GETTING A HGV OPERATOR’S LICENCE
Want to start your own HGV business or bring logistics needs in house?
You’ve already found a flexible and supportive commercial vehicle partner;
now find out how to get your HGV Operator’s Licence.
The main purpose of goods vehicle operator licensing is to ensure the
safe and proper use of goods vehicles and to protect the environment
around operating centres.
You need an operator’s license if you want to use:
- A vehicle over 3.5 tonnes (3500kg) plated weight
- For business, hire or reward
- Or in conjunction with trade or business
The Operator's Licence should be applied for in the name of the person,
company or partnership that is the “user” of the vehicle.
You are considered the user if:
- You are the driver and owner of the vehicle
- It is in your lawful possession under an agreement for hire, hire purchase
or loan
- The driver is your employee or agent (i.e. you pay them to drive to drive
the vehicle for you)
TYPES OF OPERATOR’S LICENCE
There are a variety of O licence types that could be suitable to your needs.
- Standard International Licence:
This allows you to carry your own goods, and goods for other people for
hire or reward, both in the UK and on international journeys.
It requires that you and your Transport Manager must each satisfy the
requirement of good repute and professional competence.
- Standard National Licence:
This allows you to carry your own goods on your own account, or other
people's goods for hire or reward, in the UK and to carry your OWN
goods on your own account abroad.
It requires that you and your Transport Manager must each satisfy the
requirement of good repute and professional competence.
- Restricted Licence:
This only allows you to carry your own goods on your own account
within the UK and the EU. You do not have to satisfy the requirement of
professional competence.
Examples of using a restricted license are: If you produce your own
products and deliver them yourself or if you use the vehicle to transport
tools or equipment to and from a job, e.g. a scaffolder or builder.
OPERATOR’S LICENCE EXEMPTIONS
There are a few exemptions when it comes to Operator Licensing. These are
the most common:
- Recovery Vehicles which are constructed or permanently adapted for
the purposes of lifting, towing or transporting a disabled vehicle.
- A vehicle with equipment permanently attached to it for the life of that
vehicle. Examples include permanently fixed machines or appliances eg:
a road sweeper or cherry picker. The only goods or burden these
vehicles are allowed to carry
- Vehicles being used for or in connection with snow clearing, and the
distribution of salt or grit.
OPERATOR’S LICENCE REQUIREMENTS
To qualify for an Operator’s Licence, whether it is Standard or Restricted
Licence, you must satisfy a traffic commissioner that you:
- Are of good repute and fit to hold a licence.
- Are of appropriate financial standing eg: you have enough money to run
your business.
- Have suitable facilities or arrangements for maintaining your vehicles.
- Are capable of ensuring that both you and your staff obey all the rules.
For a Standard Licence there are three other requirements:
- The applicant must be properly established in Great Britain.
“Established” in this context means have premises in which the operator
keeps their core business documents (eg: personnel, driving and vehicle
maintenance records). Therefore, a PO Box or third party address cannot
be used for correspondence on a standard license.
- Must have a transport manager that is of good repute and professionally
competent.
- The licence holder must have “access” to a vehicle. This means that the
holder owns at least one vehicle or has in place a formal contract with a
hire company, other operator or other organisation to hire one when
needed.
Note: Licence holders are not required to own or hire a vehicle all the time,
for example where licences are granted for seasonal work. However in these
cases, a formal agreement must be in place to hire or otherwise secure
access to a vehicle when one is required. A license cannot be granted when
no vehicles are in possession and no formal hire agreement is in place.
OPERATING CENTRE REQUIREMENTS
Since you cannot keep goods vehicles over 3.5t GVM on a public road you
are going to need a safe and secure facility to base your vehicles. This is your
Operating Centre and should have sufficient off-street parking for all your
vehicles and trailers.
