Road Traffic Act 1972

112Drivers of heavy goods vehicles to be licensed

(1)It shall be an offence for a person to drive a heavy goods vehicle of any class on a road if he is not licensed under this Part of this Act to drive a heavy goods vehicle of that class.

(2)It shall be an offence for a person to employ another person to drive a heavy goods vehicle of any class on a road if that other person is not so licensed to drive a heavy goods vehicle of that class.

(3)Nothing in subsection (1) or (2) above, as the case may be, shall prevent a person who is not licensed as therein mentioned from acting, or being employed to act, as steersman of a heavy goods vehicle (being a vehicle on which a speed limit of five miles per hour or less is imposed by or under section 78 of the [1967 c. 76.] Road Traffic Regulation Act 1967) under the orders of another person engaged in the driving of the vehicle who is licensed in that behalf in accordance with the requirements of Part III of this Act and this section.

(4)Neither subsection (1) nor subsection (2) above shall apply to the driving of, or the employment of a person to drive, a vehicle in any case where the excise duty in respect of the vehicle under the [1971 c. 10.] Vehicles (Excise) Act 1971 is chargeable at the rate applicable to vehicles specified in paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 3 to that Act and the vehicle is being driven for one of the purposes for which it must be solely used if the duty-is to remain chargeable at that rate.