News

Simplification of O-licence procedures means operators need apply to only one TC if they operate in more than one location. Hauliers that operate in more than one traffic area will have to apply to only one traffic commissioner for their O-licences from this week. The new system, introduced on 1 August, means operators that have bases in several different parts of the country will be allocated a 'lead' Traffic Commissioner (TC).

The move was unveiled in December 2006 as part of a package  of measures designed to streamline the licensing system. Vosa is writing to all operators that hold multiple licences explaining the changes and telling them who their lead traffic commissioner will be. The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has welcomed the change because it should cut down on bureaucracy, but adds that there is an issue about which TC will be designated for each operator.

Joan Williams, the FTA's head of road freight and enforcement policy, says: "Our members naturally want to have a TC who is easy for them to reach but the commissioners have been very clear that they have the final say on who the lead traffic commissioners will be." It is understood that one reason the TCs do not want operators to decide on who their lead TC should be is that there might be 'TC tourism', with hauliers opting for TCs that  they perceive to be less strict.

But the main criteria for choosing a lead TC, says Williams, is likely to be either where the company headquarters are based or the area from which it runs the largest number of vehicles. Williams says in its discussions with Vosa it has emerged that another likely factor is that it is not considered sensible to overload one TC with too many operators. Other measures planned to simplify the O-licence system include a fee re-structuring due for next year and, eventually, the abolition of windscreen discs, which will be replaced by electronic enforcement technology.