Picked up a vehicle this morning did the walk round checks etc noticed no operator disc displayed, pointed this out to the transport office and was told that it was ok it’s on lease - hmmmmmm ok 
would the driver get any penalties for knowing that the operator disc in the vehicle wasn’t displayed if you get pulled by VOSA ?
No - you can run the same hire/lease vehicle up to a month without it being specified on the o- licence.
Edit to add: This isn’t aimed at you particularly OP but there seems to be a lot of posts on here where drivers think their employer/TM is trying to get one over on them or BS them. The absolute vast majority of HGV operators in this country run their vehicles in a fully compliant manner and take road safety seriously regardless of the size of the fleet or age of vehicles but there seems to be an expectation amongst a lot of drivers posting on here that they won’t be. Yes you do need to look out for your licence but a lot less than some drivers seem to think there is no need to appoint yourself to the Territorial VOSA.
It isnt okay if it is on lease the company as 28 days to get one for the vehicle.
Mine is a rental, and has no O licence either. Drive away!!! 
tuckman:
It isnt okay if it is on lease the company as 28 days to get one for the vehicle.
Weekend Wheeltapper 
Own Account Driver:
tuckman:
It isnt okay if it is on lease the company as 28 days to get one for the vehicle.Weekend Wheeltapper
What do you mean?
I think what Own Account Driver was alluding to old bean was the way you stated that it isn’t ok when in fact it is. I’m assuming “the company as 28 days…” Means that the company must display an o licence if they’ve had the vehicle continuously for 28 days? That may be so, but the op didn’t state how long the vehicle had been “on fleet” in the first place, so to post out of hand without all the relevant facts that it isn’t ok is a tad ambitious. Hope that explanation helps.
used to be regular practice to off hire before the 28 days and exchange for a different unit
Having an O licence is not a drivers concern. Drivers don’t need them, they work under the instructions of their employer. As mentioned above there’s numerous reasons why a truck may not be displaying an O licence.
As said, you can run a vehicle for upto 28 days without having to apply for an operators disc. But the operator must still have enough space on his operators licence to run the truck, although that isn’t the drivers responsibility to check this out.
Own Account Driver:
No - you can run the same hire/lease vehicle up to a month without it being specified on the o- licence.Edit to add: This isn’t aimed at you particularly OP but there seems to be a lot of posts on here where drivers think their employer/TM is trying to get one over on them or BS them. The absolute vast majority of HGV operators in this country run their vehicles in a fully compliant manner and take road safety seriously regardless of the size of the fleet or age of vehicles but there seems to be an expectation amongst a lot of drivers posting on here that they won’t be. Yes you do need to look out for your licence but a lot less than some drivers seem to think there is no need to appoint yourself to the Territorial VOSA.
Thanks for the info - just puts my mind at rest
damoq:
As said, you can run a vehicle for upto 28 days without having to apply for an operators disc. But the operator must still have enough space on his operators licence to run the truck, although that isn’t the drivers responsibility to check this out.
Correct. Called running within margin. i.e. If you have an O licence for 25 trucks but normally only run 20, you can hire in another 5 for December.
Before the digital age it was acceptable, but now most operators have online access to their O licence and it only takes minutes to add or remove a truck so VOSA expect it to be done. The paper disc arrives just days later.
Driveroneuk:
damoq:
As said, you can run a vehicle for upto 28 days without having to apply for an operators disc. But the operator must still have enough space on his operators licence to run the truck, although that isn’t the drivers responsibility to check this out.Correct. Called running within margin. i.e. If you have an O licence for 25 trucks but normally only run 20, you can hire in another 5 for December.
Before the digital age it was acceptable, but now most operators have online access to their O licence and it only takes minutes to add or remove a truck so VOSA expect it to be done. The paper disc arrives just days later.
Yes it’s easy with online self-service to add or remove specified vehicles but I’d be surprised if they really wanted the admin hassle of posting out unnecessary discs for short-term hire or lease. A bit like tax discs, since it went online, they do seem to be more relaxed about the discs provided the online side of things is right. The discs are still supposed to go back, which they used to take very seriously, when a vehicle is taken off and I assume they still have to devote staff resources to dealing with it their end. Also if you start putting short-term hire vehicles on willy-nilly another operator may have difficulty putting it on if they need to and you’ve not taken it off yours through oversight.
If you hire in a truck for 2 or 3 weeks, provided you’ve the o-licence margin to do so, you aren’t doing anything dodgy by not displaying a disc or specifying the vehicle on your o-licence.
What own account said. I used to get the disc in even if it was just a couple of week rental just so binocular man wouldn’t get the horn and pull you in, “just to check”.
with VOSA having access to all these computers run by DVLA, maybe it is about time they actually got rid of Op disc in windows … they know if it has a op licence etc, the police have PNC.
I was pulled into Beattock a few years ago in a hire unit. I wound the window down and spoke to the bloke and a woman VOSA Officer had a quick walk around and clocked I had no Operator Licence disc.
She didn’t let on she’d seen it but I knew she had. She came around to my window and nonchalantly asked how long we’d had the unit. I told her only a few days as our regular unit was in for a service and Mot. “Ok drive. Right hand lane and back onto the Motorway. Thanks for stopping.”
So to the OP, as everyone else has said, you’re fine to drive.
Not having an ‘O’ licence disc is no reason to refuse to take a unit out, but I would put it on the defect sheet. Partly to show any interested party what a good boy I am and partly to remind the TM that it hasn’t got one, just in case he needs to do something about it.
Just as an aside - would you refuse to take a truck without a current VED in the window?
Santa:
Just as an aside - would you refuse to take a truck without a current VED in the window?
I would draw it to the transport office’s attention.
If they tell me it has been taxed online (or by telephone) but the new disc has not yet arrived, then I’d take it out but only on the 1st 5 days of the new month.
But technically its not the driver’s worry anyway, although he/she should of course check it.
I thought you were committing an offence driving a vehicle not displaying a current VED disc, irrespective of who the owner/reg keeper was.
Owner/keeper would also be committing an offence if he knowingly allowed you to take the vehicle out.
I’d want a printed copy of the renewed on line email transaction if I was going to do this.
GasGas:
I thought you were committing an offence driving a vehicle not displaying a current VED disc, irrespective of who the owner/reg keeper was.Owner/keeper would also be committing an offence if he knowingly allowed you to take the vehicle out.
I’d want a printed copy of the renewed on line email transaction if I was going to do this.
£60 fixed penalty not endorsable, they’ll chase the registered keeper for the £60.