Our transport lawyers are committed to providing specialist advice on operator’s licence applications, investigations, prosecutions and traffic commissioner public inquiries.
We pride ourselves on understanding the commercial practicalities of road haulage work, not just the legal requirements. We know the importance of complying with regulatory requirements in the transport sector. Failing to do so will have a serious effect on any business, but our lawyers are well-positioned to protect you from legal action.
What we do
If you’re an operator or driver facing prosecution by the police, or the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), we’ll represent you on a range of offences, including those relating to:
- Operator’s licences
- Drivers’ hours
- Overloading.
We’ll represent you in proceedings before the traffic commissioner, such as public inquiries and driver conduct hearings. Our transport lawyers can help you with every aspect of the public inquiry process, including:
- Visiting your operating centre to discuss your case and advise on what steps you need to take
- Rectifying the issues that have prompted the public inquiry
- Representing you at the public inquiry and making submissions on your behalf.
We can also carry out ‘audit’ style compliance checks to make sure that you’re working in full compliance with the requirements of your operator’s licence. This enables you to be pro-active and reduce future risk – it’s a cost-effective solution compared to getting it wrong and ending up at a public inquiry.
If you are subject to a public inquiry by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, it’s important to be represented by a specialist transport lawyer. Because we’re part of a regulated profession (unlike transport consultants), our submissions carry more weight in court than those from other kinds of representatives.
Why Choose Irwin Mitchell?
Our team of transport solicitors offers a unique insight into the issues facing road haulage contractors.
We advise clients from a range of sectors – including road haulage contractors, waste management, recycling, skip hire and manufacturing – on the fundamental considerations for an operator’s licence application. Our lawyers help businesses of all sizes, but we have particular expertise on the issues facing SMEs.
We’ll give you commercial and practical assistance on:
- The centre you’ll be operating from
- Employment of a transport manager and their required accreditations
- The cost of making an application for an operator’s licence
- Any potential issues with your application that might raise concerns within the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.
We have experience assisting with all types of licence applications, so we’ll make sure your application is appropriate for your business requirements. Our transport solicitors help companies apply for, vary and renew restricted, standard national and standard international licences for many different companies within the transport sector.
Recent Work
- Representing an operator at a public inquiry on concerns about financial standing and the revocation of a previous linked licence
- Representing an operator at a public inquiry about concerns regarding vehicle road worthiness and maintenance of records.
Contact Us
If you’re an operator or driver facing prosecution, our specialist lawyers can represent you to get you the best outcome possible. Give our team a call on 0808 291 4962 or get in touch online.
