted: Thursday 02 July 2015
At Fleet Licence Check, it may seem as if we always repeat ourselves about the need for companies to check the driving licences of the workers operating company vehicles. Yet there is a very good reason we do this. Running afoul of the law can quickly become a nightmare due to complicated regulations, lack of cooperation, and downright ignorance. A recent case from Surrey provides a perfect illustration.
Posted: Tuesday 23 June 2015
The nation's fleet managers must always do everything in their power to make sure drivers are operating company vehicles in a safe and proper manner. There is a lot to consider in this arena. Now, a recent conviction in West Yorkshire gives fleet managers something new to think about as they seek to comply with the law: lane hogging.
Posted: Thursday 11 June 2015
It is now officially here. From 8 June, the paper counterpart to the UK driving licence has been abolished in favour of a computer database used to keep track of driver violations and penalties. With at least one organisation warning drivers to not throw away their paper counterparts just yet, we cannot help but wonder if the warning also applies to those who drive vocationally.