Evidence Preparation When Your Licence Is at Risk
That TC letter can feel overwhelming. Pages of allegations, regulations you’ve never heard of, and a hearing date uncomfortably close. What you do in the next 7 days will shape your outcome.
Your helping hand when compliance matters most
You’ll Receive Many Offers of Help
In the coming days, solicitors, barristers, and compliance advisers will contact you. Many focus primarily on legal argument or procedural points.
Legal advice has its place. But at Public Inquiry, legal arguments alone are rarely enough.
The Traffic Commissioner already knows the law. What they must decide is whether they can trust you to operate compliantly going forward.
| Service Focus | Legal Advisors | BFT Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Legal arguments | ✓ Compliance evidence |
| Evidence preparation | Limited | ✓ Comprehensive |
| System improvements | Not included | ✓ Included |
| Hearing representation | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Ongoing protection post-PI | Engagement ends | ✓ Vault enrolment offered |
| Can work together? | ✓ Yes, our roles complement each other | |
What the Traffic Commissioner Actually Wants to Know
In practical terms, the TC looks for four things:
1. Clear Diagnosis of What Went Wrong
Not excuses, but genuine understanding of root causes and contributing factors.
2. Concrete, Proportionate Changes You Will Implement
Specific, credible improvements that address the identified problems directly.
3. Evidence Those Changes Are Already Underway
Proof of action taken, not just promises. TCs reward operators who’ve already started.
4. Proof of Effective and Continuous Management
The standard that determines outcomes. Systems, controls, and oversight that demonstrate ongoing capability, not a one-off effort, but embedded practice.
This is where we focus. This is what determines outcomes.
🛡️ Already a Vault Subscriber?
Your compliance evidence is already organised, indexed, and ready for compilation into a PI evidence bundle. Non-Vault clients start from scratch, Vault subscribers start from strength.
We Prepare You AND Represent You
BFT Consulting prepares operators for Public Inquiry every week and represents them professionally at their hearings. We focus on the operational evidence Traffic Commissioners rely on when making decisions.
Our role is not just to argue, it is to help you demonstrate, clearly and credibly, that:
✓ You understand what went wrong
✓ You have already taken corrective action
✓ You now have the systems, controls, and oversight to remain compliant
We work alongside legal advisers where appropriate, but our specialism is compliance evidence, the part that always determines outcomes.
Our Fee: Fixed and Transparent
No hourly billing. No escalating costs. No surprises.
£3,500 evidence preparatory fees
£1,000 appearance fee
Bronze: £2,500 evidence prep + £1,000 appearance
Silver: £1,500 evidence prep + £1,000 appearance
£500 evidence preparatory fees + £1,000 appearance fee
£500 upfront
£1,000 payable only appearance fee
+ Priority queue
Vault client rates require 3+ months active membership BEFORE your PI call-up. PI preparation includes full evidence bundle, TC hearing preparation, and professional representation at your hearing.
What’s Included in PI Preparation
📊 Evidence Preparation
- Call-up letter analysis
- Root cause diagnosis
- Evidence pack compilation
- Compliance system improvements
- TC question preparation
🛡️ Hearing Representation
- Professional representation at hearing
- Evidence presentation to TC
- Responses to TC questions
- Argument presentation
- Post-hearing follow-up
You get both: Complete evidence preparation AND professional representation at your hearing. We’re with you from call-up letter to final decision.
How We Prepare You
Free 15-Min Review
We review your call-up letter, identify core risks, and tell you honestly whether we can help. No obligation. No sales pressure.
Diagnose What Went Wrong
Meet with you to review the evidence, understand root causes, and take your full instructions.
Implement Credible Changes
Help you put proportionate, credible improvements in place immediately. TCs reward operators who’ve already started.
Build Evidence Pack
Prepare the operational evidence TCs rely on when making decisions. This is what determines outcomes.
Hearing Preparation
Guide you through what to expect, what to say, and how to present yourself. No surprises on the day.
Professional Representation at Hearing
We attend your Public Inquiry hearing with you, present your evidence to the Traffic Commissioner, and put forward arguments on your behalf. You don’t face the TC alone.
The best PI defence starts before the call-up letter arrives. The Vault keeps your evidence audit-ready every single day. Discover The Vault →
Why Operators Get Called to Public Inquiry
Maintenance Failures
Vehicles not properly maintained, PMIs missed, defect reports incomplete.
Could result in licence revocation + loss of £200k–£2m annual revenueTachograph Infringements
Card-pulling, drivers’ hours offences, systematic non-compliance with working time regulations.
