Transport Compliance & Auditing FAQs
Simple Answers to Complex Transport Compliance Questions
Transport Compliance & Auditing FAQs
Transport compliance and auditing can be a complex business. From knowing what the role and responsibilities of a transport manager are to whether you need a Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence or how to get help with getting an operator’s licence, there’s a lot of important information to get to grips with. To help you do that, here are 2BCompliant’s transport compliance and auditing FAQs. Here you’ll find answers to the most frequently asked transport compliance questions in plain English. We hope they’ll be useful, but if you’d like some personalised advice please get in touch. You can call us on 07875 444 486 or contact the 2BCompliant team today.
Operator's Licence FAQs
An operator’s licence, or an o licence as it’s also known, allows you to legally operate vehicles over 3.5 tonnes for business purposes. Put simply, if you want to carry goods in a truck or an HGV for money, then you will need an operator’s licence. An o licence will allow you to:
- Carry goods in connection with your business using vehicles or vehicle and trailer combinations with a Gross Plated Weight (GPW) exceeding 3.5 tonne
- 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
Put simply, if you have a truck, PSV, or an HGV and you want to carry goods for money, then you’ll almost certainly need to make an operator’s licence application. Licences are administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on behalf of the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, and the purpose of an operator’s licence is to ensure the safe and proper use of goods vehicles and to protect the environment around operating centres. To qualify and retain your o licence, you ensure that you/any drivers you use or employ have the correct licence and training and that all vehicles are always taxed and kept in good condition. The DVSA carries out regular roadside checks and checks on operating centres and your licence could be taken away, suspended or restricted if you do not meet the required standards.
A. You can apply on the Gov.uk website. There are several steps you will have to take as part of your o licence application such as advertising your application in a local newspaper in the traffic area your business operates in, show professional competence and be able to demonstrate your business is compliant. You can read more about operator’s licence applications, get some with help with your o licence application or operator’s licence check here.
If you wish to make an operator’s licence application or to hold an o licence – be it a standard or restricted operator’s licence – you must:
- Be deemed fit to hold a licence – this will consider things like convictions
- Be able to pay the application and licence fees and 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 – such as holding a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) in road haulage 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 taxed and in good condition
- Drivers must have the correct licence and training – the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC)
No, you won’t need an operator’s licence if you’re using your vehicle private use, so not for paid work carrying goods or passengers. There are exceptions though, and these include:
- Some vans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes – may require an operator’s licence under regulations introduced in 2022
- Occasional business use – even if you very occasionally use your vehicle for business purposes, you might need an operator’s licence
If you’d like some impartial operator’s licence, the please feel free to call us on 07875 444 486 or contact the 2BCompliant team today.
There are five types of operator’s licence, these are:
- A standard national licence– allows you to carry your own goods in the UK and internationally and other people’s goods in the UK for money
- A standard international licence– allows you to carry your own goods, and other people’s goods in the UK and on international journeys
- 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– 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
You can read more about operator’s licence types here.
Once you’ve been awarded an operator’s licence, you’ll be subject to scrutiny from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Retaining your o licence is part and parcel with general transport compliance such as being financially stable, maintaining vehicles properly, having good health and safety procedures in place, and keeping comprehensive trading records
If you’re caught operating without an o licence – and the chances are you will be caught – you could face:
- Having your vehicle impounded and scrapped after 21 days
- A fine of up to £5,000 per offence
- You could be disqualified from getting an operator’s licence in the future
If you have an o licence check coming up and you’d like some help with, then please feel free to call us on 07875 444 486 or contact the 2BCompliant team today. Our experienced team will be happy to give you all the help you need
In common with a standard transport compliance audit, an operator’s licence audit will inspect things like your maintenance records, financial standing, and tachograph data
Operators must be able to demonstrate sufficient funds to maintain their vehicles safely. Financial standing takes into account the number of vehicles you are operating and the type of vehicles. Current guidelines look like this:
- Heavy goods vehicles (HGV) – £8,000 for the first vehicle, and £4,500 for each additional vehicle
