Fleet operators are increasingly making use of the DVLA's electronic driver entitlement checking service (EDECS).

According to figures obtained by the Association for Driving Licence Verification (ADLV), the number of electronic licence checks in the final quarter of 2014 was 22 per cent up on the amount recorded a year earlier.

Statistics also showed that more than 1.7 million checks were carried out by EDECS users on behalf of fleets in the UK.

Richard Brown, a member of ADLV, described the figures as "highly significant", since they show that best practice has changed.

Furthermore, he said they indicate that "electronic checking through a fully-managed service from a professional third party is the right way to check driver entitlement, as it enables automated and continuous checking with full reporting and audit trails".

Mr Brown believes that the growth seen in the last year will continue, particularly as the paper licence is being phased out.

He stated that this change in practice is being reinforced by a general understanding that the paper PDF "generated through the DVLA's single record Share My Driving Licence alternative has no legal standing".

Mr Brown pointed out that some industry figures are concerned that printed paper documents and PDFs are susceptible to fraud, which means some organisations are exposed to compliance risk.

This, he stated, has led to many fleet managers regarding electronic checking as a superior and much safer option.

He added that as word about this approach gets round among fleet managers, adoption of these processes should increase significantly over the coming months.