Two million drivers to be affected by DVLA's new GDPR rules

New privacy rules a 'mammoth task' for fleet drivers and managers

Fleet managers and drivers face the "enormous pressure" of having to comply with new GDPR-related rules unveiled by the DVLA, according to the Association of Driving Licence Verification (ADLV).

In the coming months, more than two million drivers in UK will have to hand over new driving licence data to their fleet operators as part of the new rules.

The government body has made a string of changes to the way that third parties handle its data in a bid to comply with GDPR, which comes into force next month.

Every private and public sector organisation that processes personal data and driver information from the DVLA will be subjected to the new changes.

Organisations that fail to adhere with the new rules, which will come into force on 25 August, risk their fleet drivers not being properly checked.

Among the changes, employers and third-parties responsible for checking driver licences will have to demonstrate that they have fair declaration processors in place. Driver information must also be made accessible to the DVLA for auditing purposes.

However, Malcolm Maycock - chairman of the ADLV - said the summer deadline presents companies and fleet managers with a "mammoth task".

He said: "Our members are committed to ensure that all processing is correct and complies fully with the new GDPR legislation. The good news is that the new Data Processing Declarations will continue to remain valid for three years from the date permission is granted."

But to help ease the burden here, the independent body has begun advising its member companies on the requirements of GDPR and the DVLA's new privacy rules.

ADLV technical director Kevin Curtis said the changes are not only "a huge shift" for the DVLA, but also the driving checking industry as a whole.

He explained: "This is good news for ADLV members as we are all ISO 27001 accredited - and this simply raises the bar for security and data processing within the industry.

"Any companies that were not data-secure will now have to adhere to these new standards which is good for data protection and the licence checking industry as a whole."