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Vehicle operators with a standard national or international operator鈥檚 licence need to have a transport manager.

What a transport manager does

As a transport manager, you need to make sure that:

• drivers have a valid licence
• vehicles are taxed and insured
• vehicles have a valid MOT and are properly maintained
• vehicles are loaded safely and not overloaded
• drivers do not speed or break the drivers鈥� hours rules
• the vehicle operator does not break safety rules

You can be called to appear before a traffic commissioner鈥檚 public inquiry if the vehicle operator breaks the law. You can be permanently or temporarily banned from being a transport manager if the traffic commissioner finds that you鈥檙e responsible - for example, if staff loaded a vehicle in an unsafe way because they were not properly trained.

The traffic commissioner can also make you complete further training before you can work as a transport manager again.

Find out about what you need to do as a transport manager.

Becoming a transport manager

You need a professional qualification called the Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) to become a transport manager. You do not need a driving licence.

After you鈥檙e qualified, a vehicle operator needs to apply to add you as their transport manager on their operator鈥檚 licence.

You must be approved by the traffic commissioner before you start work - or the Transport Regulation Unit if you鈥檙e in Northern Ireland. You may not be approved if you鈥檝e been convicted of a crime or given a penalty for breaking UK or EU transport laws.

You must keep your knowledge up to date to continue working as a transport manager.

Working for more than one vehicle operator

You can either:

• be employed by a single vehicle operator - called an 鈥榠nternal transport manager鈥�
• work as a freelance transport manager for more than one vehicle operator - called an 鈥榚xternal transport manager鈥�

You can work as a freelance transport manager for up to 4 different vehicle operators at a time. The maximum total number of vehicles you can manage is 50. You need to have a contract with each operator that sets out what you鈥檒l do.

The type of Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) exam you need to take depends on if you want to work in either:

• road haulage - for goods vehicle operators, for example HGV or van companies
• road passenger transport - for public service vehicle operators, for example bus or coach companies

You must pass both types of CPC exam if you want to manage both types of vehicle.

You do not need a driving licence to qualify and you can take the exam at any age.

What you need to know

To pass the Transport Manager CPC exam, you need to know about:

• the civil, commercial, social and fiscal laws on road haulage or passenger transport
• business and money management
• the paperwork needed to take goods or passengers out of the UK
• road haulage or passenger vehicle standards
• road safety

Find out about what you need to know for the exam.

You can pay for a training course to help you prepare for the Transport Manager CPC exam. Search online or talk to your employer to find training courses.

Taking the exam

You must take an exam that鈥檚 approved by one of the following organisations:

• Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)
• City & Guilds
• Innovate Awarding
• National Logistics Training Consortium (NLTC)
• NOCN Group
• Skills and Education Group (SEG) Awards

You have to pay to take the exam. Check with the exam provider to find out how much it will be.

The exam is in 2 parts:

• multiple-choice questions
• case study questions

You have to pass both parts to pass the exam.

Before you can start working for a vehicle operator as a transport manager, they need to apply to add you to their operator鈥檚 licence.

The application must be approved by the traffic commissioner, who checks whether:

• you鈥檙e qualified to be a transport manager
• you鈥檒l be working enough hours to manage the vehicles in your fleet
• your knowledge is up to date
• you have any criminal convictions or have been given any penalties for breaking UK or EU laws

It usually takes 7 weeks for an application to be approved but can take longer. If the traffic commissioner has questions about your eligibility, they鈥檒l write to the vehicle operator.

If you鈥檝e been given any criminal convictions or penalties

The traffic commissioner will take into account any criminal convictions or penalties you鈥檝e been given when deciding if you can be a transport manager.

Your application may be rejected if you鈥檝e broken any UK or EU laws on:

• driving licences
• driver training or qualifications
• driving time, working hours and rest periods
• setting up and using recording equipment in vehicles
• the maximum weight and size of vehicles used to take goods outside the UK
• the roadworthiness of commercial vehicles
• setting up and using speed limiters in vehicles
• the paperwork needed to take goods or passengers in or out of the EU
• transporting dangerous goods
• transporting animals
• being a transport manager or a vehicle operator

Your working hours

There are recommended working hours for all transport managers. They鈥檙e set by the traffic commissioner and are based on how many vehicles you鈥檒l be managing.

Number of vehicles	Hours per week
2 vehicles or less	2 to 4 hours
3 to 5 vehicles	4 to 8 hours
6 to 10 vehicles	8 to 12 hours
11 to 14 vehicles	12 to 20 hours
15 to 29 vehicles	20 to 30 hours
30 to 50 vehicles	30 hours to full time
More than 50 vehicles	Full time and another staff member needed

If you鈥檙e not going to work the recommended hours, you鈥檒l need to explain why when you apply. The traffic commissioner may reject your application to be a transport manager if they think that either:

• your working hours are not long enough to manage the number of vehicles in the fleet
• you鈥檙e working too many hours for different vehicle operators to do your job well

You may need to work longer than the recommended hours if the vehicles are pulling trailers.

Keeping your knowledge up to date

The traffic commissioner may ask you to show how you鈥檝e been keeping your knowledge up to date if:

• your qualification is more than 10 years old
• you鈥檝e already been added on another operator鈥檚 licence
• the vehicle operator is updating their existing operator鈥檚 licence

You can prove that you鈥檝e been keeping up to date by sharing examples of when you鈥檝e:

• taken refresher training, including online courses
• attended events and conferences about managing fleets of vehicles
• shared your knowledge with others, for example by giving presentations

If the traffic commissioner approves the application

You鈥檒l automatically be added to the vehicle operator鈥檚 licence. They can check their vehicle operator licensing account to see if you鈥檝e been approved.

If the traffic commissioner rejects the application

The traffic commissioner will do one of the following:

• ask you to take more training before working as a transport manager
• ban you from working as a transport manager for a set period of time
• permanently ban you from working as a transport manager

If you disagree with the traffic commissioner鈥檚 decision, you can:

• ask for a public inquiry - if you have not already attended one
• appeal to the Upper Tribunal - if there has already been a public inquiry

If you stop working for a vehicle operator

If you stop working as a transport manager for a vehicle operator, you need to tell the traffic commissioner within 28 days.