Apply for a vehicle operator licence
Your organisation and team
When you apply, you’ll be asked:
- whether you’re a limited company, sole trader, partnership, limited liability partnership or other organisation
- the name of your organisation
- what the organisation does
- your address and contact details
- the names of the people responsible for your organisation, for example the owner, transport manager, company directors or safety inspectors
If you’re a limited company, the organisation name and details you provide must match the details on Companies House or your application may be rejected.
Employing or hiring a transport manager
If you’re applying for a standard licence, you’ll be asked to name a transport manager. That person could be you or someone else.
You’ll need to provide:
- their date of birth
- their contact details
- proof that they’re qualified to be a transport manager for goods vehicles or public service vehicles, for example a copy of their Certificate of Professional Competence
- how many hours a day they’ll spend on transport manager duties
- a list of any convictions or cautions
Your transport manager also needs to be one of the following:
- already working for your organisation
- somebody you hire
- somebody you contract
Your team’s history
To prepare for your application, you’ll need to find out some information about your team. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner will use this to check your organisation can hold a vehicle operator licence.
Financial history
When you apply you’ll need to tell the Office of the Traffic Commissioner whether any directors, partners or transport managers have been:
- declared bankrupt, had their estate seized or been the subject of an Individual Voluntary Arrangement
- involved with an organisation that has gone or is going into receivership
- involved with an organisation that has gone or is going into administration or a Company Voluntary Arrangement
- previously disqualified from acting as a company director or managing a company
By “involved with an organisation”, we mean anyone named on the licence or named in the licence application. For example directors, safety inspectors, and transport managers.
Licence history
You’ll need to tell the Office of the Traffic Commissioner whether any directors, partners or transport managers have:
- an operator licence in any traffic area currently
- ever had or applied for an operator licence in any traffic area
- ever been disqualified from having an operator licence in any traffic area
- ever had an operator licence application refused by a traffic commissioner for Great Britain, the Northern Ireland Transport Regulation Unit or by any EU licensing authority
- ever had an operator licence taken away, suspended or limited by a traffic commissioner for Great Britain, the Department for Infrastructure for Northern Ireland or by any EU licensing authority
- ever taken part in a public inquiry held by a Traffic Commissioner
- bought assets or shares in a company that holds or has held an operator licence in any traffic area
Convictions and cautions
You’ll need to declare if any of the following people and companies you work with have certain convictions or cautions:
- directors, partners and transport managers
- companies that are (or have been) directed by anybody you’ve named
- your parent company, if you’re a limited company
- your employees and agents
Setting up your IT systems
If you want to join the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) earned recognition scheme, you’ll need software and IT systems that work with the scheme.
The DVSA earned recognition scheme collects data so you can prove your organisation meets driver and vehicle standards. This means that your vehicles are less likely to be stopped for inspections.
You can join the DVSA earned recognition scheme once you’ve had an operator licence for at least 2 years.
Get help joining the DVSA earned recognition scheme
You can get help from DVSA to start the process of joining the DVSA earned recognition scheme if you’re a new vehicle operator. You’ll need to do this within the first 6 months of getting your new vehicle operator licence.