Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what enforcement measures her Department has to ensure heavy goods vehicles operators hold the correct license; and how many prosecutions have been brought in the last three years for operators that did not.

There is a robust operator licensing system administered by independent Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain who act as gatekeepers to the industry. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) supports this process by providing compliance and enforcement information, both as part of gatekeeper checks and in relation to existing operators. Traffic Commissioners have the authority to take regulatory action against licence holders, including suspending or revoking licences, if it is found that an operator does not hold the correct licence type or fails to meet the required standards.

DVSA carry out a number of enforcement interventions to ensure heavy goods vehicle operators hold the correct licences.

Specific sanctions relating to no or incorrect operator licenses include:

• Impounding activity: DVSA impounded 45 vehicles in 2024/25 and 18 year to date, this is for heavy goods vehicles (or passenger carrying vehicles) being used without an operator’s licence

• Prosecutions: DVSA successfully prosecuted 31 operator licence offences in 24/25 with 17 years to date. These figures are for cases that have resulted in court.

DVSA is continuing to invest in new technology to support enforcement activities and deliver more effective and efficient compliance checks. This includes using vehicle technology to provide information, without having to stop the vehicle.