To view your own licence on-line you need three things
Licence number
NI number
Postcode
If your employer takes a copy of the licence and pays you then they are going to have all three
Reef:
Tockwith Training:
this also means anyone with this info can check your licence data everyday if they wish, it can also be automated to inform your employer of changes to your licence.
Really?! Wow!
So for anyone other than you (or Officials) to view your pointless 35 DCPC hours they have to be given a temporary password (I’m pretty sure that means its a one time only usage thing)
But for your driving licence once you’ve given an employer an “in” then they are free to check whenever they please, that’s a breach of the data protection act surely to god?
^^^ I don’t see the difference between an on-line check & current physical licence checks by your employer. Apart from the requirement for your NI number…which they have already on file. No problem as regards Data Protection, they have all this data already, or am I missing something■■?
Daz1970:
or am I missing something■■?
■■■■ straight you’re missing something…
Tockwith Training:
this also means anyone with this info can check your licence data everyday if they wish, it can also be automated to inform your employer of changes to your licence.
What you are saying is that you show your physical licence to a new employer or every 12 months to an existing employer as is often the case. Which is fine.
But consider this, that complete horrible pee taking [zb] you worked for 5 yrs ago, is it any of his business whats on your licence now? No of course it isn’t, but under this new system he’d be able to look if he so desired, and whats to stop unsavory characters or even insurance companies fishing for info to steal or send targeted advertising directly to you (car insurance quotes spring to mind)
Also whats to stop your present Insurance company automatically keeping tabs on your licence info and the second you get 3 points for something they bang an additional £150 on your current years car insurance?
This is just a few things I can think of that are completely wrong and invasive with this, I’m sure there are more reasons too, this is why I do not understand why there isn’t also a changeable (and temporary for employers) password system in place with this sensitive information like there is with the DCPC online info.
Surely it’s not just me?
From the other side; back in the days when I was a TM and then an agency consultant, I regularly had drivers trying to pull a fast one, using the old trick of hanging on to a “clean” licence after they’d had points on it or even, in a couple of cases, after they’d been banned. Hence my regular advice to new consultants and TM’s that what is not on a CV is often far more important than what is.
At one time you could phone DVLA if the applicant was there to give his permission, but it was always time-consuming and sometimes you couldn’t get through; also it can lead to uncomfortable situations if you have an applicant with an attitude problem. By using this system (assuming that everything matches up) you can deal with it in seconds without the applicant even having to be sitting in front of you; much better.
@ Reef; point taken, but why would anyone you worked for five years ago be remotely interested, unless you were actually applying for a job with them?
Plus point of this system is that if used properly, rogue and potentially uninsured drivers are kept off the road. I can live with that.
Most companies & most drivers will probably prefer the new on-line checking facility - especially if they are remotely spread around UK from the operating centre. OK, anythings possible - it may well be open to abuse but really…I don’t think many companies will be bothered checking your record 5 yrs down the line after you’d moved on. Theoretically they could of course. And if they decide they do want to waste time looking at mine - let them go for it, I’ve nowt to hide!!! I see this as progression, especially as it’s a F.O.C. service.
If you should get 3 points, you have to notify the insurance company anyway, so will still have to pay extra.
As far as i am aware, DVLA give your data away for all sorts of reasons, as do Phone companies, and thats why we get nuisance calls and texts, and not because DVLA allows access to your driving licence details, and that also should be against the data protection act.
It doesnt matter whether a past employer has access to your data or not really, theres nothing they can do with it is there ?
Update:
Applied for my licence online on Monday and it arrived in the post today, cannot complain about that for service from DVLA 
No requirement for a photograph as they use the one from my passport record.
My old licence did not expire until February so I was not expecting to get the paper counterpart but I have still been issued with one, that’s solved a problem for me as most car hire companies where I go in Cyprus still want to see the counterpart.