- Light goods vehicles – £1,600 for the first vehicle, and £800 for each additional vehicle
- Authorized light goods vehicles – £800 each
You will be expected to provide evidence of financial standing in the form of cash, bank statements, credit card statements, overdraft facilities, audited accounts etc. The Traffic Commissioner’s Office will check the funds available in these accounts over the last 3 months for an existing license or 28 days for an application. These rules need to be adhered to while you have an operator’s licence
Your o licence will need to be renewed every five years. You can renew your license online through the Vehicle Operator Licensing Service (VOLS) website
If you have any major changes such as a change of address, changes to the number/type of vehicle vehicles in your fleet, these must be reported to the Traffic Commissioners of Great Britain within 28 days
A. Maintaining a safe and low-impact fleet requires regular checks and reporting. While some of things, such as having rigorous health and safety procedures in place and checking vehicle emissions are things your transport manager will be used to handling, others are more complex and may even be unknown to them. That’s where transport compliance companies like 2BCompliant come in. Our experienced team of transport compliance consultants can help give you compliant while advising you on business efficiencies and best practise. If you’d like to know how our transport compliance services can help your business, then please feel free to call us on 07875 444 486 or contact the 2BCompliant team today
Transport Management FAQs
The role of the transport manager in a transport business is crucial. Their wide range of responsibilities means they must have an intimate knowledge of the business, the wider industry, and the compliance regime in which they must operate. We work with transport managers on a daily basis and frequently find external transport managers for our clients and know the questions that get asked about them, questions such as:
A transport company needs a transport manager to ensure that the company complies with all relevant laws and regulations. You will need a transport manager to get an operator’s licence, for example, and they also have responsibility for things such as:
- Keeping up to date with transport laws – ensuring drivers and vehicles comply with health and safety, environmental and driver’s hours rules
- Vehicle maintenance – transport compliance regulations require transport companies to keep their vehicles properly maintained, with MOTs and road tax
- Driver management and training – ensuring all drivers and admin staff are correctly qualified and comply with training regulations such as refresher courses
- Route planning – the transport manager plans routes and schedules delivery times
- Pricing – a transport manager ensures that work is priced so that it can be done both legally and profitably
- Vehicle loading – a transport manager ensures that vehicles are loaded safely and not overloaded.
Many transport companies hire external transport manager to cut costs or to cover busy periods. At 2BCompliant we can find you a transport manage for ongoing transport manager support, or for a one-off project. To find out more about finding an external transport manager, please call us 07875 444 486 contact the 2BCompliant team today
Yes, a CPC is legally required for managing a compliant fleet. A Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is a requirement for anyone who wants to become a transport manager or manage a company that operates vehicles over 3.5 tonnes as:
- It demonstrates legal compliance and an understanding of the issues/risks at stake
- It shows professional credibility by demonstrates their commitment to best practices
- They need one to get an operator’s licence – a CPC is directly linked to an operator’s licence, and a vehicle operator can’t add a transport manager to their license without a CPC
- Knowledge and skills
A CPC is a lifetime award, but it can be affected by certain criminal offenses. Transport managers must keep their knowledge up to date through regular training to continue working as a transport manager, either as a full-time employee or as an external transport manager
A. Yes, drivers must undergo 35 hours of CPC training every 5 years. 2BCompliant offers training resources and ensures your drivers stay qualified. The deadline for training is shown on the CPC card
There are several steps you need to take to become a full-qualified transport manger, and these include:
- Complete a Transport Manager CPC course – this is required by law and is the industry standard. The course covers topics such as transport rules, fleet management, safety, and financial planning
- Be added to/get an operator’s licence – by making your application to the Office of the Transport Commissioner
- Undertake your Operator’s Licence Awareness (OLAT) Training – this is a one-day course that’s good for refreshing or improving your skills and knowledge of managing an operator’s licence
It’s not easy, but then you want to holders of a Transport Manager CPC to be competent and well-qualified as they hold a vital role within any transport firm. It’s set at A-level standard but is often taught in a shorter timeframe
There are several ways in which a transport manage ensures driver compliance, and these include:
- Ensuring drivers are licensed – verifying that their drivers have valid driving licenses for the work they are doing
- Managing their driver’s hours – by equipping all vehicles with tachographs, and regularly downloading and analysing the data or getting an external specialist company such as 2BCompliant to do securely do the analysis for them
