Operator Licence Financial Standing

Standard licence holders who find they cannot continue to meet the financial standing requirements will need to write to the Traffic Commissioner and ask for a “period of grace”. The Senior Traffic Commissioner has directed that providing:

• the operator is not insolvent

• there are no outstanding maintenance or other issues impacting on road safety

• this is not an attempt to avoid responsibility for compliance failures.

Traffic Commissioners can grant a period of grace starting at four months with the possibility of an extension to the maximum allowable period of six months. A satisfactory financial check within the last six months may be relied on as evidence to support the grant of a period of grace.

If the inability to meet the financial standing requirements has been shown on a check made between 1 March and 30 September 2020, the maximum period of grace has been extended to 12 months.

There is no facility to grant a period of grace to restricted licence holders and they should consider offering the Traffic Commissioner an undertaking for a financial check to be carried out at a specified date in the future.

Information provided by Croner-i