In the annual report, released at the end of September 2026, the Senior Traffic Commissioner, Mr. Kevin Rooney, strikes a rather sombre tone by highlighting the ‘tremendous challenges’ that the transport industry has been forced to face in 2026.  The political climate, and international hostilities are two areas mentioned as causing profit margins to narrow or disappear completely for UK haulage and public service vehicle operators.    Mr. Rooney is slightly more upbeat about the opportunities that AI might have for the transport industry, with a hope that it will enable greater efficiencies for those who can implement it.  The Traffic Commissioners and the DVSA are working together on ways in which AI could assist licence application processes – such as a trial that is being undertaken to use the technology to read bank statements.

What do the Traffic Commissioners Do?

The purpose of the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain (to give them their full nomenclature) is to be “independent regulators for the goods vehicle and public service vehicle industries and their professional drivers”.  The Traffic Commissioners (TCs) work to ensure that Great Britain’s roads are “safe by licensing and regulating the commercial vehicle industries” and by working with the “Department for Transport, its agencies, the police and industry stakeholders” to support the compliant, licensed operation of goods vehicles and public service vehicles (PSV).  The key areas are:

• Publishing guidance and directions regarding the operator licensing regime and tribunal activities.
• Holding regulatory hearings to examine evidence and take proportionate action to maintain safety standards and promote fair competition in the industry.
• Holding conduct hearings to examine evidence and take proportionate action to ensure professional driving standards are upheld.
• Targeting tribunal resources so that the most serious cases are dealt with quickly and fairly.
• Delivering efficient, digital licensing services to responsible new applicants and compliant operators.
• Liaising with other regulatory bodies to identify and share knowledge around non-compliance.
• Educating and communicating with industry about the value of compliance and the licensing regime.

Headline Measures for the Traffic Commissioners :

The report makes clear with the headline “Delivering a Better Service” that the need to be efficient and clear in its dealings is key to ensuring that the over-riding objective of improved road safety is achieved.  Currently the published measures, which appear in the DVSA Business Plan are set out below:

• Determine goods vehicle applications within an average of 35 working days.
• Determine public service vehicle applications within an average of 35 working days.
• Public Inquiry cases are to be listed for hearing within 12-weels of a traffic commissioner’s decision to call that inquiry.

In addition to those stated aims, the Office of the Traffic Commissioner will also publish its performance against a further three measures:

1. Determine applications for Section 19 and Section 22 permits within an average of 35 working days.
2. Applications to register, vary or cancel a local bus registration service to be processed or referred to a Traffic Commissioner within 10 working days of receipt of the complete information.
3. Driver hearings to be listed for a date that is within ten weeks of a Traffic Commissioner’s decision to call that hearing. There will also be a commitment to reduce this time to six weeks by May 2029.

The report says that work has already begun on a concept of ‘right first time’ for applications, so that time spent following up on queries and issues is reduced significantly.  Currently 75% of applications require at least one letter to be sent with a third of applications requiring at least two letters.

Focus on Drivers

The continued focus on drivers’ welfare and the importance for employers to provide support to their “welfare, their health and their safety” remains, with the report stating that the Office of the Traffic Commissioner will continue to “champion driver welfare considerations in the guidance available to operators and transport managers”.

Away from the slightly more ‘touchy-feely’ side of things, the report is clear that greater engagement with the Sentencing Councils will be a goal, in order to raise awareness of the Traffic Commissioner role in relation to professional drivers and the expectations the Office of the Traffic Commissioner has for those drivers.   The report states that “this work will help to ensure a joined-up approach is taken in cases where drivers appear before the court with regards to their driving entitlement and are then referred to a Traffic Commissioner for determination of their professional licence.”

External Challenges Faced by Transport Industry

The last year has seen increased reports of insolvencies across the sector driven in the main by the increased cost of running a business, and especially a transport business, with its dependency on diesel as well as high personnel costs.  Operators are often affected by factors outside of their control, with the logistics industry being “particularly vulnerable” to global events.  The Traffic Commissioners use this section to highlight the guidance on applying for a period of grace, should ‘events, dear boy, events’ cause problems with an operator’s business.  The key take away is to ‘not leave it too late’!  You can read more by clicking here:

Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR)

Failures to comply with PSVAR requirements are now being considered at Public Inquiries. Many operators—particularly those providing home-to-school and rail-replacement services—are awaiting the outcome of the Department for Transport’s ongoing review before committing to the cost of making their vehicles compliant. However, the OTC has made clear that accessibility standards, together with updated training requirements for operators’ staff, are now the default. Traffic Commissioners therefore expect operators to ensure that drivers are equipped to meet every passenger’s needs.

If you would like to read the full Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain 2025-2026 annual report please click here:

If you would like any help or assistance with your transport business, the please do call us on 01279 818280 or click here to send us an email.  We are here to help.

© Richard Pelly November 2026