Roadside checks for HGV, van, bus or coach drivers
Fines, penalty points and other sanctions
If you get a fine from a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) officer or the police, the amount you have to pay could depend on the circumstances and seriousness of the offence.
You can be fined for such offences as:
- your vehicle weighing more than its maximum permitted weight
- driving for too long without taking a break
- your vehicle not being roadworthy (for example, if it has a bald tyre)
You can be fined between £50 and £300. You can be taken to court for more serious offences, and a magistrate will decide how much your fine is.
Getting points on your licence
For some offences, you’ll get points added to your licence as well as a fine. For example, if your vehicle has defective brakes, you’ll be given a £100 fine and 3 points on your licence.
What to do if you get a fine
You must have a UK address you can be easily contacted through (known as a ‘satisfactory address’). Bed and breakfast, hotel, agency or solicitor addresses are not normally accepted.
If you have a satisfactory UK address, you’ll have 28 days from when you’re given a fixed penalty notice to pay the fine.
If you’re in England or Wales
If you want to appeal the fine, you’ll have 28 days to ask for a court hearing.
If you do not pay the fine within 28 days or ask for an appeal, your fine will be 50% more. The court will recover the money.
If you’re in Scotland
If you do not pay the fine within 28 days, you could be taken to court.
If you do not have a satisfactory UK address
You’ll have to pay a ‘financial penalty deposit’. This will be either:
- the total of all fixed penalty notices issued (if you want to appeal, you must do so within 28 days)
- £500 per offence if you go to court - you’ll have to pay on the spot and go to court later
In both cases the maximum amount you’ll have to pay as a deposit is £1,500. You have to pay this straight away - if you do not, you might not be allowed to drive your vehicle.
The money from deposits is used to pay any fines (including court fines).
You’ll be refunded any money left over from your deposit after fines have been paid.
Your vehicle will be immobilised if you do not pay the deposit.
Complain about a fine
If you do not think you should have been fined, you can complain to DVSA. You must do this within 10 days of being fined.
If your complaint is about a prohibition, you should tell DVSA whether you were fined for the offence.
DVSA customer service centre
Telephone: 0300 123 9000
Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6pm
Find out about call charges
You’ll get a response within 15 days.
If DVSA agrees with your complaint, the fine will be cancelled.
If you’re unhappy with the outcome of your complaint, you can still ask for the matter to be heard by a court rather than accepting and paying the fine.
Other sanctions
If a DVSA officer finds a problem, they can take different actions depending on how serious the problem is.
These include:
- giving a verbal warning
- issuing a vehicle inspection notice (PG35EC) - if an officer finds minor defects on your vehicle
- issuing an offence rectification notice (ORN) - when you have to fix the issue within a set period of time
- referring the driver and operator to the Traffic Commissioner
- calling the police to have you arrested
- prosecuting you in court