HGV driver onboarding software that gets every file in before the first shift
GettingDocs is HGV driver onboarding software for driving agencies placing Class 1, Class 2, 7.5 tonne and van drivers. Amy messages each driver on WhatsApp or by email with only what they still owe, from the back of their licence and a fresh DVLA check code to their Driver CPC card and tacho card. She checks each file as it lands and attaches it to the driver’s record in your ATS, so the transport office sees a complete file before anyone is booked on a shift.
Thanks, Amy · Larkfield Driver Recruitment
A Class 1 driver turns up for nights with no check code on file. The unit stays in the yard.
A retail client needs a Class 1 driver on night trunking from its regional distribution centre, starting Monday at 10pm. Its transport manager will not hand over a unit until the agency has sent the licence, front and back, a licence check, the Driver CPC card and the tacho card. Here is the same week, twice.
- Tuesday
The driver accepts the nights. A consultant emails him a 16-item registration list as a PDF.
- Tuesday night
He sends a photo of his licence, front only. The back, which shows his C+E entitlement and its expiry, can wait.
- Wednesday
His Driver CPC card goes by text to a consultant who is off on Thursday. It never reaches the compliance file.
- Thursday
The DVLA check code he gave at registration is more than 21 days old. Nobody can run the licence check until he makes a new one.
- Friday afternoon
The client’s transport office reviews the file: no licence back, no CPC card, no check. He is not booked.
The client covers Monday night with another agency’s driver. The trunk goes, and so does your place on the supplier list.
- Tuesday
The booking shows in your ATS. Amy picks it up and messages the driver on WhatsApp with the 16 items he still owes.
- Tuesday night
His licence and right to work share code arrive from the cab on his break and are filed on his record straight away.
- Wednesday
His Driver CPC card and tacho card come back to Amy, not to anyone’s phone, and are filed with the rest.
- Wednesday night
His photo of the licence back cuts off the C+E line, so Amy tells him why and asks again. A clear photo follows within the hour.
- Thursday
He sends a new DVLA check code. Your compliance team runs the licence check and the client gets a complete file.
He takes the unit out on Monday night with a complete file behind him. Nobody in the office sent a single reminder.
Three steps, and nobody chases anybody
When a driver registers or is booked, Amy messages them on WhatsApp or by email from your own domain, whether they are on a rest break or parked up for the night. The message lists only what is still missing. No portal, no login and no app to download.
Every file is filed the moment it arrives, then Amy opens it. A licence photographed without the back, or a tacho card too blurry to read, goes back with a clear reason, and she keeps reminding the driver at the times you choose until everything is in.
Documents are attached to the driver’s record in Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM or Crelate, and to Google Drive if you want a copy there. Your compliance team sees whose file is complete and whose is stuck.
- HGV licence, front and back
- DVLA check code
- Driver CPC card
- Digital tachograph card
- Right to work
No portal, no login. Only what is still missing is ever asked for.
The HGV driver compliance checklist Amy collects
Every client has its own list, but the core of an agency driver file is the same: the right licence category, Driver CPC, a tacho card and the paperwork every agency worker needs. Choose a placement type to see a typical file, and Amy asks each driver for exactly those documents.
HGV licence and DVLA licence check5 of 5 documents
- HGV driving licence (category C or C+E), front and back (the back lists each category the driver holds and when it expires)
- Driving licence (front and back; category C1 for 7.5 tonne work, category B for vans)
- DVLA licence check code (from the View or share your driving licence service, valid for 21 days; Northern Ireland licence holders get theirs from nidirect)
- Lorry loader (HIAB) operator certificate (for crane-fitted rigids, usually ALLMI)
- Forklift licence (RTITB, AITT, ITSSAR or NPORS, for truck-mounted forklifts and drivers who unload)
Driver CPC, tachograph and ADR cards3 of 3 documents
- Driver CPC qualification card (DQC) (its expiry date shows the 35 hours of periodic training due every 5 years)
- Digital tachograph driver card (valid for 5 years from issue)
- ADR driver training certificate (the ADR card, showing tanks and the classes of dangerous goods covered)
Medicals, drug and alcohol tests and work history4 of 4 documents
- D4 medical report (the driver’s copy, where the client asks; needed for a new lorry licence and at each renewal from age 45)
- Drug and alcohol test result (where the client’s policy asks for one)
- Employment history with gaps explained (covering the years your client asks for, driving work first)
- References
Right to work and agency worker paperwork8 of 8 documents
- Right to work documents (share code or passport)
- National Insurance number
- P45 or HMRC starter checklist
- Bank details form
- Emergency contact details
- Key Information Document acknowledgement
- Signed terms of engagement
- 48-hour week opt-out (van drivers only; HGV and 7.5 tonne drivers come under the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, which allow no opt-out)
Pick HGV drivers when you sign up, or later in Settings, and every document on this list is set up for your account automatically. UK accounts also come with Right to Work, DBS Certificate, CV and Driving Licence built in, and on Pro you can add document types of your own, named the way your clients name them.
