HGV driver reference checks — licence, hours compliance and safety record

What HGV driver references must cover

An HGV driver employment reference should address: the specific licence categories the candidate holds and has operated professionally (C, C+E, C1), any licence endorsements or penalty points the referee is aware of, adherence to drivers' hours regulations and tachograph compliance, vehicle care and pre-use inspection standards and habits, conduct with delivery customers and on client premises during delivery operations, loading and unloading procedures and cargo security awareness, any road traffic incidents, accidents or near-misses during their employment, and whether the referee would have any concerns about the candidate driving professionally again. A reference asking about general attendance and performance provides almost no useful information for an HGV placement decision.

Driver shortage and the reference compliance pressure

The UK logistics sector faces ongoing HGV driver shortages that create pressure to activate drivers quickly without completing adequate pre-employment checks. A driver placed without proper references into a logistics operation has unsupervised control of a heavy goods vehicle on public roads. The safety and liability implications are significant — for the placing agency, for the logistics client and for other road users. RefAssure's 1 to 3 day automated turnaround makes compliant HGV reference checking achievable within the timescales that logistics placements require.

For agencies placing HGV drivers into temperature-controlled, hazardous goods or specialist trailer operations, references should also address the candidate's experience with those specific vehicle and cargo types. ADR awareness for hazardous goods drivers, refrigerated trailer experience for temperature-controlled logistics, curtainsider and flatbed experience for specialist haulage — RefAssure templates can include all of these operation-specific questions. From 99p per reference with no subscription.