Terry Hiles Appointed As New ADLV Chair Following AGM

The ADLV (Association for Driving Licence Verification, www.ADLV.co.uk ) has announced a new board following recent elections and the retirement of founding Chair Malcolm Maycock.

The new Chairperson is ADLV’s former Deputy Terry Hiles, who assisted with the incorporation of the Association back in 2014. Steve Pinchen, has been appointed as the new Deputy Chair, with Kevin Curtis remaining as Technical Director. Colin Paterson continues as Secretary and Head of Marketing.

Commenting on his appointment Terry Hiles said, “Many thanks to Malcolm for his sterling efforts over the first six years! Since our inception, we have grown significantly and are now in extremely fine shape to face the future confidently as a cohesive and well-respected fleet trade association. We wish Malcolm well for the future.

“It’s an interesting time to take over the role of ADLV Chair. With the current measures to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on drivers and vehicles directly affecting our members’ services and a looming
Brexit deadline, our respective customers need us more than ever.
“The past few months have seen unprecedented changes to our day-to-day lives; which have affected everyone. This has included the recruitment of many additional home delivery drivers, truck drivers, and an army of valiant volunteer drivers who have worked extremely hard to keep us fed and healthy. In turn, our members have ensured that this new cohort of drivers is properly qualified and safe to provide essential services and that standards did not slip. This is crucial to both compliance and road safety and underpins the basic essence of sound fleet administration. We shall soon add an even broader range of datasets and checking services as Britain enters a new independent era post-Brexit.

“Even as we prepare to leave the E.U. though, we are aware that many of our members’ customers will continue to operate across Europe and will need reliable advice and support with any new permits required for driving in the E.U. Our mission is to be full square behind these needs, so this information will form an important part of the driver compliance checks and services that our members offer in the future.”

Colin Paterson, Secretary & Marketing Head of the ADLV was also optimistic about the role of the association. He welcomed Terry’s comments adding, “I congratulate Terry on his appointment and welcome the forensic vision he brings to the Association. The awareness of the ADLV has already grown immensely. Fleets keen to ‘know their drivers’ have found us to be a valuable ally in preventing the consequences of failing to maintain good driver data. Looking forward, we are working hard to build this
awareness further and in addition hope to launch a number of new fleet datasets and services over the coming year.”

Kevin Curtis, the sole remaining founding member of the ADLV board commented “As we continue to evolve as an association, I’m delighted Terry has stepped up to the role of Chairman, and I’m sure his pragmatic approach will continue to help shape our future. With the global pandemic affecting fleets not only in the UK but across the planet, there’s never been a more important time to leverage technology to allow fleets to remotely cover their compliance and ensure we keep the roads and their drivers safe. I’d also like to personally thank Malcolm for his input and dedication over the past 6 years and wish him well with his future endeavours.”

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ADLV urges fleets to maintain online driver checking as lockdown eases

The ADLV (the Association for Driver Licence Verification www.ADLV.co.uk

is urging fleets to maintain frequent online checking of driving licences as the UK lockdown eases. With rapidly expanded delivery fleets on one hand and a sudden increase in returning car drivers and volunteers on the other, the number of licence checks required has grown markedly. However, says the Association, it is important that pre-virus standards are maintained to avoid future road safety, compliance and regulatory failures.

Says ADLV Secretary Colin Paterson, “Whilst some of the concessions to drivers and transport regulations – such as the postponing of expired MOTs to later in the year are helpful, the ADLV does emphasise the need to maintain a core level of checking for both compliance and road safety as the lockdown eases. Cutting corners unnecessarily will store up significant problems for the future – particularly should fleets miss critical information about a driver’s status.

Terry Hiles, the ADLV’s Deputy Chair added: “Missed licence-checking is one corner to cut too many – as lockdown eases, please make sure your drivers are legally entitled to drive the vehicles in question – whether an enthusiastic volunteer or a more seasoned professional driver. Each regular licence check does highlight a potential safety risk that can be avoided by maintaining the highest standards.” 

ADLV members maintain high standards of process, security and reputation and work closely with the DVLA, so we would recommend always considering a member organisation to outsource your licence-checking.

