Fleet management software for O licence holders

Your O licence rests on undertakings you signed. Smart Strix gives each one a home — roadworthiness records, rectification evidence, documents — without enterprise pricing.

In short: Smart Strix is a UK-first fleet platform for 2–50 vehicle operations, including restricted and standard O-licence holders running vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. It helps you organise and evidence the undertakings your licence depends on — vehicle condition photos, maintenance and defect rectification records, document expiry alerts and driver files — while also running your daily dispatch and invoicing. Free to start, no hardware. It does not replace your legal responsibilities; the requirements themselves come from the Traffic Commissioner and gov.uk.

What did you actually promise when you got your O licence?

When the licence was granted, you signed undertakings — binding promises to the Traffic Commissioner. The core set: vehicles and trailers will be kept fit and serviceable; drivers will report defects in writing and defects will be recorded and rectified; there will be regular safety inspections to a stated interval; records will be kept for the required period (DVSA guidance says 15 months); and drivers' hours and licensing rules will be observed. Breach an undertaking and the licence itself is at risk — curtailment, suspension or revocation. Our O licence requirements guide covers who needs one and the restricted-versus-standard distinction; this page is about running one you already hold.

How does each undertaking map to Smart Strix?

UndertakingWhere it lives in Smart Strix
Vehicles kept fit and serviceableVehicle registry with condition photos at check-out/check-in, inspection due dates and full maintenance history per vehicle
Written driver defect reporting and rectificationRun reports on paper or spreadsheet (free template provided), then file the report, photos and repair invoice against the vehicle so fault-to-fix is traceable
Regular safety inspections at stated intervalsInspection due dates per vehicle with advance visibility, inspection sheets stored in the vehicle's document file
Records kept for the required periodDigital storage means the 15-month retention window is met by default — nothing shredded, nothing faded, everything searchable
Vehicle documents in dateMOT, insurance and V5C expiry radar with alerts before dates lapse
Drivers properly licensedDriver document vault for licences, CPC and training certificates; shift clock-in/out gives a working-time record (tacho analysis stays with your specialist provider)

Notice the honest edges in that table. Smart Strix does not generate itemised walkaround checklists in-app, and it is not a tachograph analysis service — we'd rather tell you that here than have you discover it after signing up. What it does is give every piece of paper your undertakings generate a permanent, findable home.

Why does organised evidence matter for your OCRS?

DVSA targets roadside stops and investigations using the Operator Compliance Risk Score, fed by encounter history — prohibitions, MOT failures, roadside defects. A fleet whose documents never lapse and whose defects get fixed promptly simply generates fewer negative encounters, and when DVSA does visit, producing a clean, complete maintenance file changes the tone of the conversation. How the scoring bands work, and what moves you between them, is covered in our OCRS score explained guide.

Can one platform cover compliance records and daily operations?

That's the point of Smart Strix for small operators: the compliance file and the money-making side share one system. Jobs run through a drag-and-drop dispatch board, drivers capture proof of delivery with signatures, invoices go out and chase themselves with reminder schedules, and Xero or QuickBooks export keeps the accountant happy. Because drivers already live in the app for jobs, the compliance by-products — fuel receipts, odometer photos, condition photos — get captured without a separate "compliance app" nobody opens. For operators under 3.5 tonnes wondering whether any of this applies to them, start with our tachograph guide for vans.

What does it cost an O licence holder?

Free to get started, then two plans: Starter for up to 3 drivers, and Advanced with unlimited drivers plus app-based GPS tracking — no telematics boxes, no installation days, no per-vehicle hardware contracts. Strix AI (quote pricing, drafted customer messages) is a separate add-on from £39/month ex VAT, and you can cancel anytime. Full details on the pricing page.

Undertakings are legal obligations, and this page is not legal advice — the authoritative statements are the ones on your licence and in current gov.uk and Traffic Commissioner guidance. Smart Strix helps you evidence what you're doing; it can't do the doing for you.

Frequently asked questions

Will using Smart Strix keep my O licence safe?
No product can promise that. Licence decisions turn on whether your undertakings are genuinely met. Smart Strix helps you organise and retrieve the evidence — inspection records, defect rectification, in-date documents — which is a large part of demonstrating an effective system.
Does it work for restricted licences as well as standard ones?
Yes. The record-keeping undertakings are broadly the same either way; restricted holders without a nominated transport manager arguably benefit most from having the paperwork structured for them.
Where do my safety inspection records go?
Attach each inspection sheet to the vehicle's record and set the next due date. The vehicle's maintenance history then shows inspections, repairs and defect fixes in one timeline, retained well past the 15-month guidance period.
Does Smart Strix handle tachograph downloads or drivers' hours analysis?
No. It records shift clock-in/out with weekly history, which is useful working-time context, but tachograph card downloads and infringement analysis need a dedicated tacho service.
Can DVSA or an auditor be given access to the records?
You can export what you need, and viewer roles let you grant read-only access — handy for an external transport manager or an audit. What you must produce, and when, is set by DVSA procedure.
I run HGVs and vans together — does that work?
Yes. The vehicle registry spans car to HGV with capacities per vehicle, so O-licensed trucks and out-of-scope vans sit in the same fleet with the same document alerts and maintenance histories.

Run your fleet on Smart Strix

Dispatch, tracking, compliance records and invoicing for 2–50 vehicle fleets — free to get started, no hardware to install.

Free to get started · No card required · No hardware to install · Cancel anytime