A grey area for licence checking

19 December 2025

Did you know?

If your employees drive for work, it’s your responsibility to make sure they’re legally allowed to do so. That means checking their licence is valid, covers the right vehicle, and meets all requirements. Skip this step and you could be putting your operator licence at risk.

What often gets overlooked is the grey fleet—employees using their own cars for business trips. And it’s not a small group. Current research shows that the grey fleet market is huge: around 14 million vehicles, making up 40% of all cars on the road, and covering 12 billion miles every year. That’s a lot of licences to keep track of.

Since the paper counterpart was scrapped back in 2015, you can’t just glance at a licence anymore. Checks now happen online through the DVLA, where every licence is verified for validity, restrictions, endorsements, and expiry dates.
That’s where Driver Hire’s dh Licence Check makes life easier. With the driver’s permission, we run a fully auditable check instantly. You’ll get a clear, screen-based record of all your drivers’ licences, and we can even schedule regular checks automatically.

Chris Chidley, our Chief Executive, puts it simply:
“Whilst you can go directly to the DVLA, DH Licence Check removes the administration headache from your organisation. Our service gives you authenticated records at the point of check, reducing fraud risk and saving you time.”

Find out more here.