DriverCheck acquisition takes Ebbon Group to number one in fleet driver compliance market

Ebbon Group, the Oxford-based automotive technology provider, has acquired licence checking specialist, DriverCheck, to clearly position it as the number one in the UK fleet driver compliance market.

DriverCheck now joins Licence Check under the Ebbon Group umbrella to create a business that is the clear market leader in fleet compliance. Combined, the businesses have more than 3,500 customers responsible for half a million vehicles and perform over 1.1 million licence checks per annum.

However, like Licence Check, Glasgow-based DriverCheck, which launched in 2005, will continue to be operated as a stand-alone entity with a separate team and brand.

And, again like Derby-based Licence Check, DriverCheck will be the beneficiary of substantial investment in new technology to further enhance its highly-regarded offering to customers.

The two businesses have very similar customer bases in both public and private sectors, mainly in major corporates, especially food and non-food retailers, local authorities and logistics providers.

But while Licence Check offers subscribers a self-service model, primarily through its award-winning DAVIS platform which provides customers with online licence checking, and a suite of compliance tools allowing an element of fleet management, DriverCheck offers a managed service in the licence checking arena.

These include paperless driving licence checking from the DVLA’s Access to Driver Data (ADD) service via a web portal, accessible 24/7, for customers to view driver licence check results online in real time.

In this way, DriverCheck can provide UK, foreign and Northern Ireland driving licence checks and CPC and tachograph information, backed by dynamic and static system alerts, management dashboards and KPIs plus a suite of management reports.

DriverCheck also provides grey fleet management services by ensuring that, if employees are using their own vehicles, they are fit for purpose and meet all legal requirements, including MOT, road tax and relevant business insurance.

“We have acquired DriverCheck to grow our fleet market compliance capability, but will continue to operate Licence Check and DriverCheck as separate, stand-alone brands with their own individual identities. We will invest heavily in both with the latest technology to enhance the customer offering,” said Robert Pilkington, Ebbon Group director.

Co-director Craig Gibbin emphasised that independence for DriverCheck would remain important. “There is no intention to relocate DriverCheck from Glasgow to Oxford. We want to build on DriverCheck’s well established and respected brand with additional investment and enhanced solutions for customers, in the same way that we have with Licence Check.”

One area that is likely to be of particular focus will be the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) based vehicle condition compliance tools via Ebbon Intelligence, Ebbon Group’s recently announced AI initiative.

“We will see continued investment and development in AI in the coming months that will benefit both businesses, particularly in the area of vehicle condition and damage imaging,” added Craig Gibbin.

DriverCheck owner and founder, Eddie Eusebi, said: “We are very proud of the business that we have built over the last 15 years or more, and it was important for us to have stability for the team in Scotland and a secure, long-term future for the business with additional investment.”

“We know that this is what Ebbon Group has achieved with Licence Check and we expect DriverCheck to develop in the same way and with the same very positive results,” he said.

From left to right: Robert Pilkington, Director, Ebbon Group; Eddie Eusebi, owner DriverCheck; Craig Gibbin, Director, Ebbon Group