Fleet Risk Consultants

Whilst I was at the ACFO Midlands meeting last week there was a discussion about how to deal with drivers who hold a non-UK driving licence and particularly drivers from Europe.

Managing your ‘duty of care’ can be tricky with European drivers as it is illegal to discriminate against them by having different rules for non-UK employees. Just because a licence is written in a different language does not mean you cannot accept its validity. But you will need to consider driving licences as part of your management process to avoid prosecution under Corporate Manslaughter Legislation.

However if you have employees from outside the European Union then the rules are different as for most of those employees they can only drive in the UK for a period of 12 months from date of entry into the UK. This does include the USA, so if you are employing people from the USA and they are driving and they are here for more than 12 months then they will need to take and pass a UK driving test if they wish to continue driving in the UK.

If drivers with a European driving licence need to undertake any testing for either a Taxi licence or to allow them to tow trailers then they will need to have a paper counterpart issued by the DVLA.

This is a very simplistic explanation and individual cases can vary, but if you need any specific advice then you can call the team on 01623 675833.

Nigel Grainger

Senior Consultant
Fleet Risk Consultants

We are really pleased to announce that we have achieved full 5 star compliance with the requirements of the East Midlands Brokerage operated by Business Link. This means we are on the register now and to achieve this we had to provide references and documentation to prove our credibility.

The register is an online database of companies accessed by Business Support Advisers at Business Link East Midlands to find the right suppliers to meet the needs of their customers.

When a client is seeking in-depth or funded support from Business Link, they can be given the details of those companies who have been through the ‘Quality Assurance’ process.

This accreditation will allow us to help the Business Support Advisers give businesses in the East Midlands all the support and help they need in getting the right vehicle solutions in place.

If you would like more information give the team a call on 01623 675833.

Nigel Grainger

Senior Consultants
Fleet Risk Consultants