Guide
Operating centres: rules, objections and how to find one
What an operating centre is, the rules for parking and maintenance, how objections work, and how to see every operating centre near you.
An operating centre is the base where a goods vehicle is normally kept when not in use. Every heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operator licence must name its operating centres. Each one needs safe access, off-street parking for all vehicles and trailers kept there, and an environmentally acceptable location. Using an unlisted place as an operating centre is an offence.
This guide covers goods vehicle licences in Great Britain, with a short note on PSV licences. The rules come from GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk, checked on 2 October 2026.
What an operating centre is
The law defines an operating centre as "the base or centre at which the vehicle is normally kept" (Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, s.7(3)). GOV.UK puts it more simply: "the place where you normally park your vehicles when they are not in use" (goods guide).
Only HGV licences need one. "Holders of light goods vehicle licences are not required to specify an operating centre" (goods guide). For vans used for hire or reward in Europe, GOV.UK says: "You do not need to assign them to an operating centre" (GOV.UK vans guidance).
The operating centre also decides which traffic commissioner you deal with. GOV.UK says: "You'll need to hold a goods vehicle operator's licence for each traffic area where you have an operating centre" (Being a goods vehicle operator). Great Britain has eight traffic areas. The second letter of a licence number shows the area, for example OK for a goods licence in London and the South East.
Rules for operating centres
An operating centre must be big enough, have safe access, sit in an environmentally acceptable place and give off-street parking for every HGV and trailer kept there. You must be entitled to use it.
| Rule | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Must be specified on the licence | You may not use a place as an operating centre for authorised HGVs unless it is named on your licence. Breaking this is an offence | Act 1995, s.7(1)-(2) |
| Off-street parking | Enough space off the road for all the HGVs and trailers you keep there | Goods guide |
| Big enough, with safe access | The traffic commissioner must be satisfied the site is suitable | Goods guide |
| Environmentally acceptable | Must not disturb people nearby through noise, fumes, pollution, vibration or visual intrusion | Apply: your vehicles |
| Right to use the site | Permission from the site owner. If you do not own it, you may be asked for evidence | Goods guide |
| Vehicle and trailer numbers | The licence records how many vehicles and trailers you keep at each centre | Apply: your vehicles |
| Conditions | The traffic commissioner can limit vehicle numbers, parking, hours of use and access routes | Goods guide |
| Planning permission | A separate matter. The licence gives no planning approval, and planning approval is not needed to get a licence | Goods guide |
| One traffic area per licence | A centre in another traffic area needs a separate licence there | Being a goods vehicle operator |
On planning, GOV.UK is direct: "Authorisation under an operator's licence does not convey any approval under planning law, and likewise approval under planning law is not a pre-condition for the granting of an operator's licence." Check with your local planning authority as well.
Parking away from the operating centre
The test is where a vehicle is normally kept. Section 7 of the 1995 Act makes it an offence to use a place as an operating centre for authorised HGVs unless that place is on the licence. If a lorry is normally kept somewhere other than a listed centre, that place is being used as an operating centre. Add it to the licence by variation before you use it.
Adding or changing an operating centre
Adding an operating centre is a chargeable variation. You apply online, pay £257, advertise in a local newspaper and wait for the decision. Removing a centre is free if at least one remains.
The goods guide lists these chargeable variations, each costing £257:
- add a new operating centre
- increase the vehicle or trailer authorisation at an operating centre
- change the conditions attached to an operating centre
Apply through your Vehicle Operator Licensing self-service account at least nine weeks before you need the change. You cannot use the new centre until the variation is granted, unless you get an interim direction, which costs £68 (Fees Regulations 1995, Schedule). If the new centre is in a different traffic area, you need a new licence in that area.
The variation is published in Applications and Decisions, and you must advertise it in a newspaper that circulates near the centre. Our operator licence advert generator fills in the wording for you. The advert must appear between 21 days before and 21 days after the application is received. You must also report a change of operating centre address within 28 days.
Taking over another operator's centre
A Schedule 4 transfer lets you take over a centre from another operator without advertising. The other operator must be giving it up, and you take it on the same terms: the same vehicle numbers and the same conditions. You repeat any undertakings. Approval is at the traffic commissioner's discretion, and a site with a history of objections may be refused. Apply by post on form GV72 (Being a goods vehicle operator).
