ACFO, the national body that represents car and light commercial vehicle fleet decision makers, believes that the new online driver licence validation checking service will get the thumbs-up from operators.
Members put the new trial Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) system to the test during an impromptu one-on-one workshop in London, and generally applauded the way it worked, describing the system as easy to use and navigate.
Chairman of ACFO John Pryor, said, “ACFO members hugely welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with the DVLA, view its new service and deliver feedback.
“The fact the DVLA is engaging closely with ACFO and listening to members underlines the high profile the organisation enjoys across government departments.”
Members offered DVLA suggestions on how to improve and streamline the software, including the ability to view the photo of the licence holder, their name and address, issue number and expiry date, and for fleet operators to receive an alert when drivers pick up penalty points.
Other concerns included the security of the data held within the system, which DVLA managed to allay during the demonstration of the software.
Julie Jenner, ACFO Director, said, “Database security is a major issue for ACFO. It is vital that access is tightly controlled and we will continue to discuss the issue with the DVLA. Nevertheless, we were delighted to hear from those members who viewed the system that security concerns may not be such a major issue as we first thought.”
The Share My Driving Record system is set to go live on the same date as the paper portion of the driving licence is abolished, with DVLA confirming that the service will initially be free for fleet operators to use at launch.
