Drivers Handbooks
›Drivers Handbooks Drivers handbooks give transport operators a practical way to tell drivers exactly how vehicles must be
Every standard national or standard international operator licence needs a nominated Transport Manager who is more than a name on the record. Transport Manager Audits check whether the TM can show continuous and effective management of the licence in practice: maintenance control, drivers’ hours oversight, vehicle records, operating centre discipline and escalation to the operator when risk appears.
This is not a paper exercise. A Traffic Commissioner, DVSA examiner or buyer will usually look for dated evidence that the TM has made decisions, challenged problems and followed up defects or infringements. A signed TM1, contract or VOL nomination may confirm the appointment, but it does not prove active control.
We carry out independent TM compliance reviews for operators appointing a new TM, checking an external TM arrangement, preparing for a DVSA desk-based assessment, responding to internal audit findings or getting ready for a public inquiry. The output should be a clear risk-rated action list, not a generic checklist.
Request a transport manager audit or use our transport services assessment to describe your situation.
What a TM audit checks
The review tests whether the transport manager has the authority, time, knowledge and record trail needed to manage the licence. The Senior Traffic Commissioner’s statutory guidance expects professional competence to be real and continuing, with the TM exercising proper control over the transport operation.
| Audit area | Good evidence | Common weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance control | Planner reviews, PMI follow-up, brake test evidence, defect close-out and workshop contact. | The planner is updated, but no one can show who challenged late inspections or repeat defects. |
| Drivers’ hours and tachographs | Download checks, infringement reviews, driver debrief notes and repeat issue monitoring. | Analysis reports exist, but there is no TM sign-off or evidence of action. |
| Driver management | Licence checks, Driver CPC records, induction, agency driver controls and assessment records. | Files are incomplete or held in different places with no owner. |
| Licence control | Vehicle authority, operating centre use, undertakings, correspondence and notifiable change checks. | Changes in fleet size, site use or management structure have not been reviewed. |
| TM authority and time | Clear reporting line, site visits, escalation notes, decisions, hours commitment matched to fleet and director involvement where needed. | The TM gives advice, but cannot require action or stop unsafe operation. |
TM1 and the evidence behind the nomination
The TM1 form sits behind every nominated transport manager and sets out the qualification, the hours offered to the licence, other TM commitments and the operator’s confirmation of the appointment. An audit reads it carefully because the figures and duties on that form are the baseline a Traffic Commissioner will hold the TM and operator against if the arrangement is later questioned.
Where the TM also acts for other operators, the audit checks whether the combined hours, travel and operating centres are realistic. A TM listed for several licences across different regions, with limited weekly hours per licence, is a familiar weak point at public inquiry. The audit looks for a current TM1, a written agreement, evidence of the hours actually worked and notes that match the duties described.
Hours against fleet size
The Senior Traffic Commissioner’s Statutory Document on Transport Managers sets out an expected minimum weekly hours range based on fleet size, used as a guide when assessing whether a TM has the time needed for continuous and effective management. The audit compares the hours stated on the TM1 with the authorised vehicles, the operating pattern and the records that exist.
A common pattern is a TM contracted for a handful of hours per week on a licence that has grown from two vehicles to twelve without a review of the arrangement. The TM still signs off the planner, but cannot evidence driver debriefs, tachograph analysis follow-up or operating centre checks at the new scale. The audit flags this before DVSA or the Office of the Traffic Commissioner asks for a week-by-week breakdown.
Who should arrange a TM compliance review?
A review is useful whenever the operator cannot clearly evidence who controls transport compliance each week. The risk is higher where the TM is external, part time, newly appointed, covering several licences or has inherited poor records from a previous manager.
New appointments are a common trigger because the role rarely transfers cleanly. A director may assume the outgoing TM has left a sound system, while the incoming TM discovers missing PMI evidence, unsigned infringement reports or no record of contractor challenge. Those gaps are easier to fix before DVSA asks for the file.
An anonymised pattern we often see is a small standard licence holder with clean-looking maintenance folders but no evidence that the TM reviewed the folders. The PMIs were present, yet two safety inspections had overrun and repeat tyre defects had not been escalated. The issue was not the absence of paperwork; it was the absence of management evidence.
“The audits that hold up at public inquiry are the ones where the TM can show a week of decisions, not a year of policies. Dated notes against the planner, signed infringement debriefs and a short escalation log will often carry more weight than a thick manual no one has opened.”
Liam Gafoor CMILT IOSH, Operator Licence Ltd.
How the review process works
We start with the licence position: licence type, authorised vehicles, operating centres, undertakings, special conditions and any recent Office of the Traffic Commissioner or DVSA correspondence. We then sample live records to see how the system works in an ordinary operating week.
The core checks cover the maintenance planner, PMI intervals, brake testing pattern, annual test planning, defect reports, tachograph downloads, infringement debriefs, driver files, Driver CPC records, TM CPD and the TM1 hours commitment against the live fleet. Where useful, we speak with the TM and a director or operations lead so the report reflects both the formal arrangement and what actually happens day to day.
The report separates immediate licence risk from lower-level housekeeping. A vehicle used after a missed safety inspection is treated differently from a missing driver handbook. Each finding identifies the issue, why it matters, who needs to act, the deadline and what evidence should be kept afterwards so the action is auditable later.
External Transport Manager audits
External TM arrangements need particular care. A contract may describe visits, availability and duties, but the evidence must show that those duties are being carried out. The audit looks for site visits, contact with maintenance suppliers, driver oversight, review notes, action logs and evidence that the TM has enough time for the fleet and other commitments.
If the TM has no practical authority to challenge drivers, require repairs, stop vehicles, escalate safety concerns or report persistent non-compliance to the operator, the arrangement may look nominal. That is the type of weakness that can become serious in a DVSA investigation or Traffic Commissioner hearing.
Preparing before DVSA or the Traffic Commissioner asks
Active TM control should be built before it is requested. Dated notes, brief action records and clear escalation trails often carry more weight than long policies that no one can evidence. A good file should show what the TM checked, what they found, what decision they made and how the operator responded.
Read this alongside the current GOV.UK goods vehicle operator licensing guide and the Traffic Commissioners’ statutory documents. GOV.UK and the Traffic Commissioners remain the official sources; this page explains the practical evidence operators should prepare.
TM audit FAQs
How often should a TM review be done?
There is no fixed statutory interval for a private TM audit. Operators commonly arrange one after a new TM appointment, before a DVSA assessment, after fast fleet growth, before a business sale or when internal records show repeated maintenance or tachograph weaknesses.
Can an external TM pass the review?
Yes. The key question is whether the records show real continuous and effective management. Visits, decisions, contractor contact, driver oversight, escalation and enough available time all matter.
What records should be ready?
Have the licence, current TM1, maintenance planner, PMI records, defect reports, brake test evidence, tachograph analysis, driver files, Driver CPC records, TM CPD evidence and recent OTC or DVSA correspondence available where possible.
Can the report support a Traffic Commissioner response?
The report can help organise evidence and action planning for DVSA, directors or a Traffic Commissioner. It is compliance support and does not replace legal advice where formal proceedings are under way.
What happens if serious gaps are found?
Immediate safety and licence risks are prioritised first, followed by record improvements and management actions. Operator Licence Ltd can help review the evidence, identify the gaps and connect you with the right specialist support for the corrective work that follows.
If your transport manager arrangement needs an independent check, start with the transport services assessment.
