DVS Compliance: London HGV Safety Permits

DVS compliance means a lorry over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight has a valid Transport for London HGV safety permit before it enters most of Greater London. Zero, one and two star vehicles, and unrated vehicles, need the Progressive Safe System. TfL says applying is free, and permits granted now run until 28 October 2030.

Reviewed 25 September 2026. Equipment rules change. Use TfL's own pages before you fit hardware or quote a penalty.

• What the permit requires
• Vans are outside the scheme
• If the permit is missing
• What software can store
• Frequently asked questions
  • What is DVS compliance?
  • How do we get a DVS permit?
  • What happens with no permit?

# What the permit requires

The Direct Vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit Scheme is Transport for London's scheme. These points are taken from TfL's pages and operator guidance:

• The scheme covers HGVs over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight that enter or operate in most of Greater London. It runs at all times.
• From 28 October 2024 the minimum star rating for a permit without extra equipment is three stars. Zero, one and two star vehicles, and unrated vehicles, need the Progressive Safe System fitted before TfL will permit them.
• Permits granted on the previous Safe System expired at 23:59 on 27 October 2024. TfL says it is no longer possible to get a permit on those old conditions.
• A new permit is applied for on TfL's service. TfL says applying is free of charge. TfL's application page says it generally aims to process applications in up to 10 working days.
• TfL says a permit granted now under Progressive Safe System conditions is valid until 28 October 2030, regardless of star rating. Check the confirmation email for the vehicle in front of you.
• The operator applies. Zerity does not submit the application and does not look up a star rating.

The camera, mirror and sensor specification is in section 4 of TfL's operator guidance. Follow that section. A short paraphrase of a camera rule will go stale, and a wrong specification is worse than a link.

# Vans are outside the scheme

DVS compliance is not a 3.5 tonne courier van scheme. A car-derived van on category B is not an HGV over 12 tonnes. If the fleet is last-mile vans, the daily control is a walkaround, not a London HGV permit. Use the DVSA requirements page and the vehicle inspections guide.

If one rigid or artic over 12 tonnes enters London, that vehicle needs its own permit even when the rest of the fleet is vans. Do not treat the whole depot as in scope, and do not treat the truck as out of scope because the vans are.

# If the permit is missing

TfL may issue a penalty charge notice. TfL's DVS penalty page states a penalty charge of £550, reduced to £275 if paid within 14 days. TfL also says the charge can increase if it is not paid or challenged in time. Check that page before you rely on a figure. A DVS penalty charge is not a parking ticket. PCN management for fleets is where a notice is logged against the vehicle and the driver. It does not replace the permit.

# What software can store

No driver-compliance platform files the permit. Zerity can hold a permit expiry date that someone types in, next to the vehicle and the driver assigned to it, inside the same driver compliance software and Compliance software for your self-employed workforce file as the licence record. It does not store a star rating unless someone records one, and it does not apply to TfL.

Truck and workshop systems publish more of the HGV equipment detail because that is their market. If the fleet is last-mile vans, read the Truckfile alternative page before you buy a workshop suite for a van problem. If London HGVs are the fleet, DVS belongs with the vehicle. Zerity is the driver file beside it.

# Frequently asked questions

# What is DVS compliance?

It is holding a valid Transport for London HGV safety permit before a lorry over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight enters most of Greater London. Vehicles below three stars, or unrated, need the Progressive Safe System fitted before TfL will permit them.

# How do we get a DVS permit?

Apply on TfL's Direct Vision Standard service. TfL says the permit is free of charge. The operator submits it. Zerity does not.

# What happens with no permit?

TfL may issue a penalty charge notice. Their penalty page describes a charge of £550, reduced to £275 if paid within 14 days. Check the current figure on TfL before you rely on it. A DVS notice is not a parking penalty charge.