Employing people to drive
You must make sure that anyone you employ to drive a vehicle has the right licence and qualifications. You must also check if they need to use a tachograph to record their journeys.
Vehicle licence and age requirements
Check which vehicles your employees can drive, based on their age and driving licence.
Validity of lorry, minibus and bus licences
A licence to drive lorries, minibuses or buses is usually valid until aged 45. After 45, the driver must renew their licence every 5 years until they’re 65.
After 65, the driver must renew their licence every year.
All licences issued after 19 January 2013 are valid for 5 years, up to age 65.
Qualifications for lorry, bus and coach drivers
Professional lorry, bus and coach drivers also need to hold a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) as well as a valid licence.
Drivers must do 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years to keep their Driver CPC.
You can check how many hours of training a driver has done in the last 5 years. They’ll need to give you a temporary password to access their records.
Tachographs
Some drivers you employ need to record their journeys on tachographs to make sure they are following the rules on drivers’ hours.
Check someone’s driving licence information
You can check someone’s driving licence information online, such as the vehicles they can drive or any penalty points or disqualifications. It’s free to check and available 24 hours a day.
You can also check licences by phone or post. Call charges apply and it costs £5 to do a check by post.
Check large volumes of licences
You can apply to use Access Driver Data (ADD) if you need to check lots of licences.
Your company will need to pass accreditation checks and enter into a contract with DVLA. You’ll need to pay:
- set-up costs of around £2,500
- a yearly maintenance fee of around £300
- an enquiry fee of 60 pence for each driver record
Email serviceenquiries@dvla.gov.uk for more information.