The market in numbers

Who holds a GB operator licence

Every count on this page comes from the register published on 6 September 2026, and from the Traffic Commissioners’ own weekly publications. Use it to size a market, place a depot or sanity-check a list.

Licences in force

69,173

64,072 goods · 5,101 passenger

Vehicles authorised

691,470

425,306 trailers

Operating centres

97,374

across 402 districts

Median fleet

84% authorise 10 or fewer

This is a market of small operators. 84% of licences authorise ten vehicles or fewer, while the 1,943 licences authorising 51 or more account for 42% of all authorised vehicles. 2,929 companies hold more than one licence, usually because they run vehicles from more than one traffic area.

Fleet size

Licences by authorised vehicles

1 vehicle14,464 licences14,464 vehicles
2 to 1043,312 licences179,702 vehicles
11 to 509,453 licences207,687 vehicles
51 or more1,943 licences289,617 vehicles

Traffic areas

Where licences are held

Eastern13,152 licences133,910 vehicles
North Eastern10,330 licences106,570 vehicles
Western9,853 licences96,168 vehicles
North Western9,414 licences94,657 vehicles
West Midlands8,077 licences75,203 vehicles
South Eastern and Metropolitan7,945 licences86,816 vehicles
Scotland5,656 licences61,656 vehicles
Wales4,746 licences36,490 vehicles
total passenger

Licence types

What each licence permits

HGV · Restricted30,792 licences149,860 vehicles
HGV · Standard national23,573 licences310,157 vehicles
HGV · Standard international9,707 licences144,258 vehicles
PSV · Standard national2,192 licences49,722 vehicles
PSV · Standard international1,693 licences35,578 vehicles
PSV · Restricted1,216 licences1,895 vehicles

Continuation dates

Licences falling due by month

Traffic Commissioner activity

Published entries each month, and how many were regulatory

January 20262,561 entries619 regulatory
February 20263,064 entries606 regulatory
March 20263,178 entries620 regulatory
April 20263,225 entries624 regulatory
May 20263,031 entries573 regulatory
June 20263,071 entries542 regulatory
July 20263,362 entries584 regulatory
August 20262,888 entries530 regulatory
September 2026425 entries36 regulatory
total regulatory

Regulatory entries are public inquiries, refusals, revocations, terminations and operating-centre reviews. Read them in the notices feed.

Largest authorised fleets

The 15 licences with the most vehicles authorised

Operator	Licence	Area	Vehicles	Centres
Wincanton Holdings Limited	OF2071131	Eastern	2,853	13
London General Transport Services Limited	PK0001816	South Eastern and Metropolitan	2,507	18
DHL Supply Chain Limited	OD0165239	West Midlands	2,291	14
West Midlands Travel Limited	PD0001111	West Midlands	1,622	9
DHL Supply Chain Limited	OF0070010	Eastern	1,602	13
Veolia Es (UK) Limited	OK0216394	South Eastern and Metropolitan	1,575	14
DHL Supply Chain Limited	OB0186926	North Eastern	1,556	12
Wincanton Holdings Limited	OD2071130	West Midlands	1,359	14
Gxo Logistics UK Limited	OC0248319	North Western	1,307	13
Wincanton Holdings Limited	OC2071127	North Western	1,297	14
Wincanton Holdings Limited	OH2071134	Western	1,229	13
Royal Mail Group Ltd	OF0234554	Eastern	1,216	15
DHL Supply Chain Limited	OH0001390	Western	1,183	11
Xpo Transport Solutions UK Limited	OF1085356	Eastern	1,170	13
Dpdgroup UK Ltd	OF0217601	Eastern	1,142	13

Ranked on vehicles authorised, which is the maximum the licence permits rather than the number on the road. A company running from several traffic areas holds a licence in each; see the combined view on any operator profile.

Build a list from any of this

Filter by area, licence type, fleet band or continuation window and download the matching licences with their source date and attribution.

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Counts describe licences, not businesses: one company can hold several. Figures are as recorded in the register and carry no judgement about any operator.