An operators’ licence is a legal requirement in Great Britain, it’s needed so a business is able to operate heavy goods vehicles. An 'O licence' is only ever issued by the Traffic Commissioner.  The Traffic Commissioner is in charge of regulating the commercial road transport industry, and have the power to take regulatory action against licence holders who fail to meet operation standards. This can include curtailment which reduces or places limitations on the number of vehicles an operator can operate), and also the suspension or revocation of an operation.

Do I require an operators’ licence?

If your vehicle/s are above 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight (gvw) and carry goods on public roads for trade or business purposes you will require an 'O licence'. This includes rental vehicles hired for short periods of time (as little as just one day).

The person who ‘uses’ the vehicle (this may or may not be the owner of the vehicle) must hold the Operators licence, whether they are an individual or business owner. The vehicle user could be:

• The driver, if they own it or if they are leasing or hiring the vehicle (eg a typical owner-driver operation)

• Or the person whose agent is the driver – (whoever employs or is in charge of the driver)

• This covers both 'own account' and 'hire or reward' operations.

Also, operators’ licence legislation states that all holders of standard National Operator Licences must be professionally competent or employ someone who is professionally competent. To demonstrate this the most common option is to hold a National Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).

Logico offer an easy and fixed-fee application to gain your Operators’ Licence. To get started call 01325 952887.