If your employees get behind the wheel for work (whether they’re driving a company fleet vehicle, a hire car, or their own car for client visits) your business carries significant exposure every time they hit the road. Yet many Australian organisations conduct a driving history check at onboarding and never revisit it again.

That single check at hire date tells you nothing about who your employee is today.

Annual traffic and driving history checks close that gap, and they’re one of the most straightforward risk-mitigation steps a business can take.

The Risk Your Business Carries on the Road

Driving is one of the highest-risk activities any employee undertakes on behalf of your organisation. Safe Work Australia consistently identifies vehicle incidents as a leading cause of work-related fatalities and serious injuries.

When an employee causes an accident in the course of their work, the consequences can extend well beyond the incident itself:

• Legal and regulatory liability under state Work Health & Safety (WHS) legislation
• Significant financial exposure, including insurance excess, compensation claims, and potential fines
• Reputational damage if the incident attracts public or media attention
• Operational disruption, particularly for businesses that depend on a fleet or mobile workforce

The critical issue is that a driving record can change substantially in twelve months. An employee who had a clean history at hire may have since accumulated demerit points, received a drink driving charge, or even had their licence suspended, and without an annual check, you simply won’t know.

What Does a Driving History Check Actually Reveal?

Australia operates under a national framework (the Australian Road Rules) however each state and territory administers its own licensing system and determines what information is disclosed on a traffic history report. Depending on the jurisdiction, a check may reveal:

• Licence status and validity: confirming the employee’s licence is current, correct class, and not suspended or cancelled
• Traffic infringements and fines: including speeding, mobile phone use, and other moving violations
• Demerit points: accumulated points that indicate a pattern of unsafe driving behaviour
• Serious offences: such as drink or drug driving (DUI/DUI), dangerous driving, or driving while disqualified

This information gives your business a clear, evidence-based picture of an employee’s road behaviour, not just a snapshot from years ago.

Note for employers: The specific disclosures vary by state. PBS navigates this complexity on your behalf, ensuring you receive the right report for each employee’s licence jurisdiction.

Why Annual Checks Matter: Driving Records Change

A once-off check is not a compliance strategy, it’s a starting point. Consider these scenarios:

• An employee receives multiple speeding infringements and accumulates enough demerit points to be on the verge of licence suspension. Without an annual check, their manager has no visibility.
• An employee is charged with a DUI offence on a weekend. The charge doesn’t appear in their personnel file, but it would appear on a traffic history check.
• An employee quietly lets their licence lapse. They continue driving a company vehicle, unaware (or hoping no one notices) that they are now uninsured and not licensed to drive.

Each of these situations exposes your organisation to serious liability. Annual screening gives you the timely information needed to respond (reassigning duties, providing support, or taking appropriate action) before a serious incident occurs.

Compliance, Culture, and the Duty of Care

Beyond risk mitigation, there is a broader organisational benefit to implementing a regular driving check programme: it signals to your workforce that safety is taken seriously at every level.

When employees know their driving record is reviewed periodically, it creates a positive accountability loop. Research consistently shows that awareness of monitoring encourages safer road behaviour, not just at work, but in employees’ personal lives too.

From a compliance perspective, conducting annual background checks for driving roles demonstrates that your organisation has exercised its duty of care. In the event of an incident, documented evidence of a screening programme can be a significant factor in how liability is assessed.

How Precise Background Service Simplifies Annual Driving History Screening

At Precise Background Services, we work with Australian businesses of all sizes to build practical, compliant screening programmes, including annual driving history checks tailored to your workforce and industry.

Our process is straightforward:

1. We identify the correct report type for each employee’s state of licence
2. We manage the consent and data collection process in line with Australian privacy law
3. You receive clear, actionable results, without having to navigate each state agency yourself

For many of our clients, driving checks sit alongside a broader annual screening programme that may also include national police checks or credit checks to provide a comprehensive view of workforce risk.

Whether your team is based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, or anywhere across Australia, PBS has you covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need employee consent to run a driving history check?

Yes. Under Australian privacy legislation, you must obtain written consent from the employee before conducting any background check, including a driving history check. PBS provides compliant consent frameworks as part of our service.

How often should we run driving history checks?

For employees who regularly drive as part of their role (whether operating fleet vehicles, making deliveries, or travelling to client sites) an annual check is strongly recommended. Higher-risk roles (e.g., heavy vehicle operators, passenger transport) may warrant more frequent screening.

What if an employee’s licence is suspended or cancelled?

If a check reveals that an employee’s licence is no longer valid, you should immediately stand them down from any driving duties and seek HR and legal advice on next steps. Allowing an unlicensed employee to drive a company vehicle exposes your organisation to significant legal and insurance liability.

Are driving history checks different in each state?

Yes. While all states operate under the Australian Road Rules, each state and territory maintains its own licensing database and determines what is disclosed on a traffic history report. PBS manages this complexity, sourcing the correct report for each employee’s jurisdiction.

Can PBS run annual checks for our entire fleet workforce?

Absolutely. PBS supports high-volume, recurring screening programmes for organisations with large mobile workforces. Contact our team to discuss a solution tailored to your business.