- Training drivers – ensuring drivers are adequately trained and competent to operate vehicles and equipment and comply with any ongoing training obligations their qualifications may require
- Maintaining records – keeping accurate logs of driver hours, breaks, vehicle maintenance, and incidents/accidents
- Maintaining vehicle safety – keeping the company’s fleet of vehicles safe, well-maintained, and environmentally compliant
- Managing compliance systems and processes – reviewing compliance systems, and reporting any shortcomings to management
- Keeping up with legislation – staying up to date with changes in standards and legislation and ensuring any changes to operations are carried out
- Creating a culture of compliance – showing leadership, offering training sessions to reinforce the importance of compliance, and creating an environment where compliance is valued as a business benefit
- Maintenance logs
- Drivers’ hours
- Driver training records
- Compliance records
- Vehicle maintenance records
- Reports of any incidents and accidents that take place during business operations
- Tachograph records as these will be needed for inspection by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the police in case of an incident
- Vehicle operator licensing systems, including safety standards, state mandates, and fuel taxes
This will vary from firm-to-firm and if the infringements break the law. The action taken against infringements is determined by legislation and can include:
- Verbal warnings for minor infringements
- Offence rectification notices for non-safety infringements
- Prohibition for multiple infringements
- Fixed penalties for drivers with verifiable UK addresses
- Prosecution for more serious infringements
- Referral to the Traffic Commissioner for further action
Routine maintenance and inspections are vital and should form the basis of any transport compliance programme. Specific best practice measures include:
- Scheduled regular inspections – to ensure vehicles are operating safely, reliably, and efficiently – these can also spot problems before they become severe/costly
- Preventative maintenance schedules using technology – to monitor vehicle usage and performance. These can extend the life of vehicles, reduce downtime, improve fleet safety and reduce the chances of accident and so keep expensive fleet insurance claims at bay
- Keeping detailed records regarding maintenance and compliance
- Have a comprehensive fleet management strategy – one that covers everything from driver training and maintenance to the replacement of vehicles and providing the infrastructure that will be needed in the future, e.g. electric charging points for trucks or even hydrogen filling points
Preventative maintenance and efficiency planning can reduce downtime as can:
- Selecting the right vehicles – and trying to reduce the number of older/high mileage vehicles in the fleet
- Conducting regular inspections – to ensure proactive repairs can be undertaken
- Training drivers on best practice – so reducing wear and tear on things like gearboxes, brakes and clutches. It can also help reduce accidents which won’t only reduce downtime but will lead to less fleet or truck insurance claims
- Monitor driving behaviour using telematics systems – which will identify and help fix poor driving habits
- Analysing drivers’ data and tachograph data – so you can help you identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement
- Incentivizing safe driving – by offering rewards for safe, best practice driving
- Use an outsourced transport compliance and auditing firm such as 2BCompliant – we can advise you on best practices, review/establish best in class practices and help to optimise your operations and reduce costs. To find out more, please call us 07875 444 486 contact the 2BCompliant team today
Expanding a transport business may require a licence update or additional licences. This can be a complex area of transport compliance as there are a lot of issues to consider and compliance regulations to adhere to. If you’d like some independent advice on this, please call us 07875 444 486 contact the 2BCompliant team today
Tachographs record driver hours and activities digitally, data that can be downloaded and analysed in-house or by a specialist transport compliance company like 2BComplaint. They work by using a driver’s smart card and the vehicle unit (VU) to record data – speed, mileage, breaks, loading and unloading, etc. – automatically. The data must be downloaded from the driver’s card every 28 days and the VU every 90 days and needs to be carefully analysed. Tachograph modes allow drivers to record different types of activities, such as if driving mode is activated when the vehicle is moving, and rest mode is used when the driver takes a break
Drivers have strict hours-of-service regulations to prevent fatigue. Current UK legislation states that HGV drivers can have no less than 9 hours’ daily rest within a 24-hour period up to three times in a week. This means an HGV driver can work a maximum of three 15-hour days a week, so long as all other working time rules are met such as daily breaks, etc.
Get Some More Transport Compliance Help
If you’d like some independent transport compliance help, then please contact the 2BCompliant team today. Our friendly team can offer you all the advice you need and provide you with a comprehensive compliance, training, and transport site audit service. To find out more, you can call us on 07875 444 486 or contact the 2BCompliant team today.
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.