Electronic Driver’s License Checks for 676 Drivers: How Lufthansa Used CarWise to Create Legally Compliant Systems

What seems straightforward on paper quickly becomes an organizational challenge in everyday life: regular and legally compliant driver’s license checks for a large, decentralized driver structure. Especially when vehicles are only used sporadically, the coordination effort increases considerably – and with it the risk of incomplete documentation.

This case study shows how Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services addressed this challenge from a structural perspective and created a sustainable, audit-proof solution using CarWise’s liva electronic driver’s license verification system.

676 drivers, 63 vehicles, 8 locations

What happens when 676 drivers at eight locations have access to 63 vehicles – many of them only sporadically?

Checking driver’s licenses quickly becomes an organizational challenge in such structures. Some drivers use a vehicle every day, others perhaps only once a year. Nevertheless, every check must be carried out regularly and fully documented.

For Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services, it was clear that the legally required driver’s license check should not pose an administrative risk. At the same time, the effort for drivers, managers and fleet management should be noticeably reduced.

The way there was an electronic driver’s license check, not as a standard solution, but as a structurally well thought-out system.

When manual driver’s license checks reach their limits

Before the introduction of the electronic driver’s license check, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services worked with classic, manual processes.

The driver’s license was checked in person on site. The driver presented the original driver’s license and a manager checked its authenticity and validity. The check was then documented on an Excel template, printed out and signed.

What appears practicable at first glance became increasingly problematic in everyday life:

• Lack of overview of upcoming appointments
• illegible entries
• incomplete archiving
• High coordination effort
• No central access to checks carried out

With 676 drivers, this meant regular appointment coordination, tracking, reminders – organized manually.

A structural weakness arose for fleet management. Although driver’s license checks were formally in place, they were not efficiently secured in organizational terms.

Why an electronic driver’s license check became structurally necessary

Regardless of how often the vehicles are used, anyone who provides employees with company vehicles must also ensure that they are in possession of a valid driving license.

In the event of a claim, the company must be able to prove that the driver’s license check was carried out regularly. This documentation forms the legal basis for protection against the authorities and insurance companies.

For Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services this meant

• every inspection had to be documented in a traceable manner
• Each review had to be saved in an audit-proof manner
• the audit had to be organized uniformly across all locations

An electronic driver’s license check was therefore not just a convenience decision, but a structural safeguard in the fleet.

Variable test methods as a decisive difference

In a logistics company with several locations, different driver groups and variable vehicle usage, it must be possible to combine different control methods.

liva, the solution from CarWise, impressed with three testing methods:

• Control via smartphone app
• Testing via USB stick at company locations
• Classic visual inspection

These methods can be flexibly combined – depending on the location, organizational structure or special requirements.

The decisive factor was:
Regardless of the method chosen, all driver and driver’s license data is recorded centrally. The electronic driver’s license check runs uniformly in the background, even if it is organized differently on site.

Central data storage instead of list chaos

With the introduction of electronic driver’s license verification via CarWise, all processes have been digitized.

In concrete terms, this means

• Determination of individual inspection intervals
• Automatic reminders to drivers
• Digital recording of every inspection carried out
• Seamless storage of test results
• Immediately retrievable documentation

For the first time, fleet management now has complete transparency regarding the status of each individual driver’s license check.

Fleet managers and fleet managers no longer have to actively keep track of who has been checked and when. The system organizes the regular checks automatically.

Independent checking via app relieves managers

An additional effect:

With the electronic driver’s license check via smartphone app, drivers can check their license themselves. It no longer has to be physically presented to a manager.

This reduces:

• Scheduling
• Service life
• Administrative duplication
• Internal coordination processes

Especially with a fleet of 63 vehicles and a high number of drivers, this is a significant relief.

Measurable effect: less effort, lower costs

The introduction of the electronic driver’s license check not only led to greater transparency, but also to measurable savings. The administrative effort was significantly reduced. The annual costs for organizing and carrying out driver’s license checks were reduced by around 2,500 euros.

More importantly, the legally compliant documentation is available at all times.

In the event of a claim, it can be proven immediately that the regular inspection was carried out.

What this example means for other companies

The situation at Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services highlights a problem that is often underestimated:

The larger the number of drivers, the more complex the driver’s license check becomes, even if the fleet itself appears manageable.

Company with:

• several locations
• changing drivers
• sporadic vehicle use
• decentralized organization

quickly reach their limits with manual processes. An electronic driver’s licence check creates a stable basis here, not as a digitalization project, but for more liability security in the fleet.

• Organizing driver’s license checks for 676 drivers regularly, comprehensibly and across all locations is not a secondary activity. It is a central component of responsible fleet management.
• With liva, CarWise’s electronic driver’s license verification system, Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services has not only digitized a process but also addressed a structural weakness.
• Less administrative work. More transparency. Legal protection. And above all: a reliable basis for every single inspection – regardless of how often a vehicle is used.

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