Driver Selection

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  • If you recruit staff to undertake work which involves driving, you need a clear strategy to integrate necessary safe driving criteria into the overall "person specification" for the job.
  • Check the applicant's references are sound.
  • Check the potential driver's licence is valid to drive the company or privately owned vehicle. Ensure that the applicant holds the appropriate class of licence for the vehicles (plus trailers) you want him to drive (visit the DVLA website for detailed information). You can obtain information from the DVLA on driver entitlement and endorsements of employees and potential employees. However, this information can only be released with the driver's consent.
  • Explore the past accident or prosecution history and attitudes towards road safety in the interview.
  • Assess driving competence and attitudes at recruitment stage. There are web-based driver risk assessments available that you can use for this purpose, e.g. RoSPA's Driver Profile (detailed information on the RoSPA website).
  • Carry out an on-road assessment to ensure that the potential employee is competent to carry out the driving tasks required in his job.
  • Test the candidate's knowledge of the Highway Code.