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Professional driver permits must be verified by employers

Professional driver permits must be verified by employers

30th June 2016

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An alarming 763 fatalities were the result of 130 major road accidents in South Africa in 2015, as per statistics from the annual Road Traffic Report Calendar published by the Road Traffic Management Corporation earlier this year.
It was further revealed that of these major accidents - those involving more than four vehicles and causing more than five deaths - 129 commercial trucks and delivery vehicles were involved. Over 80 percent of accidents were caused by human factors, which range from speeding, driving in the wrong lanes, overtaking when unsafe to do so and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Of the total number of background checks conducted against driver’s licences last year by LexisNexis Governance, Risk & Compliance’s (GRC) pre-employment screening solution RefCheck Advanced, the collective findings revealed that nine percent of all professional drivers’ permit verifications returned unconfirmed.

“These results are concerning considering that many of these drivers operate heavy duty vehicles on busy roads. It poses a serious and life-threatening risk to other road users, as evident by the statistics, when a non-permitted driver, who lacks the required skill and training, sits behind the wheel of a large vehicle,” said Rudi Kruger, general manager at LexisNexis GRC.

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“Furthermore, goods transported in commercial vehicles can be worth thousands of rands. With the current drought and rising cost of living, the loss of precious commodities like food and petroleum through accidents can be devastating. It is therefore imperative that those at the helm of these vehicles are fully qualified and permitted to take on these positions, which will contribute toward safeguarding both the passengers, other road-users and protecting valuable cargo,” Kruger added.

With the assistance of RefCheck Advanced, a hiring manager is in a more knowledgeable position when it comes to the hiring of new drivers, thereby limiting the company’s risk.

“By utilising a solution like RefCheck Advanced, possible employees in these fields can be vetted during the pre-hiring phase, aiding in identifying and verifying their professional driving permits before it is too late,” said Kruger.

RefCheck Advanced is utilised by more than 2000 companies and recruitment agencies and can also provide a valuable employee due diligence and audit tool.

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In addition to drivers licence verification, RefCheck Advanced services include verification of tertiary and secondary academic qualifications held by the individual from registered local and international institutions; identity and South African citizenship validation; fraud history checks via the South African Fraud Prevention Services; credit history checks through detailed TransUnion and Experian credit bureau reports; criminal history check via AFISwitch (electronic fingerprint collection and processing); verification of local and international employment history and professional association membership; and matching of bank account against an identity number or registration number.

For more information click here.

Submitted by LexisNexis

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