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Colin Paterson Appointed As ADLV Secretary & Head of Marketing

Colin Paterson has been appointed as Association Secretary & Head of Marketing at the Association For Driving Licence Verification (www.adlv.co.uk). A well-known industry figure, Colin who is also Head of Marketing at DriveTech UK, part of the AA, has held a series of senior marketing and communications roles in the automotive arena including: Tracker, Vodafone Automotive and the Institute of Advanced Motorists. As Secretary of the ADLV Colin will play a central role in policy development and building on the Association’s close relationship with the DVLA.

Colin Paterson has been appointed as Association Secretary & Head of Marketing at the Association For Driving Licence Verification (www.adlv.co.uk). A well-known industry figure, Colin who is also Head of Marketing at DriveTech UK, part of the AA, has held a series of senior marketing and communications roles in the automotive arena including: Tracker, Vodafone Automotive and the Institute of Advanced Motorists. As Secretary of the ADLV Colin will play a central role in policy development and building on the Association’s close relationship with the DVLA.

Commenting on his appointment, ADLV Chair Malcolm Maycock said; “In addition to considerable sector experience, Colin brings with him impressive levels of enthusiasm and vision; especially in areas such as driver risk management and training. This makes him the ideal person to serve with the ADLV and I look forward to working closely with him across a wide range of ADLV programmes and campaigns.”

For his part, Colin Paterson welcomed Maycock’s comments adding:

”It’s a great time to join the board of the ADLV in addition to my role at DriveTech.  Since its launch in 2015 the ADLV, has evolved into a true success story. As the pre-eminent ADD enquiry tool, the ADLV now accounts for over 80% of licence checks on behalf of industry, effectively raising best practice through the quarterly verification of online licence data. Recently, it has added tacho and CPC data to its offering and there are other significant datasets due to be added in the near future too. Combined, all this drives greater fleet compliance and more efficient driver management. It has also made a major contribution to road safety.

“Over the coming months my role will be to help the ADLV publicise the great services its members offer to fleet motorists and the wider community for the good of road casualty reduction and safety compliance. This core compliance will then often encourage an even greater commitment to ensuring people driving for or on business do more to improve their driving skills. This too will help to reduce road deaths and serious collisions, and save significant costs for businesses into the bargain.”

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ADLV Urges Companies To Review Non UK Driving Licences Online Following Brexit Day

Whilst nothing regulatory is changing during the post Brexit transition period, the ADLV is urging companies to review the current actions they take in respect of Non GB licence holders driving or employed in the UK. Whilst convictions in the UK for Non UK licence holders are not shown on overseas licences, they are still recorded by the DVLA. By checking this through an ADLV member, it enables the verification of all drivers against DVLA records as a minimum requirement for someone working and driving in the UK. The ADLV is now the leading source of UK licence checks with members accounting for 9.4million of the total 13.5 million checks performed since the ADD service started in May 2015.

Malcolm Maycock Chair of the ADLV
Malcolm Maycock Chair of the ADLV

As Malcolm Maycock, Chair of the ADLV notes: 
“Whilst nothing changes for drivers leaving the UK, few companies seem to recognise the very real requirements for thoroughly checking non UK Licence holders entering the country. Whilst their physical licence identifies the country where they passed their test, an expiry date and the category of vehicle they can drive it doesn’t provide convictions which may be held at DVLA for motoring offences committed in the UK. This can be checked easily though through an ADLV member. All our members can happily advise on what checks and balances can or should put in place and will also provide advice on GB driver requirements for Europe as we move towards December 2020. By checking Non UK licences, companies maintain far greater control of risk and contribute greatly to road safety.”

He added, “Over time we shall continue to work closely with the DVLA to manage and communicate changes as they appear, although we don’t expect many before the end of the year.”

ADLV members can be reached via: www.adlv.co.uk. Companies that are unsure about a driver’s eligibility can visit: https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence . A further resource of excellent information can be found on the government’s official Brexit website: http://www.gov.uk/brexit 

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ADLV Survey Shows Clear and Pressing Fleet Demand For the DVSA To Release CPC Training Data

A recent survey by the ADLV (Association for Driving Licence Verification & Vehicles) has delivered an emphatic business case for the DVSA to allow fleets greater access to driver CPC training course attendance data. The survey of leading transport & fleet logistics managers along with compliance officers & HR directors, was conducted to encourage the DVSA to make the data available directly. The ADLV believes that the DVSA can and should do this by adding CPC course and attendance data to driver data files that are already held and made accessible by the DVLA. The ADLV believes that fleets will use this additional training data to become more compliant, administratively more efficient and to boost road safety.

