Driver's license check - how should they be carried out?

The driver's license can be checked manually or by means of electronic systems. In order to protect yourself as a fleet operator to the greatest extent possible, the driver's license should be presented in original, the submission of a mere copy is not possible. For documentation purposes, however, the vehicle owner should make a copy of the original driver's license, ideally with a current daily newspaper, so that manipulation can be ruled out. The Bavarian State Office for Data Protection Supervision also gives green light for making a copy. Only persons entrusted with fleet management should subsequently have access to the documents.

The check should furthermore be documented in writing , e.g. by means of a verification sheet and signed by the vehicle owner and driver. The documents must be kept for at least five years. Furthermore, it should be checked whether restrictions have been imposed on the driver by the driving license authority, e.g. that the driver may only drive vehicles with automatic transmission. A violation of these restrictions would also lead to owner liability. The document should contain the following information:

  • Name and address of the driver
  • Driving license number, driving license class, date and place of issue and the issuing authority
  • Validity date of the driver's license
  • Note that the driver must immediately notify the vehicle owner of the loss or revocation of the driver's license.
Implementation of the driver's license check
Implementation of the driver's license check

Driving licence checks in the fleet - how often should they be carried out?

In the case of operational driving licence checks, a distinction is made between two variants and thus the frequency of the fleet driving licence check.

If the driver has been given a company car for permanent use, the driving licence check should be carried out at the beginning of the transfer and repeated at intervals of six months. It is important that the vehicle user is made aware that he/she must immediately report the loss or withdrawal of the driving licence to the fleet manager. In addition, the vehicle owner must also check the driver's license in addition to the regular appointments if the driver's license is suspected of being revoked.

Driver's license checks in the fleet when vehicles are occasionally transferred should be done prior to each transfer of the vehicles to avoid owner liability.

Exception foreign driving licences

Special care must be taken with foreign driving licences. In particular, the matter should be approached with a healthy degree of scepticism if an employee or customer presents a foreign driving licence who has his or her normal place of residence in Germany. Normally, foreign driving licences can be transcribed accordingly. A foreign driving licence could always entail the risk that the driver is banned from driving in Germany and has therefore acquired his licence abroad. As long as the driving ban exists in Germany, the offence of § 21 StvG is fulfilled if the driver participates in road traffic with a foreign driving licence and a driving ban in Germany. If, however, the driving licence was acquired abroad after the ban period, there would be no violation of the law. However, it will be difficult for the vehicle owner to verify this.

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fleetster expert team for electronic driving licence control
fleetster expert team for electronic driving licence control