Being a goods vehicle operator
Exemptions
You do not need a goods vehicle operator’s licence if your vehicle:
- was first used before 1977, has an unladen weight of 1,525 kilograms or less and a maximum gross plated weight over 3,500 kilograms
- is using public roads for less than 6 miles a week whilst moving between private premises belonging to the same person as the vehicle (if the vehicle’s used for excavation or demolition it does not matter who it belongs to)
- is being used on trade plates
- is a passenger carrying vehicle
Categories of vehicles that are exempt
Several types of vehicle do not need an operator’s licence, including:
- military vehicles
- snow ploughs and gritters
- emergency service vehicles (including those used by gas, electricity, water and telephone companies)
- hearses
- recovery vehicles (only if they’re used exclusively for that purpose)
- tractors and agricultural vehicles used in certain circumstances
Read the guidance to find out more about the vehicle operator licensing system.
Categories of vehicles that are not exempt
These types of vehicles are never exempt:
- mobile exhibition vehicles
- catering vehicles
- mobile shops
- mobile medical screening vehicles
- vehicles with fixed equipment carrying goods not strictly for use in connection with that equipment, or towing a trailer that’s carrying goods