O Licence Application Help
At 2BCompliant we’ve helped hundreds of operators and business owners apply for their operator’s licence. Our experienced team of specialists are experts in operator’s licence requirements and can help you get your licence more quickly. From completing the application form and gathering supporting documents to final submission checking and managing correspondence with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, we’ll be with you every step of the way. To find out more please call us on 07875 444 486 or contact us and we’ll get back to you right away.
Operator's Licence Guide
Applying for an operator’s licence is a vital task for owners of trucks, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and public service vehicles (PSVs) such as coaches or minibuses. If you don’t successfully complete an operator’s licence application, or an o licence application as it’s also known, you won’t be able to carry passengers or goods for money, so-called hire and reward. tThe process can be long and costly, and you’ll need to provide detailed information if your o licence application is to be successful.
To help you with your application, here is 2BCompliant’s comprehensive guide to operator’s licence applications. In it, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions regarding o licence requirements and operator’s licence applications. We hope it will prove useful, but if you’d like some personalised help, or would like 2BCompliant to help you complete your operator’s licence application, then please contact us. You can call our expert team on 07875 444 486 or contact us and we’ll get back to you right away.
What is an operator’s licence?
A Goods Vehicle Operator’s licence, or an o licence as it’s also known, is a legal requirement if you wish to:
- Carry goods in connection with your business using vehicles or vehicle and trailer combinations with a Gross Plated Weight (GPW) exceeding 3.5 tonnes
- Or an unladen weight of more than 1,525 kg (where there is no GPW)
- For journeys within the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland you will need an operator’s licence if you wish to operate vehicles or vehicle and trailer combinations with a GPW of over 2.5 tonnes for hire and reward
Are there different types of operator’s licence?
Yes, there are five types of operator’s licence, these are:
– A standard national licence – which means you can carry your own goods in the UK and internationally and other people’s goods in the UK for money. You can also take loaded trailers to and from ports within the UK as part of an international journey, so long as your vehicles don’t leave the country
– A standard international licence – with this you can carry your own goods, and other people’s goods in the UK and on international journeys. Once you have your standard international licence you can request a UK Licence for the Community which allows you to:
Make trips between all EU countries
Transit traffic through EU countries
Cabotage (a journey entirely within one EU country)
– A restricted licence – this allows you to carry your own goods but not other people’s goods
– A standard international licence for light goods vehicles – this allows businesses that use light goods vehicles (between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes GPW) to carry goods for hire or reward within the European Union
When it comes to PSV operator’s licences there are four further types:
– A standard licence – national operations only – allows you to operate in Great Britain if you apply for a standard licence. Most full-time commercial operators use standard licences
– A standard licence – national and international operations – this kind of PSV operator’s licence lets you take passengers abroad as well as within Great Britain
– A restricted licence – this is for small-scale operations and allows you to use 1 or 2 vehicles, and neither can carry more than 8 passengers. You can carry up to 16 passengers in either vehicle if you do not use it as part of a passenger transport business, or you’re operating your vehicles as a side-line and not as your main job
– A special restricted licence – these are used to operate a licensed taxi on a local service. You can only apply for this licence if you’re a licensed taxi operator. A local service is one where:
Stops are no more than 24.15 kilometres (15 miles) apart
At least one stop is within the area of the district council that issued your taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) licence
The service must be registered with the local Traffic Commissioner.
What are the requirements to hold an operator’s licence?
If you wish to make an operator’s licence application or to hold an o licence – standard or restricted – you must:
- Be deemed fit to hold a licence – this will take into account things like convictions
- Be able to pay not just the application and licence fees, but also the ongoing costs associated with complying with the licence
- Be able to show the Traffic Commissioner’s Office that you, and your transport manager(s) in the case of a standard licence, have systems in place to ensure you can remain compliant
- For heavy goods vehicle licences, you’ll need to specify a suitable operating centreat which there is sufficient capacity for the heavy goods vehicles used under the licence
- Show professional competence – this could be you holding a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in road haulage operations or an equivalent qualification, or an employee or contractor who holds such a qualification. This will usually be a/your transport manager as they are responsible for managing the transport operations
- You will need an operating centre, somewhere to park your vehicle(s) overnight and an advert in your local paper to inform the area you are applying for an operating licence
- Vehicles need to be correctly taxed and kept in a good, safe condition
- Drivers must have the correct licence and training – the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC))
Do I need a transport manager to make an operator’s licence application?
How long does an operator’s licence application take?
On average it takes about nine weeks. This can vary according to the time of year and the volume of o licence applications they are having to deal with. Getting your operator’s licence as quickly as possible is incredibly important. The longer you have to wait, the longer you’ll have to wait to start earning.
One of the biggest causes of delays is inaccurate/incomplete applications. Toing and froing with the Transport Commissioner’s’ Office can add weeks to your application. A great way to speed the process up is to use an operator’s licence help service such as 2BCompliant. We offer a comprehensive operator’s licence application service, including:
- Completing the o licence application form
- Providing a transport manager (if required)
- Supplying tachograph analysis
- Arranging the local paper public notice
- Support with supplying maintenance contracts
- Help with securing insurance
- Gathering supporting documents to final submission
- Managing correspondence with the Transport Commissioner’s Office
To find out more please call us on 07875 444 486 or contact us and we’ll get back to you right away.
Contact 2BCompliant
Our highly experienced, 5-star Google-rated team can give you all the help you need to keep your transport business compliant. To find out how we can help you, please call us on 07875 444 486 or contact us and we’ll get back to you right away.
Like Some Insurance Help?
If you’d like to some fleet, truck, or plant insurance help or a plant insurance quote then please contact Instatruck on 01332 320540. Our award-winning team of independent insurance brokers will be happy to give you all the help you need and provide you with a great value insurance quote.