What to Ask About a Security Driver
Before you ask for a security driver, decide internally what you actually need, because the term means different things to different people. Then ask the provider who exactly will drive, who will see the programme, and what they will not do. A serious provider will answer in writing and will not be vague about the limits.
What Should You Settle With Your Own Team?
- What are we worried about: intrusion, publicity, theft or a specific threat?
- Who is the person responsible for this visit on our side?
- Does a route need to be agreed, or simply kept private?
- Will anyone from our team travel in the vehicle?
- How much of the programme does a provider need to know, and when?
What Should You Ask the Provider?
- Who will drive, and can you give the name and the plate in advance?
- Is the driver an employee, and what vetting have they had?
- Who else in your company will see the programme?
- Will you sign a confidentiality undertaking?
- What happens if the driver or the vehicle becomes unavailable?
- What will you not provide, and which licence covers what you do provide?
What Answers Should Worry You?
- Claims of armed protection with no licence to show
- A promise of certificates that nobody can produce
- A driver found only on the morning of the visit
- A price with no description of what you are getting
- A request for the guest's passport before anything is agreed
How Much Should You Share at First?
Very little. The first conversation needs dates, the number of people and the general shape of the visit. Names and detailed itineraries can wait until an undertaking is signed and you are happy with the answers above. If a provider insists on a full itinerary before quoting, ask them why.
How Do We Answer These?
Send the same questions to the desk, and we will reply in writing with what we can provide. See our security driver page for how a request works, and our drivers page for the standards that apply to every driver.
Questions About This Guide
Do We Have to Name the Guest?
Not for the first conversation. Once the booking goes ahead, the driver needs to know how to address the guest, and a first name or a title is often enough.
Can We Meet the Driver Before the Day?
Ask us. Where the schedule allows, your team can speak to the driver beforehand.