19 Sept, 2025 Lee Miller

Driving in London: Essential Courier & Van Driver Guide

“Between 2023–2024 TFL collected £89.3 million from PCNs, and the Councils (combined) collected £2 Billion - That's why this guide is essential - it's a small business stealth tax.”

Driving around London in a van isn’t as simple as “just turning up.” There are lots of hazards, legal traps, expensive fines, and delays. If you’re not prepped, you’ll lose time — and lots of money!

Here are the key issues, and tips on how to avoid them, what to do if you get fined, what you can buy and do to help you out and how to appeal when you recieve a PCN.

Key Issues & Pitfalls

It's stressful driving in London, even if you've been to the destiantion many times before - this stress can easily lead to mistakes that are very expensive and unavoidable, wtih appeals never held in your favour.

The odds are stacked against you, with widespread CCTV and ANPR, first offences are treated the same as repeat offences, and fine amounts are high.

It's a Zero-tolerance enforcement regime, an automated fine machine, the goal is to capture every infraction and issue fines without any human discretion or empathy.

1. Bus Lanes

Many roads have bus lanes reserved for buses, bikes, taxis, and sometimes motorcycles. Private vans or general vehicles are not allowed to drive in them unless explicitly exempt - general rule, never enter a bus lane!
Signage and road markings: the lane will be marked "BUS LANE" on road surface and/or with overhead or roadside signs. Enforcement is via CCTV cameras - assume they're watching somewhere.
Fines (Penalty Charge Notices, PCNs) for entering or driving in bus lanes when prohibited have risen across London; one recent figure is £160 for bus lane & moving traffic contraventions in many places, though often reduced if paid early.
Never pay straight away, always appeal, and when that fails (it always does), appeal in writing to London Tribunals, these normally take 3 months plus to be heard - the TFL or Issuing Council have to pay for this. The initial fee amount is then suspended until both appeal processes have completed. More on this later.

3. Rotherhithe Tunnel & Weight / Size Restrictions

If your van is a goods vehicle (i.e. commercial) weighing more than 2 tonnes gross (GVW or Gross Vehicle Weight), or more than 2 metres high or 2 metres wide, you are not permitted to go through Rotherhithe Tunnel.
Even if the van appears to physically fit (height, clearance under signs, etc.), the weight limit is what is enforced. If caught, you’ll get a PCN - starts at £130 for non-compliance.
The restrictions exist because the tunnel is old (built in 1908) and was not designed for heavy traffic. The ventilation and safety features cannot cope safely with heavier / larger commercial loads - so they say - IMO it's another money grab.
General rule, if you have a B1 van, normal medium to large courier van, Renault Traffic or Mercedes Sprinter, avoid Rotherhithe like the plague.

4. High Fines & Strict Enforcement

Bus lane violations, moving traffic contraventions, parking illegally, stopping on red routes (double or single red lines during restricted times) can lead to high PCNs. As noted, many are up to £160.
There's heavy use of CCTV, ANPR cameras, and automated enforcement. So ignorance or assumption rarely helps — signage is everywhere, and even small lapses are caught.
Don't forget speeding fines, many areas within Central London are set at 20MPH, with very heavy use of speed cameras.

5. Slow Traffic & Delays

Aside from legal traps, traffic in London is slow. Rush hours, congestion, traffic lights, road works, diversions, and bus-priority measures all slow things down.
Even if you avoid fines, delivery times and fuel costs go up if you're stuck in traffic or making detours to avoid restricted routes.

Tips to Avoid Trouble & Save Money

The following guidance are what work, I use all of them and they help, but still they don't negate all risks.

1. Get an HGV / Van-friendly Satnav

One where you can set your vehicle’s dimensions (height, width) and weight.
It should avoid restricted tunnels, low bridges, forbidden roads, bus lane time restrictions, etc.
Using car satnavs and Google Maps is very risky — they send you into forbidden or fined zones.

