Traffic Commissioner public inquiries: what happens and how to find them

A Traffic Commissioner public inquiry is a formal tribunal hearing where a traffic commissioner decides whether to grant a licence or take action against an operator, transport manager or driver. Hearing dates are published in the weekly Applications and Decisions bulletin (goods) or Notices and Proceedings (PSV) for each traffic area, under "Public Inquiries".

Traffic commissioners regulate lorry, bus and coach operators in Great Britain. There are eight traffic areas, each with its own commissioner. Deputy traffic commissioners preside over a number of the inquiries. The GOV.UK guide to hearings describes the process in full. This guide sums it up, shows where to find dates and decisions, and explains what each outcome means for an operator's licence. It covers Great Britain only. Northern Ireland has its own regulator.

What a public inquiry is

A public inquiry (PI) is "a formal tribunal hearing, where a traffic commissioner is the decision maker" (GOV.UK guide to hearings). It is not a criminal court. The commissioner decides on the "balance of probabilities": is it more likely than not that something happened?

There are three main types:

The traffic commissioners call themselves "a tribunal of the Department for Transport" (Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain). They act independently of government and of DVSA, which gathers enforcement evidence.

Why operators get called

Operators get called when someone objects to an application, when an operator may have broken the terms of its licence, or when a commissioner has concerns that need a hearing. An operator facing action also has a legal right to demand a hearing.

GOV.UK lists these typical reasons (traffic commissioner public inquiries):

• someone has objected to your application for a licence or a change to a licence
• you have not kept to the conditions of your licence, for example you have used more vehicles than permitted
• there are environmental concerns about a goods vehicle operating centre on your licence
• your conduct has come into question

A commissioner must hold an inquiry before revoking, suspending or curtailing a licence, or disqualifying someone, if the operator or person asks for one (section 29 of the 1995 Act). The same applies to action against a transport manager's good repute or professional competence when a hearing is requested (GOV.UK guide to hearings).

How to find public inquiry dates

Upcoming goods inquiries are listed in each traffic area's weekly Applications and Decisions bulletin, Section 5.1 (operators) and Section 5.3 (transport managers). PSV inquiries appear in the weekly Notices and Proceedings. Both are free on GOV.UK.

Each bulletin is published per traffic area, so you need the area where the operator's licence sits. The second letter of a licence number tells you the area: for example, OG is a goods licence in Wales and OK is London and the South East. See operator licence numbers and our area pages for Wales, Scotland and London and the South East.

A listing gives the inquiry reference, venue, date and start time, and the operator's name and licence number. Inquiries are open to the public, but you must ask the relevant Office of the Traffic Commissioner in advance if you want to observe, and space can be limited (Applications and Decisions, Wales, No. 8977).

Where public inquiries are held

Each traffic area has an Office of the Traffic Commissioner, and most inquiries are heard at those offices. The listing in the bulletin gives the exact venue. A case is not always heard in its own area, and some hearings are held by video.

Office towns are from GOV.UK's traffic commissioners access and opening page. Our traffic areas guide shows which counties each area covers.

The commissioners aim to list each inquiry within 12 weeks of the decision to call it. Their target is 95% of cases. In 2025-26 they reached 77% (TC annual report 2025-2026).

Notice and preparation

Operators get a letter calling them to the inquiry, with at least 21 days' notice for a goods licence, 14 days for a passenger licence and 28 days for a transport manager. The letter sets out the reasons, the law it is called under and the evidence.

The GOV.UK guide to hearings sets these rules:

• Who attends. A sole trader or the partners should attend. A company or LLP must send at least one director. A senior manager can attend instead only with the commissioner's permission and written board authority.
• Representation. You can bring a solicitor or barrister. Anyone else, such as a transport consultant, needs the commissioner's agreement in advance. There is no duty solicitor and no legal aid.
• Documents. The letter usually asks for documents in advance, often maintenance records and drivers' hours evidence. Documents that arrive late may not be considered.
• Adjournments. Dates are rarely moved without "a good and compelling reason". For a holiday, you may need to show it was booked before the call-up letter.
• Costs. A commissioner cannot award costs or attendance expenses to anyone.

If nobody attends, the commissioner can decide the case in your absence.

What happens on the day

You report to the inquiry clerk, the commissioner explains the proceedings, each side presents evidence and answers questions, and the commissioner announces a decision or reserves it for a written decision. The guide advises arriving at least one hour early with photo ID and your case papers.

The GOV.UK public inquiry page sets out the order. The traffic commissioner will:

1. decide whether oppositions should be heard
2. listen to the application outline and ask questions about it
3. listen to objectors or a DVSA traffic examiner outline their cases and ask questions
4. ask applicants and objectors to present their cases in detail, with questions from any party
5. ask how conditions on the licence may affect the business
6. ask each side to sum up

Evidence is not given under oath, but witnesses must tell the truth. Lying can cost an operator its good repute. The hearing is recorded. Transcripts are usually made only when there is an appeal. Sensitive evidence, such as finances or health, can be heard in private on request.

