Become a transport manager
Overview
Vehicle operators with a standard national or international operator’s 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’ hours rules
- the vehicle operator does not break safety rules
You can be called to appear before a traffic commissioner’s 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’re 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.
If you’re in Northern Ireland, the public enquiry will be held by the Transport Regulation Unit instead of the traffic commissioner.
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.
If you got your CPC from another country
You may be able to use your CPC in the UK if you got it from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. You must have been living in the country when you got the qualification.
Your CPC must follow EU Regulation 1071/2009. This will be written on your certificate.
After you’re qualified as a transport manager
A vehicle operator needs to apply to add you as their transport manager on their operator’s licence.
You must be approved by the traffic commissioner before you start work - or the Transport Regulation Unit if you’re in Northern Ireland. You may not be approved if you’ve 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 ‘internal transport manager’
- work as a freelance transport manager for more than one vehicle operator - called an ‘external transport manager’
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’ll do.