The 3 types of operator licence explained

There are three types of goods vehicle operator licence in Great Britain. A restricted licence lets you carry only your own goods. A standard national licence adds other people's goods for hire or reward inside the UK. A standard international licence adds hire or reward on international journeys. Bus and coach operators hold a separate passenger (PSV) licence.

In the DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026, 48.0% of the 64,036 goods licences were restricted, 36.8% standard national and 15.2% standard international. Run a free operator licence check to see the type of any licence.

What an operator licence is

An operator licence (often called an "O licence") is the legal permission to use goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes for hire or reward or in connection with a business. Traffic commissioners grant it, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) runs the scheme on their behalf.

The GOV.UK operator licensing guide puts the rule like this: you usually need a licence "if you use a goods vehicle of over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight or (where there is no plated weight) an unladen weight of more than 1,525kg, to transport goods for hire or reward or in connection with a trade or business."

The licence belongs to the "user" of the vehicle, not the driver. That is the business that owns the vehicle, has it on hire or loan, or employs the driver. A licence is not transferable. A new company or partnership must get its own licence before it operates.

Each licence sets a maximum number of vehicles and trailers, and lists any conditions and undertakings. For full detail on who needs one, see do I need an operator licence?, and for two common edge cases, recovery vehicles and horseboxes.

The 3 types at a glance

The three goods licence types differ in two things: whose goods you can carry, and where you can carry them for payment.

Sources: licence rules from the GOV.UK operator licensing guide; counts from DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026 (HaulierScope analysis), 64,036 goods licences.

Restricted licences are the most common type. Across goods and passenger licences together, 31,965 of 69,122 licences (46.2%) are restricted.

How many licences of each type are there?

There are 69,122 operator licences in the DVSA file dated 7 September 2026: 64,036 goods and 5,086 passenger (PSV). The table counts every licence by class and type. Revoked, surrendered and terminated licences are not in the file.

The mix of goods licence types differs by traffic area. The table shows each area's count of each type and its share of restricted licences. Each area name links to its list of operators.

Source: DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026 (HaulierScope analysis). The figures update when DVSA publishes a new file. Read how we count in our methodology.

Restricted

A restricted licence is for businesses that carry their own goods as part of their own trade. GOV.UK says it "allows you to carry your own goods, but not other people's goods" (Being a goods vehicle operator). The guide adds that it "only usually allows you to carry your own goods within the United Kingdom and the EU."

Typical holders are builders' merchants, farmers, manufacturers and retailers with their own delivery lorries. The restricted licence has lighter entry requirements than a standard licence:

• no transport manager is needed
• lower financial standing (£3,100 for the first vehicle, £1,700 for each extra one)
• no need to show good repute or professional competence in the way a standard applicant must

The holder must still be fit to hold a licence, have enough money, have proper maintenance arrangements and keep to the rules on drivers' hours and loading. Restricted licences are usually small: the median restricted goods licence is authorised for 2 vehicles (DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026).

The guide also lists signs that an operation needs a standard licence instead: transport is a predominant part of the service, your insurance covers carrying goods for reward, or the carrying results in "payment, direct or indirect". Our restricted vs standard guide covers this test in detail.

Standard national

A standard national licence is the licence for UK haulage for hire or reward. In GOV.UK's words it "allows you to carry your own goods on your own account in the United Kingdom or abroad, or other people's goods for hire or reward only in the United Kingdom."

It also lets you take loaded trailers to or from UK ports as part of an international journey, "as long as your vehicles do not leave the country" (Being a goods vehicle operator).

A standard licence needs:

• a nominated transport manager who holds a Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC); see transport manager CPC
• good repute
• financial standing of £8,000 for the first vehicle and £4,500 for each extra vehicle
• an effective and stable establishment in Great Britain ("a PO Box or third-party address cannot be used")

There are 23,553 standard national goods licences in the DVSA file dated 7 September 2026, with a median of 4 vehicles authorised.

Standard international

A standard international licence covers hire or reward haulage both in the UK and abroad. GOV.UK says it "allows you to carry your own goods, and goods for other people for hire or reward, both in the United Kingdom and on international journeys."

Holders also receive a UK Licence for the Community at no extra fee. It covers the EU, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (UK Licence for the Community).

