Licence and undertakings: the rules drivers must follow to support the operator's licence conditions and undertakings.
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An HGV driver handbook should reflect how your transport operation actually runs.
An HGV driver handbook should reflect how your transport operation actually runs.
Clear, practical support written around the operation you run and the evidence an examiner expects to see.
Answer a few focused questions. A transport manager or compliance specialist will review your answers and recommend the right next step.
Get a quoteFor a licensed HGV operation, written instructions should connect the promises on the operator licence with what drivers and managers do each day.
A current handbook, backed by signed issue records and working evidence, can help demonstrate control. It does not replace maintenance records, tachograph analysis or management action. It tells people how those systems work and what is expected of them.
Licence and undertakings: the rules drivers must follow to support the operator's licence conditions and undertakings.
Walkaround checks and defects: daily check standards, nil-defect reporting, safety-critical escalation, rectification and sign-off.
Maintenance control: inspection planning, repair authorisation, annual test preparation and the driver's part in keeping vehicles roadworthy.
Drivers' hours and tachographs: the applicable assimilated, AETR or GB domestic rules, correct records, downloads, infringements and debriefs.
Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations: how working time, breaks, periods of availability and reference periods are recorded and monitored where the rules apply.
Loading and vehicle limits: load security, axle and gross weights, coupling, height, width and route restrictions.
Driver management: licence and Driver CPC checks, induction, agency controls, training, fitness to drive and disciplinary links.
Incidents and roadside encounters: collision reporting, prohibitions, fixed penalties, bridge strikes and contact with DVSA or the police.
An HGV driver handbook should reflect how your transport operation actually runs. Traffic Commissioners and DVSA examiners look for systems that work in real conditions, not copied policy. That means your depots, your fleet, your work types and your routes set out clearly. We write from the standpoint of supporting operators through DVSA investigations and public inquiry preparation. Every section ties back to operator licence undertakings and the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness. If a driver is stopped at the roadside, they should be able to explain what they do and why, based on what is written. If they cannot, the handbook has missed the mark.
Your HGV driver handbook must distinguish properly between the assimilated EU drivers hours rules and the GB domestic rules. The assimilated rules apply where the vehicle or combination exceeds 3.5 tonnes maximum permissible mass: a daily driving limit of 9 hours that can be extended to 10 hours no more than twice a week, 56 hours in a fixed week and 90 hours over any two weeks, with a break of at least 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours driving. Daily and weekly rest must also be set out clearly. The GB domestic rules are different and apply to goods vehicles that are exempt from the assimilated rules, with a 10 hour daily driving limit and an 11 hour daily duty limit. Drivers must know which regime they are working under. Tachograph use should cover mode selection, manual entries, card handling, printouts and faults. DVSA will expect the driver to explain this without hesitation.
Daily walkaround checks underpin the roadworthiness and driver defect reporting undertakings on your licence. The handbook should list exactly what drivers check before use, tyres, lights, mirrors, body condition, load security and leaks. It must also explain how defects are reported and what happens next. This needs to match your actual system, paper or digital. Drivers should understand what makes a vehicle unroadworthy and when it must not be moved. Reference to the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness should align with your inspection intervals and records. Examiners regularly compare what is written to maintenance files. If there is a mismatch, it raises questions quickly.
Load security is a regular DVSA enforcement area. A lorry driver handbook should make clear who is responsible at each stage, driver, loader and operator. It should cover securing methods for your typical loads, whether that is palletised freight, steel, plant or bulk. Include use of straps, chains, curtains and headboards, and the limits of each. Drivers need to understand weight distribution and how an unstable load affects braking and control. Practical instruction matters here. Drivers should be confident to refuse an unsafe load and know they are supported when they do so.
Bridge strikes are treated seriously and often lead to regulatory action. Your handbook should set out route planning requirements, use of suitable navigation and checking vehicle height before leaving site. Drivers must know where the height is displayed in the cab and confirm it matches the vehicle. Include clear instructions on dealing with diversions and low bridges. If a strike occurs, the handbook should state who must be contacted immediately and what information is required. This is basic control, but it is often missing or unclear in generic documents.
Overloading is straightforward for DVSA to detect. The HGV driver handbook must set out gross vehicle weight, axle limits and train weight where relevant. It should explain how loads are checked, use of weighbridges and any on board systems. Drivers need clear instruction on what to do if they suspect an overload. They should not move a vehicle unlawfully. Include the consequences, prohibitions, penalties and impact on your operator licence. Examiners expect to see that drivers have been instructed properly and that the system works in practice.
A handbook should reflect your fleet and the work you do. Rigids, artics and specialist vehicles all bring different risks. Construction, retail and container work each have their own pressures. Include site rules, PPE, reversing procedures and use of banksmen where required. If you operate under FORS, the relevant Bronze, Silver or Gold requirements should be built into the document. Where London schemes such as DVS or PSS apply, they should be covered clearly. This is where a generic handbook falls short. Written properly, it mirrors how your drivers work day to day.
Every document is shaped by transport managers and compliance specialists with more than 20 years of experience, including DVSA investigations, Public Inquiries and Traffic Commissioner hearings.
Get a quoteIt should cover drivers’ hours rules, clearly distinguishing EU and GB domestic regimes, tachograph use, walkaround checks, defect reporting, maintenance arrangements, load security, weights and route planning. It must reflect your operator licence undertakings.
Because the limits and requirements are different. Applying EU rules to a domestic operation, or the other way round, leads to errors. DVSA will expect drivers to know which set of rules applies to their work.
At least once a year and whenever your operation changes. New vehicles, new work or changes to legislation should all trigger a review. The document should reflect current practice.
No statute requires a signature, but a signed and dated record is the clearest way to show that instructions were issued and accepted. It matters if you are asked to demonstrate control at an inquiry or during an investigation.
Generic documents rarely match how an operation actually runs. Examiners compare written policy to real activity. If it does not line up, it weakens your position quickly.
Yes. Any driver working under your operator licence must follow your systems. They should be given the relevant instructions before taking a vehicle and confirm they understand them.
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