HGV driver agency onboarding for every kind of shift
The documents change with the vehicle and the load. Chase rules in your ATS decide who is chased and for what, so each placement type gets its own list.
Class 1 trunking and nights
C+E drivers on artic trunks between distribution centres, often booked days before a night start. Amy starts chasing the moment the booking shows in your ATS.
Class 2 multi-drop and rigids
Category C drivers on rigid deliveries, from multi-drop retail to builders’ merchants. Crane-fitted work adds a lorry loader certificate to their list.
7.5 tonne drivers
C1 drivers on removals, furniture and parcel work. They still need a Driver CPC card and a tacho card, and Amy asks for both alongside the licence.
ADR and tanker work
Fuel, chemical and gas drivers whose bookings depend on an in-date ADR card covering tanks and the right classes. Amy asks for the card itself, not a course booking.
Van drivers and peak cover
Van drivers brought on in numbers for Christmas and other peaks. Their list skips the CPC and tacho cards, so dozens of drivers can be cleared in the same week.
Documents land in the ATS you already use
HGV drivers staffing questions
What documents does an agency need from an HGV driver?
Typically the licence, front and back, showing category C, C+E or C1; a DVLA check code so the licence can be checked; the Driver CPC qualification card; the digital tachograph driver card; an ADR certificate for dangerous goods; right to work documents; National Insurance number; a P45 or HMRC starter checklist; bank details; the Key Information Document acknowledgement; signed terms; references and an employment history. Many clients also ask for a drug and alcohol test result.
How does an agency check an HGV driver’s licence?
The driver creates a check code on GOV.UK’s View or share your driving licence service. It is valid for 21 days and lets you see the categories they hold and any penalty points or disqualifications. Drivers with a Northern Ireland licence use the DVA’s service on nidirect instead. Agencies checking many licences often use DVLA’s Access Driver Data service or a licence check provider.
What does the Driver CPC card show?
The Driver CPC qualification card, or DQC, shows that a driver is qualified to drive a lorry professionally. To keep it, they must complete 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years, and the card carries the date it runs out. Drivers must carry it while driving professionally, so a photo of the card on file is not a substitute for the card in the cab.
Can HGV drivers sign a 48-hour week opt-out?
No. Lorry drivers in scope of the drivers’ hours rules come under the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations 2005, which limit working time to an average of 48 hours a week, normally over 17 weeks, with up to 60 hours in any one week, and have no opt-out. Van drivers outside those rules come under the ordinary working time rules, where an opt-out is allowed.
Does GettingDocs check licences, CPC cards or right to work?
No. GettingDocs does not run DVLA licence checks, look up Driver CPC training records or carry out right to work checks. It gets each document and check code in from the driver, checks it is the right document and readable, and files it, so your compliance team runs those checks from a complete file instead of a half-finished one.
How do we keep track of expiring CPC, tacho and ADR cards?
GettingDocs does not track expiry dates itself. Keep each card’s expiry date on the driver’s record in your ATS. When that field shows a card is due, a chase rule asks the driver for the new one and files it on their record when it arrives.
Which applicant tracking systems does it work with?
Zoho Recruit, Recruit CRM and Crelate today, with Greenhouse coming soon. Documents are attached to the driver’s record in your ATS, so your team keeps working where it already does.
Get every driver file complete before the first shift
See Amy collect a complete HGV driver file from one of your own drivers on a 15 minute call.