Environmental objections and representations
Two groups can oppose an operating centre. Statutory objectors, such as the police and local authorities, can object within 21 days of the application appearing in Applications and Decisions. Owners or occupiers of nearby land can make representations about environmental effects. Our guide to objecting to an operator licence application sets out both routes, the deadlines and what to write.
Statutory objectors can object because the centre is unsuitable or because of concerns about the licence requirements. Local representors can raise environmental concerns, such as noise, only if the centre would affect their "use or enjoyment" of their land (GOV.UK: objecting to a licence). The newspaper advert is what gives local people the chance to do this.
When deciding environmental suitability, the traffic commissioner "must, by law, take into account" (goods guide):
- the effect on the nature and use of other land nearby
- any planning permission or planning application for the centre or nearby land
- the number, type and size of vehicles using the centre
- the parking arrangements
- the effect on nearby residents of the nature and times of activity
- the nature and times of use of equipment at the centre
- how many vehicles enter and leave, and how often
The commissioner may hold a public inquiry to decide.
Complaints and reviews after grant
Anyone can complain about an operating centre at any time after it is on a licence. The traffic commissioner can review centres at five-year intervals and may add or change conditions, or remove the centre. You get the chance to make representations before conditions are imposed.
PSV operating centres
PSV licences are different. The Senior Traffic Commissioner's guidance says: "There is no provision to consider the environmental suitability of an operating centre on a PSV operator's licence" (STC statutory document summaries). PSV applications are not advertised in newspapers.
Find operating centres near you
Every HaulierScope licence page lists the operating centres in the DVSA file. You can browse licences by traffic area to see which operators base vehicles near you:
- North East of England
- North West of England
- West Midlands
- East of England
- Wales
- West of England
- London and the South East of England
- Scotland
Shared yards are common. In the DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026, 3,783 operating-centre addresses (same address line and postcode) appear on more than one licence, and one address appears on 59 licences. 271 goods licences list no operating-centre address, and 238 of those are standard international licences (HaulierScope analysis). Van-only licences need no operating centre, which fits that pattern. Our methodology explains the data source.
To follow new applications for centres near you, read the weekly Applications and Decisions for your traffic area. Our Applications and Decisions guide explains how.
Frequently asked questions
What is an operating centre?
An operating centre is the base or centre where a goods vehicle is normally kept when not in use. Every heavy goods vehicle operator licence must name its operating centres, with the number of vehicles and trailers kept at each. The site needs safe access, off-street parking for all of them, and an environmentally acceptable location. Van-only licences do not need one.
Is it allowed to park away from an operating centre?
The law asks where a vehicle is normally kept. Under section 7 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, using a place as an operating centre for authorised HGVs is an offence unless that place is on your licence. If a lorry is normally kept somewhere other than a listed centre, add that place to the licence by variation first.
How do I add an operating centre to my O-licence?
Apply for a variation through your Vehicle Operator Licensing self-service account at least nine weeks before you need the centre. The fee is £257. Advertise the application in a local newspaper near the centre, within 21 days either side of the application date. You cannot use the centre until the variation is granted, unless you get an interim direction for £68.
Do vans need an operating centre?
No. GOV.UK says holders of light goods vehicle licences do not have to specify an operating centre, and vans used for international hire or reward do not need to be assigned to one. Van-only applications also need no newspaper advert. If a van licence holder later wants to run vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, an operating centre and an advert are required.
About this guide
Written and maintained by the HaulierScope editorial team. We check every fee, amount and rule against GOV.UK and legislation.gov.uk before publishing and when the rules change. Last checked 2 October 2026. HaulierScope is independent and is not part of DVSA or the Office of the Traffic Commissioner. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Read our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Tell us.
Sources
- Goods vehicle operator licensing guide (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, section 7
- Apply for a vehicle operator licence (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Being a goods vehicle operator (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Traffic commissioner public inquiries: objecting (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
- Senior Traffic Commissioner Statutory Document Summaries (GOV.UK) (source last updated )
What changed
- : Correction. Shared operating-centre figures now come from our own count of the newest DVSA file (same address line and postcode). The earlier figures (2,375 addresses; 54 licences at one address) could not be reproduced.
- : Updated. Register figures now come from the newest DVSA file automatically. Added links to the advert generator and to our guide on objecting to an application.
- : Published. First published.
Register statistics: DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026 (see methodology). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.