Can I operate without a Transport Manager?

There isn’t a direct yes or no answer to this question; it will be up to the Traffic Commissioners to decide if they will grant you a period of grace,

You must inform the Traffic Commissioner immediately if you have no Transport Manager in place.

The Traffic commissioners can grant you a period of grace for up to 6 Months; this can be extended to 9 Months in the event of the death of the Transport Manager; however, you will need to have a new Transport Manager in place before the grace period ends if the grace time is granted by the Traffic Commissioners you will still need to demonstrate that you remain compliant and that you are committed to compliance and to the undertakings that you signed when you obtained your operator licence. Not having a Transport Manager in place is no excuse for non-compliance

The Traffic commissioner is not obliged to allow a period of grace but will always look at the facts before making any decision; operators who are granted a period of grace need to be proactive and find a replacement transport Manager before the grace period ends if you haven’t got a replacement before the end of the grace period your operator licence will be revoked.

Where mandatory operator licence requirements are not met, the law requires the Traffic Commissioners to revoke the licence.

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To help operators provide continuous professional development to their drivers and ensure they provide clear training on load safety, we have developed an online course called The Ultimate Professional Driver Programme; in this programme, we cover over 20 topics that are essential to drivers.

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