HGV & Truck
Operator Licences: What Are They?
10 June 2018
3 min readOperator licenses are required if you want to drive a heavy goods vehicle. The reason that operator licenses were introduced was to help ensure the safety of all road users when goods vehicles are being operated.
Suppose you are operating a goods vehicle weighing over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight or weighing more than 1,525kg when unladen and used for commercial purposes. In that case, you will need an operator’s licence. Operator licences are not just restricted to heavy goods vehicles. If you are driving a vehicle and trailer with the same combined weight as stated above, you need an operator’s license.
It is illegal to operate a heavy goods vehicle without a valid operator license, and not only can you be prosecuted, but your vehicle can also be impounded. Even if you are only using a vehicle for a single day, a few hours, or as part of a one-off hire and the weights are as stated above, then you will still need an operator’s license.
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