The gap nobody flags until it's a prohibition notice
Your transport manager's hours haven't grown with your fleet
The workload crept past what a part-time TM — or you, wearing six hats — can actually keep on top of. Nobody decided that. It just happened.
You're one S-marked prohibition from a Traffic Commissioner letter
And you won't know which gap gets you there until DVSA finds it first, on their timetable, not yours.
Agency drivers are covering the shortage — and bringing gaps with them
CPT's own survey still shows bus vacancies at 5.3% and coach at 9.5%. Every agency driver is a licence check and an induction record you don't fully control.
You've been quoted a calculator, not a price
Most outsourced transport manager firms scale their fee to your fleet and risk score, worked out on an "instant quote" tool. You still don't know what you're actually paying until you've handed over your details.
Operator Licence Ready — everything your licence undertakings actually require
Not a generic policy pack. Built against the same categories DVSA and your Traffic Commissioner assess: maintenance, drivers' hours, driver conduct, and the paperwork trail behind all three.
- A safety inspection (PMI) schedule set to your fleet's real use — with the interval justified in writing, not copied from last year
- Brake test evidence process — calibrated roller test or EBPMS — that holds up in the file, not just in memory
- Driver defect reporting and close-out process, with VOR control built in
- Drivers' hours and Working Time Directive policy — drivers' hours records held 12 months, Working Time Directive records held 2 years
- A driver licence and Driver CPC checking cycle that runs itself, employed or agency
- Notifiable-change tracking, so nothing misses the Traffic Commissioner's 28-day window
- A full undertakings pack mapped to what your licence actually commits you to
- A handover session — this has to run without us, not because of us
Four steps. Then it's your call how long we stay involved.
Free 20-minute compliance call
We find out what's actually missing — not what you think is missing.
Gap analysis against your licence undertakings
Checked against what you actually signed up to when you got your licence.
Build
Systems and records built for your fleet — not lifted from a haulage template.
Handover
You start running it day to day. From here it's your call: book us by the hour when something changes, or keep a fixed monthly check-in while you build confidence.
Stabilisers, not a leash
We're not trying to make you dependent on us, and we're not trying to disappear the day the paperwork's signed off either. Think of it like stabilisers on a bike: we get the system upright and moving, you start pedalling it yourself, and the stabilisers come off whenever you're ready — not on our schedule.
Some operators take them off straight after the handover session and call us by the hour when something changes. Others would rather we stayed bolted on — a fixed monthly check-in, same two hours, every month, for as long as it's useful. Both are the same bike, built the same way. You choose how long you want us on it.
| Way of working | What it's for | Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly, as needed | A second opinion or a specific problem, no package required | None — book when you need it |
| Build & hand over | You're confident running it yourself once it's built | One fixed price, no ongoing contract |
| Build & stay on | You'd rather have a standing check-up than wait for something to go wrong | Fixed monthly price, up to 3 hours/month included at a discount to the hourly rate |
Three ways in. All fixed. No quote calculator.
Start wherever makes sense — nothing here locks you in beyond the month you're in.
Hourly
- One specific question or problem
- No package, no ongoing commitment
- Book directly, whenever you need it
Fixed price by fleet size:
- Full compliance system build, all eight areas above
- One handover session included
- Delivered within 10 working days of your compliance call
Same fixed build price as Build & Hand Over, by fleet size — then:
- Everything in Build & Hand Over
- Up to 3 hours/month of consult & check-up, ongoing
- A loyalty rate — 3 hours booked hourly would be £300, staying on saves £50 every month
- Pause or step down to hourly anytime — stabilisers come off when you're ready
The Operator Self-Audit — where do you actually stand?
Twelve questions across the same four areas DVSA and your Traffic Commissioner look at. Two minutes. No email needed to see your result.
Before you ask
Do I still need this if I already pay for a transport manager?
Usually, yes. A transport manager keeps the licence legally covered — this builds the system that makes their job, and yours, actually manageable day to day.
Are you becoming our transport manager?
Not in the traditional sense — we're not running around after every defect ourselves. But if you'd rather we stayed close, Build & Stay On gives you up to three hours a month, every month, at a discount to the hourly rate, for as long as you want it. Stabilisers on for a season or stabilisers on for good — both are fine by us.
How long does it take?
Most builds are delivered within 10 working days of your compliance call. Larger or higher-risk fleets can take a little longer — we'll confirm the exact date on the call itself.
What if we've already had a prohibition notice, or we're already under Traffic Commissioner scrutiny?
That doesn't rule you out — it usually means you need this more urgently, not less. Message us on WhatsApp (or email info@jdta.co.uk) with a quick outline of where things stand and we'll tell you straight away whether — and how fast — we can help.
What if I score green on the self-audit — is this still for us?
Probably not urgently. Book the call anyway if you want a second pair of eyes before your next inspection — green today isn't a guarantee for next year.