Driver Hiring Documents Checklist: Licence, CPC, Tachograph

A driver hiring documents checklist for a UK haulier is not a list of papers to collect. It is a set of comparisons: the categories on the licence against the vehicles the driver will take out, the Driver CPC expiry against the first planned shift, and the name and date of birth on the tachograph card against the licence. A file is ready when each of those comparisons has been run and recorded, not when every document is present.

This article is provided for information only and does not constitute legal advice. Rules change; check the cited official sources for your situation. Status as of November 2026, Great Britain unless stated.

The four comparisons that decide whether a driver file is usable

The check that matters most is the one between documents, because each document is issued by a different body and none of them validates the others. The licence comes from the DVLA, the Driver CPC from the DVSA training system, and the tachograph card is a separate card with its own number and expiry. Table 1 sets out the spine of the file.

The rest of this article walks through each row, then the recurring checks that keep the file valid after hire.

Licence categories: what the DVLA check shows and what it does not

An employer can check a driver's entitlement online only with the driver's permission, a check code and the last eight characters of the licence number, and the code works once and must be used within 21 days. That is the process described on the GOV.UK check driving information page. The result lists the vehicle categories the driver can drive, penalty points and disqualifications.

Three practical consequences follow for a hiring file:

• The check code is generated by the driver on their own account. A screenshot of the driver's account is not a substitute; the employer should run the check itself and record the date.
• The check returns entitlements and endorsements. It does not return the Driver CPC or the tachograph card, which sit outside that service.
• For a driver who will drive for you for years, one check at hire is not enough. A second check at a fixed interval (many fleets use six or twelve months, based on their own risk policy) catches new points between reviews.

If the categories on the check do not match the licence photocopy, do not guess which one is right. The DVLA record is the reference; the copy is evidence of what the candidate presented. Our guide to grey fleet licence checks covers the same comparison for employees using their own vehicles.

Driver CPC: expiry is the field that fails most often

A professional lorry or bus driver needs 35 hours of periodic training every five years to keep a Driver CPC, and driving professionally without one can lead to a fine of up to £1,000, according to GOV.UK. The same page notes that UK-and-Europe work needs International Driver CPC courses, while a National card does not allow professional driving in Europe. That distinction matters for any haulier running continental routes.

Cross-checks for the CPC:

1. Card type against route plan. A National card on a driver you plan to send to Calais is a gap, even if the expiry date is fine.
2. Expiry against start date. An expiry within the first month is a scheduling problem you can solve on day one; found in month six it is an incident.
3. Training hours against the card. Drivers can look up their own periodic training hours through the Driver CPC hours service. GOV.UK does not describe an employer lookup there, so ask the driver for a screenshot or printout and file it with the date. It is the driver's statement of their record, not an employer-side register check.
4. Name on the card against name on the licence. After a marriage or deed-poll change, the three cards often update at different times.

Record the expiry as a dated field, not just a scanned image, so that reminders can be generated 90 and 30 days ahead.

Tachograph driver card: three comparisons, one of them recurring

The digital tachograph driver card is a personal card; employers must download its data at least every 28 days, and vehicle unit data at least every 90 days, under Regulation (EU) No 581/2010. The card itself is governed by Regulation (EU) No 165/2014. In Great Britain, the DVLA issues the card, and retained EU law applies to the technical rules. Check the current GB position before relying on an EU text for a domestic-only operation.

At hiring stage the comparisons are:

• Identity fields. Surname, forename and date of birth on the card against the licence. The card number format contains the issuing country and a unique number; a card from another state is legitimate for an EU or EEA driver, but then ask for the licence and right-to-work evidence to explain the move.
• Validity. Expiry date against the planned start. Cards are valid for a limited period, and renewal is the driver's responsibility, but a lapsed card on your vehicle is the operator's problem.
• Card history. A card issued days ago for a driver who says they have driven tachograph vehicles for years should prompt one question: what happened to the old card? A lost or stolen card should have been reported and replaced, and the answer belongs in the file.

After hire, the recurring check is the download cycle. Add the date of the last download to the driver record and flag any driver whose card has not been read for more than 28 days.

What a register lookup proves, and what it does not

A DVLA check confirms entitlement and endorsements held on the licence record at the moment of the check; it does not confirm that the person in front of you is the licence holder, nor that a CPC or tachograph card is genuine. Keep those two ideas apart in your procedure.

Matching the person to the document is a separate step: compare the licence photo and date of birth to a photo ID shown live or by a document check. For a wider view of how this fits an industry file, see the industry verification guide and our overview of transport and logistics document compliance.

Questions drivers and transport managers ask

Forum threads from transport managers and agency drivers keep returning to the same few questions, so here are direct answers.

"Can I just take a photocopy of the licence?" A photocopy records what was presented, not what the DVLA holds. It is fine as part of the file, but the code-based check is the one that tells you about the entitlements and endorsements today.

"The driver says the CPC is 'in the post'. Can they start?" Only if the work does not require a CPC, or you have seen evidence of valid status. Record what you saw and when. Do not allocate CPC-requiring work on a promise.

"Do agency drivers need a full file from me too?" The agency usually holds the file, but you remain the operator on the road. Ask for the same dated check results and keep them linked to the driver for the assignment.

A workable sequence for the file

1. Collect the application, photo ID, licence (both sides if a photocard), CPC card, tachograph card and proof of address.
2. Extract the fields: names, date of birth, licence number, categories, CPC expiry, tachograph card number and expiry.
3. Run the cross-checks from Table 1 and note each result as match, mismatch or not available.
4. Run the DVLA check with the driver's code on the day of the offer decision, and record the date.
5. Set reminders for the CPC expiry, the tachograph card expiry, the next licence check and the 28-day download.
6. Store the file under your retention policy, with access limited to those who need it. Licence data is personal data, so follow the ICO guidance on UK GDPR.

Steps 2 and 3 are the repetitive ones. CheckFile's transport and logistics solution extracts the fields from the uploaded documents and compares them with each other and with the dates you set, so a reviewer sees only the mismatches. The comparison covers fields and dates; it does not certify that a document is authentic. See how we handle documents and pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What documents should be in a driver file before the first shift?

Photo ID, driving licence with a completed DVLA check, Driver CPC card, tachograph driver card, proof of address, application form and right-to-work evidence. Each should be dated, and the key fields compared with each other.

How long is a DVLA check code valid?

The driver's check code can be used within 21 days and is good for one check only. Each new check needs a new code, and the driver must give permission.

Does the DVLA check show Driver CPC or tachograph card details?

No. It shows entitlements, penalty points and disqualifications. The CPC and tachograph card need separate evidence.

How often should we re-check licences after hiring?

The law does not fix a single interval for every fleet. Set one in your risk policy, apply it to every driver, and re-check sooner after any reported incident or endorsement.