Driver agency software for van and HGV desks.
Tempbench is driver agency software for UK agencies that supply van, 7.5 tonne, Class 2 and Class 1 drivers. It finds drivers who are free that week within a set distance of the depot, keeps licence and Driver CPC card expiry dates with warnings, and books nights on a planner that blocks overlapping shifts.
Positions that match the licence.
Tempbench starts with driver positions you can rename. "Class 1" and "Class 2" are trade names; the licence uses DVLA categories. Here is how the starting list lines up.
| Tempbench position | Licence category | What GOV.UK says it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Van Driver, Multi-drop Driver | B | Up to 3,500kg maximum authorised mass (MAM) for petrol and diesel. GOV.UK gives 4,250kg for electric or hydrogen zero-emission vans. |
| 7.5t Driver | C1 | Between 3,500kg and 7,500kg MAM, with a trailer up to 750kg. |
| Class 2 Driver | C | Over 3,500kg MAM, with a trailer up to 750kg. |
| Class 1 Driver | CE (often written C+E) | A category C vehicle towing a trailer over 750kg. |
Licences from before 1 January 1997 can carry more than a newer car licence does, so go by the categories on the record, not the year someone passed.
The driver paperwork with a date on it.
Each card goes on the driver's record with its expiry. Tempbench warns 30 days ahead, lists it on Data checks, and the planner warns before you book someone whose document has run out.
- Driving licence
- Its own document type. Upload front and back, with the photocard expiry date.
- Driver CPC card
- Its own type. GOV.UK: 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years.
- Digital tachograph card
- No separate type. Upload it under Other with its expiry date.
- ADR
- A skill for searching. Upload the certificate as a training certificate for its date.
- Licence check
- Not a document. Note the date you used the driver's check code.
- Right to work
- Its own type, with a date for anyone on time-limited permission.
Distance from the depot, not the office.
Search from the postcode of the client's site, so a driver who lives next to your office but an hour from the depot does not top the list.
Class 1 drivers within 20 miles of the depot, free Monday to Friday, with ADR.
Every client site has its own postcode, so Find matches on a job measures from the right yard. Miles are straight lines between postcodes, not drive times.
Nights, trunks and early starts.
A 20:00 to 06:00 trunk runs into the next morning, and the planner treats it that way. A shift for the same driver that starts before 06:00 the next day is blocked as an overlap.
Blocked
- Overlapping shifts, nights included
- Drivers marked Do not use
- Inactive drivers and closed jobs
- Days off, unless they have said yes
Warned
- Licence, CPC or any document expired
- A seventh day in a row
- Outside the job's shift days
- The job is already full
What it does not check: drivers' hours, daily and weekly rest, Working Time limits for mobile workers, or tachograph downloads. Those stay with your analysis software and the operator's transport manager.
Where Tempbench fits a driving desk, and where it does not.
A good fit if
- You supply van, 7.5t, Class 2 or Class 1 drivers to depots and hauliers
- You fill shifts by phone, often the afternoon before
- You want licence and CPC dates in front of you when you book
- Your payroll already runs somewhere else
Not the right fit if
- You need drivers' hours or tachograph analysis in the same system
- You send shift offers by text or need a driver app
- You need timesheets or pay and bill today
- You want a link into a client's transport management system
Questions driving agencies ask.
Does Tempbench check a driving licence with the DVLA?
No. Tempbench stores the licence and the expiry date you enter, and warns you as it gets close. Checking entitlement and endorsements is still done with the driver's check code on GOV.UK. A check code lasts 21 days, so add a dated note to the driver's record each time you check.
Can Tempbench track tachograph card expiry?
Yes, as a dated document, but there is no separate tachograph card type. Upload a photo of the card under Other and enter the expiry date. Tempbench warns 30 days before it runs out. DVLA lets a driver renew once the card is within 90 days of expiry, so start the chase earlier.
Does Tempbench check drivers' hours or tachograph data?
No. Tempbench does not read tachograph data, check drivers' hours or rest, or report infringements. Its planner blocks a shift that overlaps another one, including a night running into the next morning, and warns at seven days in a row. Hours compliance stays with your analysis software and the operator.
Can I search for Class 1 drivers with ADR near a depot?
Yes. Sentence search takes the position, a distance from any postcode, the days they must be free and any skill, such as ADR or Driver CPC. Results come back nearest first with the miles shown. Distances are straight lines between postcodes, not drive times, so sense-check anything near a river crossing.
Try it with your own drivers.
Load the sample agency, which includes van and HGV drivers, or import your spreadsheet. 30 days free, no card needed.