Transport Compliance Services

Transport compliance is what an operator licence holder must show every day, including the days between audits. DVSA examiners, the Traffic Commissioner and increasingly large logistics customers look for evidence that licence undertakings are being kept: vehicles maintained on schedule, drivers’ hours managed, defects rectified, and corrective action recorded. Operator Licence Ltd provides practical support focused on the records that stand up in front of a regulator, rather than generic policy documents.

What Our Service Covers

Support is shaped around the evidence DVSA and the Traffic Commissioner actually ask for:

• Operator Licence Applications and Variations: Preparing the licensing record, advertising, financial standing evidence and operating centre detail so the application reflects the real operation.
• Compliance Audits: Sample-based review of PMI sheets, brake test prints, defect reports, driver licence checks, Driver CPC, tachograph downloads and infringement follow-up, with a written findings list and corrective action dates.
• Driver and Vehicle Standards: Practical guidance on inspection intervals, walkaround checks, tachograph downloads within the 28 day vehicle and 90 day driver rules, and the records that prove drivers’ hours infringements were dealt with.
• Training and Management Oversight: Refresher sessions for drivers and transport office staff, plus support for Transport Managers evidencing continuous and effective management under their TM1 declaration.
• Public Inquiry Representation: Document bundle preparation, undertakings analysis and rehearsal for hearings before the Traffic Commissioner, including corrective action evidence packs.

How It Works

The process is structured so that every output is something a DVSA examiner or Traffic Commissioner would recognise.

1. Initial Consultation: A no-obligation discussion to understand the licence type, vehicle numbers, operating centres and any current DVSA or Traffic Commissioner contact.
2. Tailored Compliance Plan: A written plan setting out evidence gaps, named responsibilities, deadlines and the records that need to be produced or improved.
3. Implementation: Hands-on support to put the plan into practice, including maintenance planner setup, tachograph routines, infringement letters and management review meetings.
4. Regular Reviews: Follow-up checks to test that the system is being used rather than parked, with updates if regulations or licence undertakings change.

For background on licensing rules, read this page alongside GOV.UK and the undertakings listed on your own operator licence.

Who Needs It

Transport compliance support is used across road transport, including:

• Hauliers: Goods operators running standard national or international licences who must hold maintenance, driver and tachograph evidence for the full licence period.
• Passenger Transport Operators: PSV and coach operators with PSV Operator Licence undertakings, including accessibility and route-specific records.
• Fleet Managers: In-house compliance leads who want an independent view of records before a DVSA visit.
• New Entrants: Businesses preparing a first operator licence application who need the systems in place before vehicles are specified.

What Good Compliance Evidence Looks Like

Strong compliance records share a few features. PMI inspections happen on the published interval, with a roller brake test result an engineer can defend. Defect reports show who reported the fault, who repaired it, the date back into service, and the link to the next PMI. Tachograph downloads run within the 28 day vehicle and 90 day driver rules, with infringement letters signed by the driver and the Transport Manager. The operator licence record at the Office of the Traffic Commissioner matches the operating centre, authorisation and vehicle list actually in use. Where any of these break down, a DVSA examiner will follow the thread until they find the cause.

Andrew Logan, transport compliance adviser: “On one file review the maintenance planner looked tidy, but brake test prints had been misfiled for three months and one vehicle had no record at all. That single gap was the first thing raised at the Traffic Commissioner’s office. A short, honest paper trail showing the gap was found and fixed is worth more than a polished spreadsheet with nothing behind it.”

Get Started Today

Operator Licence Ltd can help review this evidence, identify the gaps and connect you with the right specialist support for transport compliance. To begin, complete the operator licence assessment so maintenance, driver, tachograph and correspondence records can be evaluated before a DVSA inspection or Traffic Commissioner enquiry.