DRIVER Check was set up by Eddie Eusebi 15 years ago to offer companies an electronic service that investigates whether drivers are allowed on the road. The business now has 1400 clients in the UK.
Name: Eddie Eusebi
Age: 54
Position: founder
WHAT IS THE BUSINESS CALLED?
Driver Check
WHERE IS IT BASED?
Drumpchapel, Glasgow
WHY DID YOU SET UP THE BUSINESS?
IT’S a compliance business that was set up in 2005. I worked in the motor trade and looked after car dealerships in Glasgow. After that I did work with the DVLA on vehicle registration data and realised there was an opportunity for driving licence data and I could offer this to companies to see if their drivers can drive. People were using the old paper licences then they moved onto paper and card the DVLA only issues the card now which has a photo, expiry date and the category of vehicle but no information about the driver.
I have always wanted to run my own business. My family has always been self-employed. My parents have always been shopkeepers and my sister runs Eusebi Deli in Glasgow.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
COMPANIES take a photocopy of the driving licence but through our portal they can check the individual and highlight any changes to the driving licence. They need the consent of the individual so the employer asks them to sign. It’s an ongoing process and clients in the UK are notified daily of people who shouldn’t be driving. The process is electronic so we can do a check in three seconds. We have green, amber and red in our system, with green being the best. We’re monitoring high-risk drivers on behalf of clients every day.
WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET?
WE have 1400 clients in the UK and the smallest client has six drivers and the largest clients have more than 1200 drivers. Whether it is a council, NHS trust or small company checking the driving licence is important. We have kept everything in Scotland and our customers are UK-wide. Without them we wouldn’t be able to grow.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM COMPETING BUSINESSES?
THERE are only two companies in the UK doing driving checks. It took me three years to get the business off the ground. It’s about trying to convince companies that they should pay for this service.
We’re the UK’s biggest independent company doing this. Others have sold their business to PLCs. Our offices are in Drumchapel and we are regarded as having really good service. Other systems wait for you to log in but we notify you. People could be on holiday for a week and not check. Some companies take a day to check a licence but we get people on a portal with the information.
IS SCOTLAND A GOOD PLACE FOR THIS TYPE OF BUSINESS?
DEFINITELY. It’s a great job and business and the fact it is based in Scotland is great. We’ve had the same staff since we opened. People stayed and see the value of a good job and we have always paid the Glasgow Living Wage for admin roles. All our staff are from Glasgow and we support that hugely.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
I LOVE meeting owners of businesses. The biggest thing is that people phone up to thank us. The credit for that goes to people in the office, not me. We are very quick, active and eloquent in how we deal with things.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN RUNNING THE BUSINESS?
TRYING to convince people that they need to run it through the system. There’s a facility on the gov.uk website called “view my licence” which is being abused by a lot of people in the UK. It’s supposed to only be for the individual but HR people use it because they don’t want to pay a few pounds per driver. For the sake of a small investment you’re getting a huge service as you don’t need to check 20 drivers at once – we do it for you. You could give someone a £10,000 company car and not check their licence. I don’t understand.
WHERE DO YOU HOPE THE BUSINESS WILL BE IN 10 YEARS’ TIME?
WE have started doing international driver licence checks. Even though Brexit is happening people are driving on foreign licences in the UK and International Driving Permits will become a requirement because of Brexit. If you want to hire a car abroad you need it. Since we are in partnership with the DVLA we will hook people up with permits. This will allow people to do it online instead of going to the post office. This will save people waiting in a queue for a piece of paper.
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