TMCPC Introduction Webinar

Light Vans Lose Loophole

Nine months after the 20 May 2025 expiry of acquired rights, UK operators using light goods vehicles between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes for cross-border haulage must operate under the same professional competence rules long required for heavier lorries.

The change stems from post-Brexit alignment of operator licensing: vans in international hire-or-reward service now require a Standard International Goods Vehicle Operator Licence, which in turn demands a nominated transport manager holding the full Certificate of Professional Competence in Road Haulage.

Previously, managers with ten years' continuous LGV experience before August 2020 could rely on acquired-rights certificates valid only until May 2025. That window has closed, exposing thousands of parcel, e-commerce and specialist delivery firms that expanded into EU routes without formal qualifications.

Consequences are concrete. Traffic Commissioners have begun enforcement actions, with licence revocation on the table for operators unable to demonstrate competent oversight. From 1 July 2026, the same vehicles must carry smart tachographs on international journeys, shifting responsibility for drivers' hours, record analysis and compliance squarely onto the transport manager.

The non-obvious tension lies in scale. Larger fleets can absorb in-house CPC holders or spread costs; smaller operators, often family-run or regional, face acute shortages of qualified candidates and the external-manager cap of 50 vehicles across four licences. Training itself takes months of study and costs £999-£2,160, while the average candidate needs 18 months to pass the examination.

Broader modernisation discussions at industry events signal that the CPC itself may evolve further, yet the immediate crunch remains the hard deadline already passed and the tachograph mandate six months away.