Hauliers whose vehicle is carrying goods in connection with their own business (ie not for hire or reward) are exempt from Community Authorisation requirements in the European Union (EU) and from permit requirements in certain other countries. However, they still may need to carry an Own Account document.

Where Own Account applies

A permit must be carried on the vehicle for journeys to Belarus, Morocco, Russia, Tunisia and Turkey. No permit is needed for journeys through Austria, Ukraine and Georgia.

Special conditions apply to Own Account journeys between the UK and Hungary and the UK and Cyprus. These are covered later in this section.

How the Own Account permit works

The carriage of goods on Own Account between EU countries and the UK does not require the operator to hold a Community Authorisation, as long as the following conditions are fulfilled:

the goods carried must be the property of the business or must have been sold, bought, let out on hire or hired, produced, extracted, processed or repaired by the business

the purpose of the journey must be to carry the goods to or from the business or to move them, either within the business or outside, for its own needs

the vehicles used must be driven by employees of the business

the vehicles must be owned by the business or have been bought by it on deferred terms or hired, providing that the conditions of Council Directive 84/647/EEC are met (this provision does not apply to the use of a replacement vehicle following breakdown of the vehicle that is normally used)

haulage must not be the major activity of the business

For Own Account operations between the UK and Cyprus or Hungary, you do not need a special licence. However, operators travelling to these countries should carry on board the vehicle a document containing the following information, to show that the journey is Own Account:

the name and address of the operator

the operator's trade or business

the nature of the goods being carried

loading and unloading points

registration number of the vehicle being used

the route the haulage takes

The operator of the vehicle may be asked to provide evidence of the ownership of the goods.

 

( linda )19 Oct,2011

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