Driving licence checks

In order to comply with our operator’s licence, the 1988 Road Traffic Act and Royal Mail policy, we are required to carry out licence checks for all our drivers twice a year.

If you drive on behalf of Royal Mail, you can share the details of your driving licence with your manager in a number of ways. The most effective method is to use the Royal Mail Identity Verification service at GOV.UK/Verify.

Royal Mail is certified by the government to verify identities and we recommend that colleagues who need to have their driving licences checked use this method.

Licence checks must be completed for all operational drivers, managers who drive red fleet and those who have company cars or claim T&S for using their own vehicles.

What you must do

Checks are to be completed every April and October, using the Driver Details & Driving Licence Inspection Record September 2018 document which includes the following checks:

• Driving licence - Check that the licence is up to date and accurate and that the driver has not been disqualified. If you discover that a driver is disqualified remove them from driving duties immediately and seek advice from your line manager or HR business partner
• Medical conditions – If a driver declares a medical condition, please refer this to our occupational health service (OHS) and record any correspondence in the driver’s file
• Other employment declaration – If a driver declares any other employment, this must be taken into consideration when determining total driving hours and duty restrictions.

Managers must ensure that all drivers hold an appropriate and valid driver’s licence for the type of vehicle they drive. Managers should also remind drivers that it is their responsibility to report any driving licence endorsements to their manager as soon as possible, whether the endorsements were collected while driving a Royal Mail or private vehicle.

All driving licences must show the correct name and home address. Any change must be notified to the DVLA within a reasonable period (usually one month). Managers should remind drivers that a personal fine of up to £1,000 is possible for the offence of ‘withholding information’.

Please click here for further information.