The survey results revealed that training data is a crucial element of fleet driver management and compliance, with over 75% of those surveyed indicating that that they actively take CPC training courses into consideration when hiring drivers. Nearly all those surveyed carry out DQC (Driver Qualification Card) checks and whilst 17% wait for them to be presented by the driver in person, the majority (over 52%) use the DVSA temporary password look-up system. This requires a separate password to be supplied in each case.

Most respondents, are keen to end this current ‘wait for a password’ system which causes frustration and thwarts rapid onboarding. Significantly, 9 out of 10 respondents wanted course information to be available (with driver consent) either directly or through their data supplier. This, say the ADLV, could be easily achieved by adding it to existing DVLA licence data which is readily accessible.

A similarly high percentage felt that visibility of non-compliance alerts and notifications would also help greatly. In addition, over 8 out of 10 felt that if the information was available with current expiry dates, it would also help drive compliance significantly. 

Survey respondents also felt that being able to identify a driver’s training topics, through the data, would prevent course duplication and therefore save considerable sums. In helping to plan training more efficiently, it would also ensure that drivers don’t slip through the net as easily as they might. It would also remove the constant need to chase CPC certificates and facilitate greater confidence that drivers are maintaining their CPC correctly. In turn, this would also support a move to safer drivers and therein road safety.

Commenting on the results, ADLV Board Member Glyn Jones noted; “The current system is not meeting the demands of the fleet sector. However, by enabling easy open access to CPC training course data, through the DVLA, fleets could gain a single source of truth about a drivers’ training – helping them to ensure compliance, efficiency and ultimately road safety. The results of this survey are emphatic and represent a clear and pressing business case for the DVSA to change the system. If required, the ADLV would be happy to help guide them on how best to introduce and apply that change.

“We believe, that the significant benefits of making a change, will lead many fleet operators to add this data either to a driver’s existing records or utilise it in a simple bulk online format. With this in mind, the ADLV will forward these results to both the DVSA and DVLA and hopefully their response will be a positive one.”

For more in-depth results please email support@adlv.co.uk. 

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ADLV Builds DVLA Business Case For Online Fleet Access To CPC Training & Attendance Data

Kevin Curtis, Technical Director of the ADLV
Kevin Curtis, Technical Director of the ADLV

The ADLV (the Association for Driving Licence Verification & Vehicles) is polling fleet operators on the potential demand for access to online CPC training course attendance data for drivers. The data is currently collected and managed by the DVSA (the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency).

The ADLV believes that the DVSA can and should add CPC course and attendance data to driver data files held by the DVLA. In their view, a significant number of fleet operators would support the addition of the data either to a driver’s existing record or available in a simple bulk online format. With this in mind, the DVLA has asked the ADLV to put together a business case to confirm fleet industry demand for the additional dataset.
To gather the data, ADLV member companies will survey their customers over the next month, along with other relevant industry contacts who work with operators of LGVs or PSVs. The Association is also encouraging other trade associations that represent operators of trucks, buses and coaches to also circulate the survey to their memberships and therein ensure the widest possible industry response.

Kevin Curtis Technical Director of the ADLV commented, “We’ve approached the DVLA about adding additional information to the files and whilst they have certainly been constructive discussions, they were naturally keen to understand the level of demand that’s out there. By polling as wide a sample as possible we are confident that we shall generate a high response and that this will provide the DVLA with a suitable business case for adding the data.”

“Ultimately, we hope this will convert into the additional data being available to fleet users. This data is important for compliance and in knowing more about our drivers it contributes to greater Road Safety.”

