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DVLA quietly issued revised trade plate display advice applicable from January 2017.

UK law applicable to 'Trade licences' and 'Trade Plates' and their display has not changed in many years however we conclude that DVLA's 2016/17 revision to thier trade plate display guidance is a reinterpretation of pre existing UK law.

The new advice may be found within.....

• DVLA form VTL30Application for a first trade licence and/or additional licences (January 2017 issue), REFER TO page 3, guidance note 4
• on the rear of DVLA form V304 (the letter confirming your renewal of your trade licence(s) - Nov 2016 revision issue)

In the instance of motoring related offences Courts use the DVSA (Driver & Vehicle Standards Authority) Enforcement Sanctions Policy as their policy and reference guide in regard to UK law referancing and the issuing of penalties.

DVSA ESP page 98, point 3.9 (in short) states in an instance that failure to display a trade licence properly and the trade licence (trade plates) were carried in the car is proven then the penalty is £50. In any other instance a penalty must be levied as per DVSA ESP page 90, point 3.5 No Excise Licence. 3.5 instructs that a fine be calculated at five times the VED applicable to the vehicle involved in the offence. If the applicable VED was £570 then the fine would be set at £2850.

DVSA ESP page 94, point 3.14 covers the offence of an obscured registration number. A fixed penalty of £100 applies where proven.

For detailed information use the link below to DVSA Enforcement Sanctions Policy