OLCIS eNews – March 2026

Tuesday 24 March 2026

Welcome to the March 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.

New V149 and V149/1

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has shared the latest V149 and V149/1, which include the updated vehicle tax rates for cars, motorcycles, and light and heavy goods vehicles. These rates will take effect from 1 April 2026.

Find details here: V149 and V149/1.

MAC Briefing – Drivers’ hours, tachos and working time – 8 April

Understanding and managing drivers’ hours, tachographs and working time remains one of the most significant compliance challenges for operators, as there are several regulations to consider, whether you operate under assimilated rules, domestic rules or are exempt.

The briefing will focus on key differences between the rules, record keeping requirements and the use of tachographs to record domestic drivers’ hours rules, including the subject of manual entries, which is still a popular query into the Member Advice Centre.

Members can register here.

Renewing your licence entitlement

Keeping your vocational driving licence up to date is essential for staying legal on the road. For HGV drivers, this includes renewing your photo on the licence every 10 years and your licence every five years, with a medical from the age of 45.

In recent years, there has been a spike in drivers leaving the renewal of their licence to the last minute and becoming dependent on section 88 to be able to continue to drive, which in turn leaves the operators vulnerable.

Consider a toolbox talk with your drivers on the importance of ensuring they send their licence off in good time. The renewal form is sent to the driver 56 days prior to expiry, but you can apply 90 days before and a drivers D4 medical is valid for four months. The DVLA have produced an infographic which you can access below.

Infographic Vocational Applications

Text Box: Infographic Vocational Applications

A thought to leave you with; you would ensure that your passport is up to date before going on holiday. So why would you not ensure the driver licence renewal is done before it expires, when your job may depend on it?

Top questions this month at the Member Advice Centre     

Q. We are in the process of changing the livery on the vehicles. We are looking at having the vehicle vinyl wrapped with an image. Do we need to change the vehicle’s log book, and if so, what colour should we record.

A. You should always inform the DVLA of any changes to the vehicle including its colour. DVLA’s guidance on changing vehicle details on a V5C registration certificate (log book): when you need to update your V5C explains when you should inform the DVLA of any changes. In regard to images and full coverage of the vehicle, the DVLA would accept the colour that appears most in the design to appear on the vehicle’s logbook.

Q. A driver has completed their periodic training, but their new Driver Qualification Card (DQC) has not arrived. Can they drive in-scope of Driver CPC?

A. Training providers are required to upload the training modules within five working days. A driver should check their periodic training record online to see if their hours have been uploaded accordingly. If the hours have been uploaded, the driver can drive until their DQC arrives, but we would suggest they print the training record page and keep it in their possession until the DQC arrives. If the card does not arrive within 20 days, DVSA ask that drivers get in touch with them.

You can check the periodic training record here.

Q. I have a driver who applied to renew their tachograph card, which was due to expire, but it has not arrived yet. Can they still drive using printouts for 15 days?

A. If a driver has applied for a replacement tachograph card but it does not arrive in time and their current tachograph card expires, the driver cannot use printouts, as the card has not been lost, stolen, or damaged.

There are currently no delays with the issuing of tachograph cards, and they usually arrive within three or four days of application.

Renewal applications for tachograph cards should always be completed in plenty of time to avoid the possibility of a scenario like this.

Compliance news: around the courts

Background

The operator has a standard international operator’s licence for four vehicles and two trailers, and the Director is also the nominated transport manager. The company operates from a single operating centre, with maintenance originally claimed to be undertaken in‑house, although some inspections were later carried out by another provider without the required notification to the Traffic Commissioner via the Vehicle Online Licensing System (VOL).

A Public Inquiry and a conjoined driver conduct hearing were held to consider serious compliance failings and whether action should be taken against the operator, the transport manager, and the driver’s vocational entitlement. Multiple statutory grounds were engaged relating to maintenance, overloading, drivers’ hours, tachograph compliance, false records, undertakings, repute, and transport manager competence. Evidence was required to be submitted in advance and financial standing was met, but compliance documentation raised concerns.

Evidence

During the DVSA investigation there was an overloading issue:

• The vehicle was significantly overloaded on axles two and three and exceeded its maximum authorised mass.
• A prohibition and fixed penalty were issued.
• Tachograph analysis revealed 49 minutes of driving with no card inserted.
• The driver declined a voluntary interview at the time.

The DVSA Traffic Examiner (TE) further uncovered:

• Multiple dates where the driver had driven without a card inserted.
• The use of manual entries to conceal unauthorised driving.
• Inconsistent explanations, often contradicted by automatic number plate recognition evidence.
• Some periods included excessive duty time (up to almost 16 hours) and insufficient daily rest.

The Traffic Commissioner found the manual entries were deliberate attempts to mislead, along with numerous compliance issues being identified:

• Poor early journey planning.
• No proper working time understanding.
• Missing or inaccurate mileage reports.
• New policies introduced only after DVSA intervention.
• Lack of proper induction or licence checks for the only other driver.
• Evidence that management systems were reactive rather than proactive.

A desk-based assessment was conducted by another Vehicle Examiner, which again highlighted shortcomings on the following maintenance inspection issues:

• Incomplete and unsigned paper inspection sheets.
• Manually inserted brake figures with no test printouts.
• Unlikely tyre pressure recordings (identical across axles and vehicles).
• Brake test printout dated after the vehicle had been signed off as roadworthy.
• Driver defect reports late, all nil defects, no evidence of rectification.
• Wheel‑torque records incomplete.
• Trailer maintenance especially poor, including a prohibition for brake defects.

The Traffic Commissioner said that the operator showed limited understanding of maintenance standards, brake testing, DTP codes, or necessary checks on hired‑in trailers. However, since the desk based assessment was undertaken, the operator had shown improvements by employing an external consultancy firm to support them, improve tachograph compliance with additional reductions in infringements and demonstrating a better awareness of safe loading practices. The Traffic Commissioner did further comment how the improvements were considered recent, reactive, and insufficient to offset the earlier dishonesty.

Summing up

The Traffic Commissioner made adverse findings relating to maintenance failings, overloading, false records, poor driver management, and non‑notification of changes. The Commissioner concluded that the operator’s actions including deliberate card pulling, false manual entries, and misleading explanations fell far below what is expected of a professional driver or transport manager.

The transport manager was found to have lost their repute as a transport manager, leading to disqualification for at least one year. The operator licence was now left without a transport manager; however the operator was granted a four-week period of grace to find a replacement.

The driver had their vocational entitlement suspended for two months due to serious conduct concerns, however the Traffic Commissioner said that whilst improvements were acknowledged largely due to external support, they could not negate the gravity of earlier misconduct.

The operator’s licence was curtailed by one vehicle for a two‑month period in line with deterrent regulatory action.