When you apply for a licence you will be asked to list your proposed
operating centres and provide information about the vehicles you intend to
keep there. If you do not own the operating centre you may be asked to
provide evidence that you are entitled to use it. You will also need to satisfy a
traffic commissioner that your operating centres are suitable, for example that
they will:
- Be big enough.
- Have safe access.
- Be in an environmentally acceptable location.
TRANSPORT MANAGERS
If you are applying for a standard national or international licence, you will
need to have at least one transport manager who satisfies the requirements
of good repute and professional competence. There are two types of
transport manager: Internal and External.
Internal Transport Mangers
Internal Transport Managers are closely connected with the Operator. To
qualify as an Internal Transport Manager they must:
- Be resident in a European Union Country.
- Effectively and continuously perform their transport manager role for the
operator in question.
- Have a genuine link to the operator, such as being a full-time or
part-time employee, director or owner.
External Transport Mangers
You can employ an external Transport Manager to work as a consultant on a
contract or part time basis if you do not fulfil the role as of Transport
Manager, for example due to a lack of qualifications or are a owner driver or
sole trader, or do not currently have in Internal Transport Manger.
The contractor must have effective and continuous management
responsibility for the transport activities of the operator and:
- Be of good repute and be resident in a European Union country.
- Have a contract with the operator that specifies the tasks they perform
as transport manager.
- Only work for a maximum of four operators with a combined total fleet of
50 vehicles.
- Must act solely in the interests of the operator and independently of
transport customers.
If you are interested in becoming a Transport Manager, there are a number
of awarding organisations who are able to offer the Transport Manager
Certificate of Personal Competence (also known as CPC but not to be
confused with Driver CPC!). There are no academic entry requirements for the
examination. Neither are there any fixed rules or requirements for study. For
more details, follow this link: www.ocr.org.uk
HOW DO YOU APPLY FOR AN O LICENCE?
- To apply for a new licence you need to complete a Form GV79. This
form is available from the VOSA Contact Centre, Tel 0300 123 9000. We
can also email you the GV79 forms, along with some handy information
that might help you find the vehicle you need.
- The completed form, with the relevant application fee, must be sent to
the Traffic Area in whose are you have an operating centre.
- You will also need to advertise your application in a local newspaper
circulating in each place where you are applying to have an operating
centre. This gives anyone owning or occupying buildings or land in the
vicinity of the operating centre an opportunity to make a representation
against your application on environmental grounds.
- Your GV79 application form contains a blank advertisement form and
tells you how to fill it in. You can choose the size of the advertisement
yourself, but it must be big enough to be easily read. The advertisement
must appear at least once within the period running from 21 days before
to 21 days after you make your application. Tear out the whole page of
the newspaper showing your advertisement and send it straight away to
the Traffic Commissioner. The page sent should contain the date and
name of the paper.
You should apply for your O Licence at least 9 weeks before the date when
the licence is needed. This allows time for the Traffic Commissioner to make
any enquiries thought to be needed. In straightforward cases a licence should
be issued within those 9 weeks.
WHAT IF YOU NEED TO START OPERATING URGENTLY?
You could write to the Traffic Area Office giving reasons why you want to
operate urgently. The Traffic Commissioner may issue an interim licence, but
can only do so if you have applied for a full licence. A fee will be charged for
the issue of the interim licence and for each vehicle specified for use. When
the fee is paid a vehicle identity disc will be sent to you for display on the
windscreen.
Remember: an interim licence does not guarantee that you will get a full
licence. Until you get a firm decision on that, you would be unwise to make
any long term commitments.
IT IS ILLEGAL TO OPERATE BEFORE AN OPERATOR LICENCE IS
ISSUED. MV COMMERCIAL CANNOT HIRE A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
TO YOU UNLESS YOU HAVE AN OPERATORS LICENCE IN YOUR OR
YOUR TRADING NAME
The complete guide, which is titled Goods Vehicle Operator Licensing Guide
for Operators is available from the gov.uk website here http://bit.ly/18BVbOe