HOW MANY OPERATORS AND VEHICLES CAN AN EXTERNAL TRANSPORT MANAGER COVER?

The limits

For goods vehicle licences, an external Transport Manager cannot be named for more than four operators, and cannot be responsible for more than 50 vehicles in total across all of them. The traffic commissioner can set a lower limit where the circumstances call for it.

How the count works

The limit counts operators, not licences. One operator with several licences counts once. The 50 vehicles is the combined number of authorised vehicles across every operator the person acts for. A Transport Manager who covers four operators with 20 vehicles each would be over the limit.

Limits are not the same as enough time

Staying inside four operators and 50 vehicles does not by itself show that the job is being done properly. The traffic commissioner looks at whether the Transport Manager really manages the operation on a continuous and effective basis, and whether the hours they give are realistic.

The guidance includes indicative starting points for weekly hours based on fleet size.

• Two vehicles or fewer, about 2 to 4 hours.
• Three to five vehicles, about 4 to 8 hours.
• Six to ten vehicles, about 8 to 12 hours.
• Eleven to fourteen vehicles, about 12 to 20 hours.
• Fifteen to twenty nine vehicles, about 20 to 30 hours.
• Thirty to fifty vehicles, from 30 hours up to full time.

These are starting points, not fixed rules. Trailers, the type of work and how well the systems are set up can all change the answer. A Transport Manager already named on three or more other licences, or responsible for the full 50 vehicles, is likely to be looked at carefully.

Other points that catch people out

• An external Transport Manager must have a genuine link with the operator, normally a proper service contract that sets out the role.
• They must be able to manage day to day, so being based abroad or at the other end of the country is unlikely to work.
• A Transport Manager cannot be supplied as part of a consultancy package. Any arrangement like that should be referred to the traffic commissioner.
• A Transport Manager who cannot do the job in the hours declared should give more time or step down.

Questions to ask before you appoint one

• How many other operators and vehicles are you named on at the moment?
• How many hours a week will you give my operation, and how will that be recorded?
• How will you check maintenance, drivers hours and driver licences?
• What happens if you are unavailable or leave?

In the directory you can contact Transport Managers directly and ask these questions before you decide.