In England, Wales and Scotland, operator Licences are issued by Traffic Commissioners.

Traffic Commissioners are responsible for the licensing and regulation of those who operate heavy Goods vehicles (HGVs), Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) and passenger service vehicles (PSVs) as well as the registration of local bus services. For an overview of the operator licensing system generally, see Practice Note: Goods vehicle licensing.

The Traffic Commissioners are statutorily independent licensing authorities and they can also take action against the vocational entitlement of bus, coach and lorry drivers who commit road and certain other offences. Traffic Commissioners act under the direction of the Secretary of State.

The enforcement of the standards and requirements set down in an operator's licence and under road transport law is the responsibility of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the police. For information on the powers that these agencies have and an overview of enforcement, see Practice Note: Goods vehicles—enforcing transport compliance.

While in some locations the DVSA and the local