Hi all, been a while since i’ve posted here. In fact only just about rememebered my login information lol!
I have a question regarding weekend parking of vehicles if i can pick some brains please? Was having a chat with friend who’s a fellow driver and he said they park some motors at a customers premises over the weekend and have done for a while, 4 i beleive, and the customer has said it’s no problems leaving them parked up. Now, i was under the impression that’s fine as long as those trucks head back to the registered depot at least once a week (they go back everyday for fuel etc…) and nothing to worry about but i’ve been told i’m wrong.
Mates not too worried as whatever changes with parking he’s ok with and only worries about driver stuff like keeping himself legal, but i said i’d try and find some info out if anyone can shed some light on it please?
Many thanks!
On the operating licence application, the vehicles must be parked where they are stated on the application, they may get away with it for a while, but if something happens on the road, and DVSA take a look at the parking, it could go wrong with tea and biscuits with the Traffic Commisioner.
Resulting in a reduction of vehicles, revocation or curtailment of the O licence .Possible fines .
The legality is that the customers premises should be registered as an operating centre as the definition of a operating centre is where the vehicle is “normally kept” - used to do this a million years ago when I was a OD as my truck was always parked at my customer premises - not a major issue as long as there are not to many nimbys near by
Ah ok, thanks for the replies 
I know DHL park 3 trucks in there also, so i guess if they applied to park trucks there it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Ill pass the info on 
Stu190:
Ah ok, thanks for the replies
I know DHL park 3 trucks in there also, so i guess if they applied to park trucks there it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle. Ill pass the info on
Yeah pretty much, if it already being used by other firms for parking stand trailers etc then it’ll have been through the checks for an operating centre as such and is not really a massive issue for the licensing body etc. Assuming it is a decent sized industrial site with plenty capacity then should be just be a case of adding it/informing tc’s as above. Some big factories with trailers parks for hauliers will be technically an operating centre for say 50 or 60 hauliers all who maybe have 3 or 4 trailers in there and units parked up there during the week or at weekends if the drivers are local or nighting out etc etc.
Been a few years since I was driving full time but back then the truck often came home with me for the weekend or was handed over to another driver to do the weekend shifts, it very rarely went back to the designated operating centre other than to hand in paperwork etc. The only time it did not come home was when it went into the workshop for service etc. (The workshop was not the operating centre)
From what I am reading here it would appear that this was illegal, but the traffic officers never questioned it when we were checked.
If a firm you drive for is based outside the UK, you can park it at home at weekends as I did, quite legally afaik.
I also worked for a UK firm based 350 miles away at Colchester for 10 yrs and parked at home at weekends, with no probs,… maybe I was just lucky.
If the customer’s parking is in a different Traffic Area then you need to apply for a second Operators Licence. Which means you will need access to another set of minimum financial requirements
It might be the case that the operator already has an operating centre registered at the customers’ address, in which case everything is above board.
You can view operators licences and the operating centres here: gov.uk/find-vehicle-operators
Thanks for the replies! - Just done a search for the DHL that’s there and it’s licenced for 15 units and 20 trailers so i think there’s plenty scope to apply for parking 3 units and 3 trailers there. Though i must say i love the .gov web site and info that’s available it’s really handy! Especially when i get the “you’re good with that internet, can you look for…” questions 