OLCIS eNews – February 2026

Tuesday 24 February 2026

Welcome to the February edition of Logistics UK’s Operator Licensing Compliance Information Service (OLCIS) enews update. This document is a monthly round-up of transport news items sent out as part of your OLCIS subscription. Its objective is to keep you up to date with news affecting your commercial vehicle operation. To view previous editions and access your other subscription benefits, visit the dedicated OLCIS hub.

We welcome any comments and suggestions for new topics you would like to see included within OLCIS enews. Contact Customer Services with any feedback.

Resignation for the Traffic Commissioner of Wales

Victoria Davies has announced her resignation as the Traffic Commissioner for Wales, after six years in the role, to take up a new appointment.

Victoria Davies will officially leave the role on 1 March 2026, with the process now underway to appoint a successor.

Upcoming regulatory changes for Zero‑Emission Vehicles (up to 4.25t)

The Department for Transport (DfT) has submitted draft legislation to Parliament introducing new regulatory flexibilities for zero‑emission (ZE) vehicles up to 4.25 tonnes. These changes follow the 2025 consultation supported by Logistics UK.

If approved, the new rules are expected to take effect possibly by March 2026 but until then, current regulations remain in force.

The changes introduce into legislation the legal definition of a ‘zero-emission vehicle’ (ZE), which will mean a vehicle without an internal combustion engine, or with an internal combustion engine that has emissions of zero grammes of CO₂ per kilometre. Additional changes to regulations will then affect the testing of these zero-emission vehicles and the use of a tachograph and drivers’ hours.

• Vehicle testing – ZE vehicles up to 4.25t will be treated in the same way as its internal combustion engine equivalent vehicle up to 3.5t. ZE vehicles will move into the Class 7 MOT scheme and will no longer be subject to heavy vehicle roadworthiness testing and will follow the Class 7 tyre tread requirements.
• Tachograph and drivers’ hours – ZE vehicles up to 4.25t will be exempt from tachograph and assimilated drivers’ hours rules. A battery electric vehicle towing a trailer, with a combined weight of no greater than 7.5t, must remain within the current 100kms from base radius to benefit from this exemption.

A full list of the regulatory amendments laid in Parliament can be found here.

Northern Ireland to introduce Graduated Driving Licences

Northern Ireland plans to introduce a Graduated Driving Licence (GDL) system by 1 October 2026, making it the first region in the UK to do so. The new system will require learner drivers to complete a minimum six‑month learning period before taking their practical test, along with a structured training programme that must be logged and completed in full.

After passing, new drivers will need to display a distinguishing plate for 24 months instead of the current 12. Additional restrictions will apply to younger drivers, including six months of night‑time driving limits for those under 24 and age‑related night‑time passenger restrictions, with exemptions for immediate family members.

The changes will also allow learner drivers to use motorways when accompanied by an Approved Driving Instructor, and newly qualified drivers will use a new ‘R’ plate that permits motorway driving at posted speed limits.

Further details of the Northern Irish plans can be found here.

DVSA call centre hours

From 2 February, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) phone lines are open between 08:00 and 17:00, Monday to Friday.

This change results from 98% of calls to DVSA being made between 08:00 – 17:00 and is designed to provide a better service for customers.

The customer service centre can also be contacted using WhatsApp message. To use it, put the number +44 (0)1908 787001 into WhatsApp. It will only work with messages and will not work with calls.

Messages can be sent any time, even if the customer service centre is closed. DVSA will reply when open.

Members can still choose to contact DVSA in other ways:

• X (formerly Twitter).
• Facebook.
• [email protected]
• Telephone: 0300 200 1122.

Top questions this month at the Member Advice Centre     

Q. We have a driver who has just been fined for driving a 7.5t box van over a bridge with a weight limit of 5t. As the vehicle was empty at the time it would have weighed less than 5t and would have been under the weight limit. Is this correct?

A. A weight limit or weight restriction contained in a red circle is a command and must be obeyed. The weight limit restriction applies to the plated maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the vehicle and there are no exemptions for an unladen vehicle. Therefore, as the vehicle was a 7.5t box van this is the reference point that would be used by enforcement, not its actual weight at the time of crossing the bridge. As this vehicle had a potential MAM of 7.5t, it exceeded the 5t weight limit for the bridge and therefore the driver disobeyed a traffic sign.