Since 21 May 2022, this licence type also applies to some vans. You need a standard international licence to carry goods for hire or reward in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland in a van over 2.5 tonnes and up to 3.5 tonnes, or a van or car towing a trailer in that weight range (Transport goods in Europe in vans). Vans-only operators show financial standing of £1,600 for the first van and £800 for each extra van.

The requirements match the standard national licence, plus the international scope. There are 9,726 standard international goods licences in the DVSA file, with a median of 5 vehicles.

Heavy and light goods vehicle licences

GOV.UK also sorts licences by vehicle weight. A licence for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes (or a mix of heavy and light vehicles) is a "heavy goods vehicle licence". A licence for vehicles of 3.5 tonnes or less only is a "light goods vehicle licence" (Act, section 58). Light goods vehicle licence holders do not need to name an operating centre.

Goods (O) vs passenger (P) licences

Goods licences cover lorries and, for international work, vans. Passenger (PSV) licences cover buses, coaches and minibuses run for hire or reward. You need a PSV licence to "operate a vehicle for hire or reward (payment or payment in kind) that can carry 9 or more passengers", or a smaller vehicle charging separate fares (PSV operator licences).

GOV.UK lists 4 PSV licence types:

Source: PSV operator licensing guide. Community and not-for-profit groups can carry passengers under a section 19 or 22 permit instead of a PSV licence.

The DVSA file dated 7 September 2026 holds 5,086 PSV licences: 1,208 restricted, 2,187 standard national and 1,691 standard international. Special restricted licences are not in the file. To check a bus or coach company, see the PSV operator licence check guide.

How to tell a licence's type from the register

The licence number and the licence record both tell you the type and the class.

1. First letter of the licence number. O means a goods licence. P means a passenger (PSV) licence.
2. Second letter. It shows the traffic area. For example, OK is a goods licence in the South Eastern and Metropolitan area (London and the South East) and OG is a goods licence in Wales. See operator licence numbers explained.
3. Licence type field. Each record states Restricted, Standard National or Standard International.

Search any operator by name, licence number or company number on the HaulierScope search to see its licence type, status, vehicles authorised and continuation date. You can also browse licences by traffic area, for example West Midlands or Scotland. Our data comes from the DVSA open data file and is updated when DVSA publishes a new file (the newest is dated 7 September 2026). The methodology page explains the source.

The vehicle disc tells you the type at the roadside. Each specified goods vehicle carries an identity disc showing the licence type, holder's name, licence number and vehicle registration. GOV.UK says a vehicle "must not be used until the identity disc is displayed". Our operator licence disc guide covers display rules and lost discs.

Frequently asked questions

What are the three types of operator licences?

The three goods vehicle operator licence types are restricted, standard national and standard international. Restricted covers your own goods only. Standard national adds hire or reward haulage inside the UK. Standard international adds hire or reward haulage on international journeys. Both standard types need a transport manager and higher financial standing. Passenger operators hold a separate PSV licence, which has four types.

What is an operator licence?

An operator licence is the permission a business needs to use goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes for hire or reward or in connection with its trade. Traffic commissioners grant it, and DVSA administers it. The licence sets how many vehicles and trailers the business may run and from which operating centres. It belongs to the business that uses the vehicles, not to the driver.

What does an O licence mean?

An O licence is short for operator's licence. The letter O also starts every goods licence number in Great Britain, such as OK or OG, while passenger licence numbers start with P. Holding an O licence means a traffic commissioner has authorised the business to run a set number of goods vehicles and trailers under conditions it must keep to.

What vehicles require an O licence?

Goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes gross plated weight, or over 1,525 kg unladen where there is no plated weight, need an O licence when used for hire or reward or for a business. Vehicle and trailer combinations over 3.5 tonnes can also need one. Vans of 2.5 to 3.5 tonnes need a standard international licence for hire or reward work in Europe.

Which operator licence type is most common?

Restricted is the most common type. The DVSA file dated 7 September 2026 holds 30,757 restricted goods licences, 23,553 standard national and 9,726 standard international. Across goods and passenger licences, 31,965 of 69,122 licences (46.2%) are restricted. Most restricted licences are small: the median is 2 vehicles authorised.