Did you know that nearly 90% of operator licence applications sent to the Central Licensing Office (CLO) in Leeds are incomplete?
A recent sample of 100 applications found the most common reasons were forms not being completed in full and financial standing not being met. These aren’t the only issues for applicants. Simple things like maintenance contracts not being submitted will also cause delays to your application.
The whole licencing process can be difficult but there is no need to worry, we can help you! Below are some tips that will help you when completing the operator licence application forms.
Tips for a successful O'Licence application:
Finances
make sure financial evidence is in the name of the applicant or licence holder
provide original documents with your application
if you’ve only just opened your account, get an opening statement from the bank showing the required level of money for your licence
make sure you’ve got enough to support the number of vehicles you have applied for
Operating Centre and Maintenance
If you don’t own the site, get written permission from the person who does
make sure your advert is published in a newspaper that can be bought in the area where your operating centre is located
check the advert wording is correct before sending it off to the newspaper
make sure your advert is placed in the newspaper within the required timescale
if maintenance isn’t in house then send a formal contract signed by you and the contractor to Leeds - 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds, LS9 6NF.
Transport Manager (standard licences)
make sure your transport manager’s original CPC is provided with your application
complete the TM1 form with your transport manager
if your transport manager will be specified on more than one licence, set out how they will meet all their responsibilities in a separate letter
Previous history
tell the Traffic Commissioner about any operator licences you’ve previously held or been involved in
make sure you disclose any adverse financial history of other businesses you’ve owned (not just transport)
tell the Traffic Commissioner about any convictions and penalties for you or the business
Finally, when you’ve completed your application form, take the time to read through it again and check that you’ve completed all relevant sections.
Further guidance
You can find further information on operator licencing by viewing our operator licence FAQ's
Taking the stress away
Operator licencing can be stressful, time consuming and costly if done incorrectly thats why we offer a fully managed application process.
We can manage your application for an operator licence from start to finish with our fixed fee packages. We complete all your paperwork and liase CLO to get your licence granted. You can find out more about our packages here.