Possible outcomes

A public inquiry can end with no action, a warning, new conditions or undertakings, curtailment, suspension, revocation or disqualification. For an application, the commissioner can grant it, grant it in part or refuse it.

Bus service operators can also face financial penalties (traffic commissioner public inquiries). The decision is announced on the day in most cases and confirmed in writing within a few days. Where the commissioner reserves it, the written decision usually follows within 28 days of receiving all the information. For definitions of each sanction, see curtailed, suspended or revoked.

Appeals

You can appeal a traffic commissioner's decision to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber) on form UT12. The tribunal must receive your notice within one month of the date the decision was sent.

Key points from the GOV.UK goods licensing guide and the guide to hearings:

• Stays. Once an appeal is lodged, you can ask the commissioner to stay the decision so it does not take effect until the appeal is decided. If the commissioner refuses, the Upper Tribunal can reconsider.
• Who can appeal. Applicants, licence holders and transport managers can appeal. Statutory objectors have their own appeal rights. People who made environmental representations cannot appeal to the tribunal.
• Review instead of appeal. A commissioner can review a decision on an application only for a procedural irregularity, and the request must be made within two months.

The regulatory decisions finder marks decisions "UNDER APPEAL", "STAY GRANTED PENDING APPEAL" or "APPEAL DETERMINED" (Traffic Commissioner regulatory decisions).

Public inquiry outcomes: what the published decisions show

The traffic commissioners publish written decisions on GOV.UK, each labelled with an outcome. Our copy of GOV.UK's regulatory decisions finder holds 222 decisions dated from 28 September 2020 to 10 September 2026. One decision can carry more than one outcome, and the finder labels each with its main one.

Source: Traffic Commissioner regulatory decisions (GOV.UK), counted by HaulierScope. Inquiry results also appear in the weekly bulletins, Section 5.2. Browse Traffic Commissioner decisions by outcome and area.

Recent licence changes

Public inquiry outcomes reach the open data as status changes. In the DVSA operator licence data, file dated 7 September 2026, 522 licences were curtailed and 17 suspended, out of 69,122. Revoked licences no longer appear in the file.

Our weekly changes page compares each new DVSA file with the previous one and lists licences that became curtailed or suspended, returned to valid, or are not in the newest file. It is a quick way to see the result of recent inquiries without reading eight regional bulletins. Our methodology explains how the comparison works.

If a haulier you rely on is called to an inquiry, the outcome can change whether it may run lorries for you. HaulierScope monitoring sends weekly alerts when a licence on your watchlist changes status or drops out of the DVSA file.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find out Traffic Commissioner public inquiry dates?

Look in the weekly Applications and Decisions bulletin for the operator's traffic area on GOV.UK. Section 5.1 lists public inquiries to be held and Section 5.3 lists transport manager inquiries, with venue, date and start time. For bus and coach operators, use Notices and Proceedings. GOV.UK's "Check vehicle operator licence applications" service lets you search the bulletins by name, date and area.

What is a Traffic Commissioner public inquiry?

It is a formal tribunal hearing where a traffic commissioner decides on a licence application, an operating centre review or regulatory action against an operator, transport manager or driver. It is held in public, usually in person, and the commissioner decides on the balance of probabilities. Evidence is not given under oath, but witnesses must tell the truth.

What happens at a Traffic Commissioner hearing?

You report to the inquiry clerk on arrival. The commissioner explains the proceedings, then hears the operator or applicant and any objectors or DVSA examiners, with questions from each side. The commissioner may ask how a decision would affect your business. Each side sums up, and the commissioner gives a decision on the day or later in writing, usually within 28 days.

How long does a public enquiry take?

From the decision to call it, the traffic commissioners aim to list an inquiry within 12 weeks. They met that target in 77% of cases in 2025-26 against a 95% goal. Operators get at least 21 days' notice for a goods licence, 14 days for a PSV licence and 28 days for a transport manager. Most decisions are given on the day. Reserved decisions usually follow within 28 days.

What powers do traffic commissioners have?

Traffic commissioners can refuse or grant licences, attach conditions, grant fewer vehicles than applied for, reduce a licence's authority, suspend or revoke a licence, and disqualify operators and transport managers. They can impose financial penalties on registered bus service operators. They can call a public inquiry to hear evidence before deciding, and their decisions can be appealed to the Upper Tribunal.

How to appeal a Traffic Commissioner decision?

Send form UT12 to the Upper Tribunal (Administrative Appeals Chamber). It must arrive within one month of the date the decision was sent. The decision letter explains how to appeal. You can ask the traffic commissioner to stay the decision until the appeal is decided. If the commissioner refuses a stay, the tribunal can reconsider that refusal.

What needs to be reported to the Traffic Commissioner?

Goods operators must report relevant changes within 28 days. These include a change of legal entity, directors or partners, the transport manager, relevant convictions, addresses and operating centres, insolvency and the death of a licence holder. A material change in circumstances since the licence was issued is one of the legal grounds for action against it.