Jurisdiction: United Kingdom
Commencement: 19th August 2024
Amends: The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Regulations 1995
The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Regulations 1995 lay down requirements for the licensing of passenger and goods vehicle operators in Great Britain.
Licences covered under these regulations include:
- “Standard licences” are needed when vehicles are used for hire or reward (i.e. carrying paying passengers or using a lorry (over 3.5 tonnes) for haulage of other people’s goods – for example, by a removals firm); and
- “Restricted licences” are needed when a vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes) is used only in conjunction with any trade or business carried on by the licensee (i.e. the vehicle carries the operator’s own goods – for example, a scaffolding lorry that transports scaffolding belonging to the scaffolding company between sites).
Part 1 General
This Part contains general information including commencement, revocation and interpretation.
Part 2 Applications
This Part prescribes matters relating to applications for licences.
Applications must be made on a form supplied by the Traffic Commissioner and contain all the information specified on that form. The Traffic Commissioner must receive the application no less than 9 weeks before the licence or variation applied for is to take effect.
Part 3 Objection and Representations
This Part details the procedures relating to objections and representations.
Part 4 Operating Centres
This part details the conditions which may be attached to a licence (including number, type and size of goods vehicles, parking and access arrangements and times of operations).
This Part also prescribes the environmental considerations which the Traffic Commission must have regard to when determining the suitability of a place for use as an operating centre, or attaching, carrying or removing a condition to a licence, or the effect or likely effect that an operating centre might have on the locality.
Part 5 Inquiries
This Part, along with Schedule 4, prescribes various matters relating to inquiries held by a Traffic Commissioner under section 35 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995.
Part 6 Other Matter
This part prescribes other matters relating to licences.
Schedule 3 is amended to:
- remove the requirement for the driver of a vehicle registered in Northern Ireland, brought temporarily into Great Britain and used for the carriage of goods, to carry a document setting out certain information in order to be exempt from the requirement to hold an operator licence* in Great Britain;
- update the classes of vehicles registered in Norway and brought temporarily into Great Britain that are exempt from the requirement to have an operator licence; and
- make minor amendments to address errors identified in a previous amendment.
*An operator licence is a licence to allow the operation of goods vehicles in the UK, ensuring the vehicles meet the expected standards of operation.
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