Q. Do we need to inform the Traffic Commissioner when a driver receives notification to attend a speed awareness course?

A. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner’s statutory guidance on driver conduct says that there are occasions when drivers are offered awareness courses as an alternative to prosecution, conviction and endorsements. Whilst this is most common for speeding offences, it may also be offered for other offences. In the normal course of events, the Traffic Commissioner will not be aware of the offer of an awareness course, but to ensure a consistent and fair approach, they are of the belief that the attendance of an awareness course should be treated as an offence and should therefore be notified within 28 days.

Q. We are currently being taken over by a company in another traffic area and been asked who can sign the operator’s licence application.

A. If there is just a change of directors or ownership and no change to the company’s registration number, then the details of the owners and directors would need to be changed at Companies House and a notification to the Traffic Commissioner to ensure that the directors match the ones named at Companies House.

If, however, the company registration number is changing then a new application would have to be completed and signed by either of the following:

• Owner.
• Partner.
• Director.
• Delegated officer of any other organisation.

Compliance news: around the courts

Background

This operator was granted a standard national licence in 2024. At the time of granting this licence, the named director was the sole director. They resigned later in the same year, but this change was not notified to the Traffic Commissioner until later than the 28‑day period required by the licence undertakings. Another director was appointed, and this change was notified within the statutory timeframe. However, successive changes in directorship and ownership occurring a year later were not reported. As of the date of this decision, the vehicle online licensing system (VOL) still listed the previous director as the sole director.

The operation was made up of a fleet of both 32t and 44t vehicles which had been specified on the licence. The Transport Manager had held the role for under a year. Their online account was continually being used to add and remove vehicles even when they were not under contract so created uncertainty about their ongoing involvement.

A period of grace was applied for and accepted by the Traffic Commissioner, however, company records indicate that the transport manager also became a director, and that the previous one had resigned. Again, these changes were not notified to the Traffic Commissioner, constituting further breaches of the operator’s undertakings.

Evidence

One of the operators vehicles was stopped by enforcement officers and taken to an inspection site where it was issued with three immediate prohibitions, two delayed prohibitions, and an offence rectification notice.

The defects included braking and tyre issues and having no vehicle excise licence. The enforcement officer issued a strong formal warning after assurances were provided by the operator and transport manager. A follow‑up desk‑based assessment (DBA) was requested to verify that the operator’s systems matched the assurances given. The operator and transport manager failed to cooperate with this assessment, delaying this for several months. This represented a serious breach of trust towards the Traffic Commissioner. Limited information was eventually provided which revealed significant driving without a tachograph card, including a recorded distance of 480 miles driven over several days with no explanations recorded on the vehicle usage reports.

A Public Inquiry was inevitable, however an adjournment request was received shortly beforehand, citing a bereavement, but no meaningful explanation was provided for the wider and ongoing failure to engage.

None of the case management directions were complied with. Required financial evidence was not submitted, and the operator and transport manager did not access the hearing bundle despite the clear instructions from the Traffic Commissioner.

Four vehicles remained specified on the licence. Although the operator had a 100% MOT pass rate, this reflects annual testing where the operator knows the vehicle will be inspected. The Traffic Commissioner continued that records show from the system that two vehicles were removed from the licence and had been untaxed for extended periods, and one had an expired MOT. These findings raised significant concerns about the operators approach to compliance and vehicle safety.

Summing up

The Traffic Commissioner stated that the operator had repeatedly failed to comply with fundamental licence undertakings, including the requirement to notify material changes and to cooperate with regulatory investigations. The pattern of behaviour demonstrated avoidance of scrutiny, disregard for safety obligations, and a lack of transparency regarding who is controlling the business. The operator and transport manager had already consumed significant regulatory and enforcement resources without providing the information required to assess their compliance.

In these circumstances, granting an adjournment without interim action would not be safe or fair to compliant operators. The Traffic Commissioner continued that the only basis on which an adjournment was granted was through the immediate suspension of the licence from the following night, allowing only sufficient time for all vehicles to be returned to the operating centre. Thereafter, all vehicles had to remain parked, or they would be liable to impounding.

The suspension will only be reconsidered once the operator and transport manager have submitted all outstanding material required by the original case management directions. If this was not provided by the specific date given, the licence will be revoked.