The short survey is open to the end of July 2019. The ADLV urge all fleet operators to have their say and support the case being made. A link to the survey can be found here: ADLV CPC Survey

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ADLV Broadens Remit To Offer Fleets Licence, Insurance, Training, International and Grey Fleet Data Online

Date 2019: The ADLV (Association for Driving Licence Verification & Vehicles) has significantly
broadened its remit to build on its success to date from automating driver licence checking and
supplying Tacho information. In future, ADLV will seek to enable its members to access a wide range
of online datasets, including:

  • Driver Insurance Information
  • Driver Training Accreditation
  • Driver information for EU countries &
  • Grey Fleet Data

The ADLV believes that the combined data offering will help fleet managers to maintain even greater control and compliance. More importantly, it will help them contribute to Road Safety initiatives. In addition, by broadening the remit, the ADLV also expects to attract new members from around these data areas and thus represent a wider cross-section of the industry. This, in turn, will increase its ‘voice’ and influence as an industry lobby group.

Insurance data will identify insured vehicles in the UK. The data supplied will confirm that a vehicle has an active insurance policy relating to it.

As well as providing CPC expiration data from the DVLA record, there is growing demand for ADLV members to also include the detailed driver training records (CPC) in terms of the courses attended, passes / accreditation secured and dates to transport managers.

In championing grey fleet compliance, the ADLV is reviewing a number of datasets along with data available though its partners This includes: vehicle particulars (V5C), MOT status and Road Fund Licence status.

Commenting on the expanded remit ADLV Deputy Chair Terry Hiles noted, “The new data offerings represent complimentary areas that currently are not well served by existing trade associations or pressure groups. By adding the new data files, we can build on the considerable success and expertise gained from offering licence checking to date. In doing so, we can deliver additional cohesive support to fleet managers who are keen on both compliance and Road Safety. Initial soundings have been extremely positive and we expect demand to be extremely high. The influence of the ADLV as an industry lobbying group and trade association will also grow in line with this.”

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ADLV Expects Marked Growth For Online Checks By Local Authority Fleets – As DVLA Ends DLC Option

The ADLV (Association For Driving Licence Verification) is expecting a marked increase in Local Authority fleet demand for its online licence services, once the DVLA’s DLC (Driver Licence Check) service ends in December. Currently, the DLC is used to verify the licences of local authority fleet drivers and also to check the licences of local Private Hire Vehicle (PVH) taxi drivers. By using the ADLV online service, which is based on longer 3-year ‘permissions’, Local Authority users can easily automate more frequent checks than they were previously able to. This will, claims the ADLV, enhance both public and road safety.

The ADLV believes that its cutting-edge online services will prove popular as ADLV members observe a strict professional code of conduct, are ISO 27001 security compliant and are backed by full insurance protection. The service is also seen as a more convenient alternative to the individual ‘Share My Licence’ Scheme, where individual licences are verified manually with a single use time-limited credential.

Commenting on the service, ADLV Technical Director Kevin Curtis noted, “The DVLA is changing the way that driver information can be accessed and checked by local authorities for their own drivers and for PHV Drivers. They need to do this because the Government Gateway access, used by the DLVA to authenticate users of the DLC, will no longer be available after 1 December 2018.

“With the demise of this service, the ADLV expects that its online services will now prove to be extremely popular with local authority fleet managers seeking to both remain compliant and observe the highest standards of public safety. The secure online services that we offer will automate the processes involved and allow us to repeat checks over a three-year period. This actually represents a significant improvement in service levels and supports both public and road safety. With this in mind, we expect a highly positive response.

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ADLV Members Meet GDPR Compliance Rules Deadline

With the support of the DVLA, the ADLV (Association for Driving Licence Verification) now sees the ‘light at the end of the GDPR transition tunnel’. Recent GDPR based changes announced by the DVLA, meant that over 2 million drivers were required to grant new driving licence data check permissions to their fleet operator by the 25th August.  After this date no scheduled rechecks can take place using the former methods putting many drivers at risk of infringing company rules and policies until they comply.

With member companies collaborating closely as the new compliance rules came into force, the vast majority of the new mandates will have been checked and processed by the deadline, but some employers remain surprisingly complacent.

The new GDPR regulation deadline which applies to all private and public sector organisations processing Personal Data from the DVLA was seen as an incredibly narrow window by many industry observers. Fleet managers, who are legally obliged to check a drivers’ entitlement to drive, were potentially under enormous pressure to hit the August deadline.  To achieve this, ADLV members and their customers needed to ensure that the new fair processing declaration required under the new data protection legislation was seen and approved by each driver.