Systematic failures can mean disqualification + criminal prosecutionFinancial Standing Deficiencies
Lack of financial standing, evidence of financial instability or inability to meet legal requirements.
Operating without financial standing is a criminal offence (unlimited fines)Operating Centre Breaches
Operating from unauthorised centres, exceeding vehicle limits, neighbour complaints.
Could result in immediate licence suspension until resolvedGood Repute Issues
Criminal convictions, dishonesty with OTC/DVSA, conduct incompatible with operator standards.
Loss of good repute typically means 5-year industry banRecord-Keeping Failures
Proper records not kept, evidence gaps, inability to demonstrate effective control.
Demonstrates lack of effective control, strongest predictor of poor outcomesIneffective Control & Management
Transport Manager unable to demonstrate effective and continuous oversight of the operation.
Central question at every PI: can you prove effective management?Failed DVSA Audit Visit
DVSA compliance visit reveals systemic evidence failures. Audit findings escalated to the Traffic Commissioner.
Failed audit is a direct pathway to Public Inquiry call-upHow We’ve Helped Operators at Public Inquiry
Anonymised case studies from recent PI engagements.
12-Vehicle HGV Fleet, Maintenance System Failure
Operator called to PI after multiple PG9 prohibitions revealed systematic maintenance failures. PMI records were incomplete, defect reporting was inconsistent, and the DVSA identified critical gaps in vehicle management.
Conducted a full evidence review, rebuilt the maintenance system from scratch, implemented structured PMI scheduling with documented oversight, and compiled a comprehensive evidence bundle demonstrating the changes to the Traffic Commissioner.
At hearing, the Traffic Commissioner acknowledged the corrective action as genuine and proportionate. Licence retained with undertakings.
The operator subsequently enrolled in Vault Silver for ongoing compliance management to ensure the improvements remained embedded.
8-Vehicle PSV Operator, Drivers’ Hours Non-Compliance
Systematic tachograph infringements identified across the fleet during a DVSA investigation. The operator was facing potential revocation for persistent drivers’ hours offences over a 12-month period.
Diagnosed root causes (inadequate driver oversight and no systematic tachograph analysis), implemented weekly analysis procedures, retrained all drivers, and documented every change with timestamped evidence for the TC.
The TC noted the operator had demonstrated clear understanding of the failures and had implemented effective monitoring systems. Restrictions lifted at review hearing six months later.
Ongoing tachograph monitoring now managed through BFT Vault Gold, with weekly compliance summaries and dedicated client manager oversight.
Recent Outcomes
BFT helped us understand what the Traffic Commissioner actually wanted to see. We retained our licence. I only wish we had called them sooner.
We went in with proper evidence thanks to BFT. The TC acknowledged our changes and gave us a second chance. Worth every penny.
John walked us through exactly what would happen and what we needed to demonstrate. No surprises. Professional throughout.
We Appear at All Eight Regional Traffic Commissioner Offices
Our consultants regularly represent operators before Traffic Commissioners across the UK.
🚨 Already Have Your Call-Up Letter?
You need immediate specialist help.
☎ Call Emergency PI Line: 0330 179 7379🛡️ Want to Avoid Public Inquiry Entirely?
Our Vault system keeps operators PI-ready 24/7.
✓ Check Your Risk ScoreFrequently Asked Questions
Some operators hire both. Solicitors handle legal arguments. We handle compliance evidence. TCs decide based on evidence, not legal technicalities. Our roles complement each other. Once we have assessed your situation, we can better advise on this question.
Immediately after receiving your call-up letter. The first 7 days are critical. Early preparation significantly strengthens your position.
We work alongside legal advisors regularly. Solicitors focus on legal arguments, we focus on compliance evidence. Our roles complement each other perfectly.
Gold tier members get priority queue access and significantly reduced evidence preparatory fees (£500 vs £3,500 for non-clients). All tiers pay a £1,000 appearance fee. Vault members save between £1,000 and £3,000 on total PI preparation costs. Client rates require 3+ months active Vault membership before PI call-up.
We focus on evidence quality, not guarantees. However, operators with strong evidence preparation typically achieve better outcomes. TCs reward operators who demonstrate genuine understanding and credible change.
We review your call-up letter, identify the core risks to your licence, and tell you honestly whether we can help. No obligation. No sales pressure. Just straight answers.
Called to Public Inquiry? Don’t Face It Alone.
We prepare the evidence AND represent you at your hearing. Fixed fee, no surprises. Free 15-minute review of your call-up letter.