LarryH57 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 (edited) The DLVA have recently abolished the Counterpart driving licences, so if you are soon to be hiring a car for a trip abroad or once you are on holiday, then in advance of the hiring, you need to access the Share Driving License website and enter your license number, the postcode to which the licence is registered and your National Insurance number. This will then produce a reference code for you to give to the Car Hire firm, so that they may check you records to see if you are acceptable to them for the vehicle you hire; such as your class of licence or that you don't have too many penalty points. However the online reference number given only lasts for 72 hours after which you need to log on again and get another reference if you have not already hired a vehicle. So if you go aboard take a note of your Drivers Licence number and National Insurance number (hopefully you remember your postcode!), so you can be prepared for that Icelandic Volcano eruption, which might permit you to hire a car in Spain and drive to Calais, to get home rather than wait for the airline to start flying again! As the new system may take a while to be implemented I suggest you still bring your drivers licence with you just to be sure. https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-share-your-driving-licence-information www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence Edited June 4, 2015 by LarryH57 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I've hired cars in the U.S. And Canada a few times and I've never been asked for anything other than the id card portion of the licence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I've hired cars in the U.S. And Canada a few times and I've never been asked for anything other than the id card portion of the licence. That's probably because they could not imagine in a million years that any country would issue a photo i.d. driving licence yet require a stupid folded sheet of paper to accompany it. :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: So am I right in thinking that now instead of just producing a credit card i.d. driving licence, you have to go online to get a reference code? Or is this reference code an alternative to the photo i.d. driving licence? Why not just take the credit card sized licence? Surely if they have sight of your driving licence they would be able to tap the licence number into a database and access whatever info they require (heaven forbid they could scan the card or something logical like that….). What then is the point of a photo i.d. driving licence at all? When mine was replaced (I had to send in a current photo), the quality of the image appearing on the licence was so bad as to be effectively useless at identifying me (the first one was not too bad at all). Anyone else out there thinking life is getting too complicated? :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Tony, I heard all about this on the radio several weeks ago, apparently any points on your licence will not be known by a car hire company and I guess they do not have direct access to DVLA, which is as it should be. So you have to get the access code for them to check your up to date licence situation regarding driving offences. They are no longer recorded on paper, only back at the database. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Not for 4 more days! Got a nice little letter from DVLA about it. So no paper starts 8th June 2015. Now you need to 1 get onto www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence 2 Have your Driver number 3 Your national insurance number 4 Your post code. Then you will et a 72 hour valiid code. As in my job it is a legal requirment that the company review details every 6 months, another total balls up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 2 Have your Driver number 3 Your national insurance number 4 Your post code. Then you will et a 72 hour valiid code. As in my job it is a legal requirment that the company review details every 6 months, another total balls up. How can it be a "balls up" as far as your job is concerned. I would be pretty sure your company (Busesareus) have your licence number and NI number on record, and also your postcode, so they will be able to look whenever they like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I've got an idea: How about a credit card sized driving licence with a decent quality photo on it, and a little chip on which data can be stored, and which you send off to get points put on it. Stupid idea isn't it……… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ploughman Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Turning it around. What do the French or American vehicle hirers do when they come here? Do they need a code? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 How can it be a "balls up" as far as your job is concerned. I would be pretty sure your company (Busesareus) have your licence number and NI number on record, and also your postcode, so they will be able to look whenever they like. Trouble is DVLA themselves, thay made a monumemtal balls up on my licence last year. Despite I and my manager pointing it out to them , they insisted they were in the right. So the manager said will you give me your decison in writing? They then said YES! So I could have legally driven for another five years! Fortunatley me and company decided to follow the protocol anyway, and uncovered something which could have ben nasty if not dealt with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SebBrady Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I have literally just got back from the United States and I rented a car whilst I was there and they only asked for my card part of my ID and my work place, but i'm pretty sure that would be to do with insurance authorisation for non - US citizens and different sized vehicles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flywheel Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 I am in the U.S. at the moment and only had to show my card licence to hire my car, I have been here many times in the years since they introduced the card type licence and never had to show the paper counterpart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 There can be problems with a driving licence forign to a country. Picture a little hire car outlet in an English town. Man comes in with forign licence. Hires a new Ford Focus. Brings car back a week later. Engine running very badly. Car sent back to Ford who then contact hire car firm and ask waht their expected to do about the problem. When told fix engine the answer is 'Why? It's not the engine the car left the factory with'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I remember showing my licence in the US in 1987, all the girls in the office wanted to take a look at it, they couldn't believe we had such an enormous sheet of paper with no real ID on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TooTallMike Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 I hired a car in Canada two weeks ago and Avis were quite happy with just the card although I did have the paper bit with me just in case. The idea of needing to go on-line to get a code sounds like an afterthought elastoplast solution when as NOS states we just need a credit card license with a chip. It could even be integrated within a national ID card system so you only require the one card (lights blue touchpaper and steps back sharpish...) - MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bandit Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Alot of it is about saving money and decreasing administration costs but also alot of it is about knowing where you are, had this discussion earlier today, also included within the discussion was how they can now pretty much well now thanks to anpr in real time map where you or at least where your vehicle is going, personally I dont have a problem with it but eventually all the data will end up in the hands of insurance companies for mileage confirmations and debt collectors who want to get hold of your car or something along those lines, the gvt will eventually say its all about security which can only be a good thing but it wont just be that, its a big brother thing. I recall when cctv first came about and how alot of people were complaining about big brother watching our every moves and invading our privacy, never bothered me one bit but 25 odd years on !! a news report last week was put out about how some councils are turning off alot of cctv camera's because of the cuts and that our streets will no longer be as safe as they used to be, how perceptions have turned around over the years eh. The second part paper bit of the licence I think was always stupid thing, an electronic chip in the licence as previously mentioned is a good idea and I can see why they included the 72 hr limit, it wont be long before we get licences with chips in them, tis a good idea personally :cheesy: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarrett Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Lets just hope the Gendamerie are aware of this can you not see the rows with them when you get a tug at a paege and they try stinging you for not carrying it,of course the dvla would have told there counterparts about it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowfat Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 hired loads of cars all over the world and only need the stupid paper in the uk..... glad its gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) Mrs. N.O.S. only has the counterpart paper thingy - never paid for a photo card licence. It would appear the counterpart licence on its own is valid until you are 70 so long as you do not change address - at which time you have to subscribe to a photo card version. The whole photo i.d. licence card scheme was flawed from the outset - it was doomed never to realise its full potential. I wonder under what circumstances (e.g. offences) you would be refused rental in UK or Europe, given that in USA / Canada it seems no checks / conditions have been made to date? Edited June 5, 2015 by N.O.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cosrec Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 (edited) to be fair out side the uk nobody gives a toss when you hire a car if you have a licence or not as long as buy the minimum insurance they have done there bit. Also and I know this strange in the UK if you have never held a licence you cannot be banned from driving only from holding a licence advice from barrack room lawyers required here Edited June 5, 2015 by cosrec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryH57 Posted June 8, 2015 Author Share Posted June 8, 2015 DVLA website struggles with new rules on hiring a car- enough said! http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32916968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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