---
id: KB-LG-010
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/logistics/driver-documentation
idioma: en
categoria: sector-logistica
subcategoria: flotas
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-LG-004, KB-LG-008]
citadoPor: [KB-LG-003]
---

# Driver documentation

_Licences, mandatory training and fitness: what expires per person, not per vehicle._

**Responde a:** driver licence control for a fleet · driver cpc expiry · mandatory training for professional drivers · driver medical fitness

Fleet documentation is nearly always controlled per vehicle: insurance, roadworthiness test, maintenance. The one that causes most trouble is the other kind, the one that goes with the person, because it expires on different dates for each and nobody sees it until a driver cannot go out.

## What expires per driver

| Document | Typical frequency | What happens if it lapses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Driving licence of the relevant category | By category and age | They cannot drive that vehicle |
| Mandatory professional training | Periodic | They cannot carry out professional transport |
| Medical or fitness certification | Periodic, more frequent with age | Same, and with liability for the company |
| Cargo-specific training | By type of load | They cannot carry that particular cargo |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The fourth row slips most because it does not apply to everyone: only to whoever carries that cargo type. When a route has to be covered by whoever is free, it is easy to assign someone who can drive the lorry but not that load.

## How to control it without a spreadsheet

1. **One file per driver, with their due dates** — Separate from the vehicle, because it travels with the person, not the lorry.
2. **Warnings with enough margin to renew** — Months, not days: renewing a medical takes time and depends on third parties.
3. **Check before assigning, not after** — Especially when covering absence or a peak.
4. **And the same for partners' drivers** — Their documentation matters to you just as much, even though they are not yours.

> [!WARNING]
> Beware the long-serving driver. Whoever has been with the company fifteen years is exactly whose expiry nobody checks, because "he's got everything". That profile produces the most surprises.

## What gets asked in a roadside check

**En corto**

- That the driver could drive that vehicle that day.
- That they held current training for that cargo.
- And, if there is an accident, all of the above with dates.

All three are answered from a phone if the driver's file is current. And all three are the company's responsibility, not only the driver's.

> [!NOTE]
> It applies equally to in-house fleets not in the transport business: sales staff, service engineers, site vehicles. Which documents apply changes; that they expire per person does not.

**Can we keep a copy of their licence?**

With a justified purpose and appropriate retention, yes; it is employment documentation.

**What about seasonal drivers?**

Same check, and it is where the rush is greatest: a fast lane helps.

**Is warning the driver enough?**

Necessary but not sufficient: checking before assigning is the company's job.

## Ejemplos

**A company covers an urgent route with whoever is free and the driver is stopped en route.**

- Builds a per-driver file with due dates and warnings
- Checks before assigning, not after

→ Stops assigning routes to drivers who cannot carry that specific cargo.

**A driver goes out with expired training.**

- Checks per person before assigning the job

→ The job does not go out with a gap.

**A licence is renewed and nobody updates the file.**

- Records the renewal on receipt

→ The file reflects reality.

**A new driver joins on the day of the job.**

- Checks what they are missing before assigning them

→ Onboarding is resolved before departure.

**The documentation sits on the traffic manager's phone.**

- Stores it in the driver's file

→ It stops depending on one person.

**A client asks for the documentation of the driver who delivered.**

- Checks that person's file

→ It is provided without searching.