To ease the burden, ADLV member companies, who facilitate online licence data checking, contacted their customers promptly to advise on the new compliance requirements.

According to Terry Hiles, Deputy Chair of the ADLV, “The introduction of GDPR was a major challenge for the DVLA as the Agency managing this personal data and indeed for the driving licence checking industry itself. From a compliance perspective, all employers and third parties who are responsible for licence checking are now required to demonstrate that the new fair processing declaration has been agreed by the driver. Evidence of this needs to be stored securely in a way that can subsequently be audited thoroughly by the DVLA to ensure compliance with the new GDPR obligations. This is, in fact, excellent news for ADLV members as we are all ISO27001 accredited – and, even better, it raises the bar for security and data processing within the industry. Those organisations that are not data-secure will have to meet these exacting new standards. This is good news for both data subjects and the licence checking industry as a whole.”

“Whilst the GDPR transition has proved to be a mammoth task to be executed over an exceedingly tight timeframe, our members were always committed to ensuring that any processing is correct and complies fully with the new GDPR. In large part, with the very welcome support of the DVLA, the membership has been able to achieve this… albeit there may still be some housekeeping with outstanding customers required for some time to come.”

For those people who would like an ADLV member to contact them, please visit the contact us page on the website www.adlv.co.uk

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ADLV urges fleet managers to increase online licence check frequency for high risk drivers

Citing recent road safety figures, the Association for Driving Licence Verification (www.ADLV.co.uk ) is urging fleets to increase the frequency of driving licence checks on high risk drivers. According to new ADLV recommendations, monthly checks should be carried out on drivers with more than nine points as a matter of best-practise.

The recommendations seek to build on guidelines by the Freight Transport Association and FORS (Fleet Operators Recognition Scheme) which both recommend drivers should be checked at least bi-annually as a matter of course.

However, according to the ADLV, as a driver gets closer to losing their licence then more frequent checking makes good sense – as penalty points and potential disqualifications can happen quickly through totting up. It’s simply not enough, says the Association, for fleets to rely on staff self-declaring when they receive penalties. Rather, full compliance should be based on a managed risk-based approach.

Commenting on the new policy directive, Mark Sugden, Secretary of the ADLV commented, “Driving remains one of the most hazardous activities British employees can be expected to undertake on behalf of their employers. Britain has a high number of road fatalities and, sadly, between five and six hundred each year involve people or vehicles in work-related crashes.

“For such potentially high-risk work, one would expect driving licence checks to be frequent and thorough. But, as a recent poll revealed, some companies only run checks once a year, and many still rely on employees to inform them of any changes. When someone’s job is on the line, the sad fact is that relying on trust simply isn’t enough. Indeed, a recent RAC Insurance survey discovered that only 13% of respondents would inform their employers of penalty points that they incurred, with 25% already having points that they had previously failed to disclose. Many fleets run no follow-up checks, only checking documentation properly when new employees join. This means there could well be employees who are no longer legally entitled to drive behind the wheel, leaving their organisation wide open to considerable fines, and, in the case of an incident or crash, severe reputational damage.

“Now that licence checks can easily be made online, there is no excuse not to
automate and streamline the checking processes. This one move could contribute significantly to safer roads and fleets that ‘know their drivers’ better.”
With recent increases in penalty points for mobile phone use (up to 6 points), points can now accumulate faster than ever. In light of this, says the ADLV, fleet best-practise frequencies for licence checking need to increase. This ties in with The Traffic Commissioners’ advice that fleets should undertake checks every quarter. In addition, the ADLV believes that a risk-based ‘scaled response’ approach could help ensure maximum protection for businesses. This could be:

  • • 0-3 points – Normal risk profile – bi-annually
  • 4-7 points – medium risk – quarterly
  • 8+ points – monthly

The ADLV says that it understands that the time and expense of running checks is probably the main reason many organisations avoid doing so on a frequent basis. Whilst this might seem daunting to some, the ADLV says it’s important to balance the initial costs against hugely damaging fines or worse still, the cost in human terms when things go wrong.

The ADLV is to promote the new policy on the basis that its endorsement is a vital investment in road safety. According to the recommendations, those fleets where best-practise and compliance are uppermost should review the frequency of checks at the earliest convenience.

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