2. Know the Rules Around Bus Lanes & Red Routes in Your Area

Always check local signage: bus lanes often have time-based restrictions. Outside of their enforcement hours, they may be usable, but inside hours you’ll get fined.
For red routes: double red lines = no stopping at any time; single red lines = no stopping during specified times (check signs). Loading / unloading may only be allowed in certain bays or times. Always assume you can't park there and you won't be fined.

3. Plan Your Route Ahead (Avoid Restricted Tunnels, Weight Limits, etc.)

Particularly Rotherhithe Tunnel: if your van is over 2 tonnes, width/height over 2 m, plan an alternative.
Even if you feel you’ll “just squeeze through,” don’t risk it — weight or size over limit = PCN = £130.

4. Watch Out for Fines: Know What You’ll Pay if Caught

Bus lane / moving traffic contravention: up to ~£160.
Rotherhithe Tunnel violation: £130 (non-compliance with size/weight restrictions).
Red route parking/illegal stopping: similarly high, depending on specific violation - £80 - £160.

Common Misconceptions & Surprises

Thinking “my van fits under the clearance sign, so height is fine” is only part of the issue — weight or width may still violate rules.
Assuming because you are a courier, you get exemptions — you don’t. Bus lanes / red routes / tunnels don’t allow exemptions for commercial vehicles - always assume this is the case!
Paying fines “if caught” is not rare (it's very, very common) — enforcement is intense, and cameras / automatic systems catch first offenses.
Discounted fines periods (e.g. paying within 14 days) do exist for PCNs, but often only reduce the fine by 50% or similar. Don’t assume massively reduced price.

Beating them at Appeal!

You'll never, ever beat TFL or the issuing PCN Council at appeal - the required proof has to be cast iron, i.e. stolen vehicle, medical emergency etc, but you'll need proof for them to accept it - no-proof, appeal rejected.

I've appealed many times, and always rejected, regardless the reasons, but we can beat them on a technicality!

The online appeals system is often broken, it doesn't allow you to upload proof, even when you try jpg images and pdf documents (both are acceptable).

So the excuse for the violation should be on medical grounds, explain why, e.g. temporary mental emergency - don't lie!

Ask for a copy of their policy on how appeals are dealt with.

Explain, that you tried to upload evidence (don't explain what evidence), but the system was broken, and failed everytime you tried.

Take a screenshot of the form contents.

IMHO, TFL are money grabbing bastards, they assume everyone is at fault and will normally;

Ignore the request for the policy document, and;
Ignore the comment about not being able to upload evidence.

Use London Tribunals

Once the appeal is rejected, it always is, you'll receive a letter, which includes a form, that you can send to the London Tribunal, to appeal one more time.

Explain that you were unable to upload your evidence (include the screenshot), and that you asked them to provide their policy on how they deal with appeals. Note that the document doesn't include any details on how they deal with the disabled, and that the fact they didn't ask for the evidence (a diagnosis letter of your mental illness), you can only conclude they (the issuing authority) are guilty of indirect descrimination.

Indirect Descimination

This happens when a public authority treats everyone the same, and the onus is on them to prove this isn't the case.

The descrimination occurs when a disabled person person is treated the same as a abled bodied person, and because of this, the disabled person is treated unfairly.

Ask questions; why didn't they provide the policy or ask for the evidence direct? These two factors provide the proof that your reasonable comments were ignored - maybe causing enough doubt to win your appeal.

Tools - HGV Satnav

TomTom Truck Sat Nav GO Expert Plus - £400 - the best.
OHREX N76 Car Sat Nav 786, 7 inch for Car Truck Lorry HGV - £60, cheap as chips, it works.

Ready to Move Your Goods?

Whether you’re sending a marble dining table to London or relocating an antique cabinet to Manchester, we've got you covered.

If you’d rather leave the hard work to the experts, get an instant quote today, we use a dual system to generate a very precise price for you, and we'll honor that quote for six months;

1. Visit the distance based quotation page.
2. Visit the booking page, to add a packing time estimate.

Call, text or WhatsApp message me (Lee) on 077 888 211 21.

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Driving in London!!