Why 28% of Lorry and Bus Medical Licence Checks Took Over 90 Days at DVLA

• DVLA took more than 90 days to decide 28% of lorry and bus licence cases that needed a medical investigation in August 2026, made up of 21% that took 91 to 180 days and 7% that took 181 days or more.
• Those lorry and bus cases averaged 64.8 working days in August against 41.7 a year earlier, and 55.8 in September against 49.0, while every kind of medical case averages 62.3 working days so far in 2026/27.
• Applying the day the DVLA reminder arrives, and knowing the seven tests that decide whether an age 70 renewal lets a driver keep driving, limits the damage of a long wait.

A medical check that now outlasts the reminder letter

A driver who tells DVLA about a medical condition waits 62.3 working days on average for a licensing decision so far in 2026/27, the figure the Department for Transport gave MPs on 14 October. At five working days a week that is 12.5 weeks, before a single bank holiday. The figure covers every medical case, from a car driver with diabetes to a pensioner renewing at 70 with a pacemaker. The sections below show where the long waits sit.

Lorry and bus drivers, known as Group 2, are tracked in a separate series, and their waits have grown against a year earlier. Their medical cases averaged 64.8 working days in August 2026 against 41.7 in August 2025, a rise of 23.1 days or 55 percent. September came in at 55.8 working days against 49.0 a year earlier, 6.8 days or 14 percent longer. Both figures come from written answers by Justin Madders, the Department for Transport minister who answered MPs’ questions on DVLA delays, on 22 October and 6 November. The earlier 62.3 working day average covers all drivers, so the two numbers sit side by side and never replace one another.

The reminder letter is where the numbers bite. DVLA writes 90 days before expiry to drivers renewing at 70 and to anyone on a short period medical licence, and 56 days before expiry to holders of vocational licences and ten year photocard licences. Fifty six days is eight weeks. An August average of 64.8 working days is 13 weeks, so a lorry or bus driver who applied the day the reminder landed would face an average wait running about five weeks past the expiry date. The 90 day reminder for age 70 renewals is 12.9 weeks, and the 62.3 working day average runs to about 87 days, which leaves under three days to spare before any bank holiday or request for information from a doctor.

Who sits in the queue

The duty to declare is wide. GOV.UK lists diabetes or taking insulin, syncope (fainting), heart conditions including atrial fibrillation and pacemakers, sleep apnoea, epilepsy, strokes and glaucoma among the notifiable conditions, and states that anything that could affect the ability to drive safely belongs on the list. Drivers renewing at 70 or over, and applicants for a first licence, answer the same questions on the application form, so no separate call to DVLA is needed. After 70 the licence renews every three years, and drivers under 70 renew a photocard every ten, so an older driver renews more than three times as often as a younger one.

Dr Nick Jenkins, who has worked with DVLA on medical assessments, says short licences tighten that cycle further: “We may issue a short-term licence (1 to 5 years) if you’ve got a medical condition considered to be progressive. This is because we’ll need to assess the ongoing stability of the condition or consider the risk of recurrence of an episode being below a certain threshold.” Each short licence ends in a new application and a new wait. A DVLA medical expert has confirmed that most applications are approved.

What the minister’s tables show

Five written questions from four MPs between 9 and 28 October produced the tables. Ben Maguire, Richard Holden, Alison Griffiths and Lee Anderson each asked for a different cut of the data.

The delay bands come from Mr Holden’s second question. They start in March 2026. The new medical casework system went live on 27 February 2026, and pulling the same figures from the older system would cost a disproportionate amount, the department told MPs. In March 17% of Group 2 medical cases took 91 to 180 days and 1% took 181 days or more. By August those shares were 21% and 7%. The slowest band grew seven times over in five months. September fell back to 19% and 4%, and October up to the 28th stood at 13% and 4%. Added together, the cases above 90 days ran at 18% in March, 28% in August, 23% in September and 17% for October so far. The answer does not give the number of cases behind each percentage.

The decisions table, from Ms Griffiths’ question, sets the speed against the volume. DVLA made 6,523 Group 2 medical decisions in August 2026 against 7,426 in August 2025, which is 903 fewer or 12 percent. September reversed it with 7,992 against 6,111, which is 1,881 more or 31 percent, and the average still finished 6.8 days slower than a year earlier. Across January to September DVLA decided 66,903 of these cases in 2026 against 73,246 in 2025, 6,343 fewer or 8.7 percent. The minister’s answer describes “sustained growth” in volume. The tables do not say how many applications arrived, so the size of the pile waiting cannot be worked out from them.

Mr Madders set out the government’s position in the answer of 6 November: “Ministers receive regular updates from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on the timescales for driving licence applications involving medical conditions. There has been sustained growth in the volume and complexity of medical driving licence applications which has increased waiting times for some customers. The Government recognises that further improvement is needed and plans are in place to address this.”

What DVLA says it is doing

The minister named four changes: a new casework system, a medical services portal, extra staff and a text message trial. The portal supports applications for around 1,600 medical conditions, and enhancements for provisional licence applicants and drivers renewing at 70 or over arrived recently. Mr Madders put it this way: “To improve its services, the DVLA has introduced a new casework system and launched a new medical services portal which means that most customers can now apply online through the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account.”

The staffing line carries the promise: “These enhancements alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications and answer telephone calls will deliver real improvements for customers.” No date, headcount or target wait comes with it. DVLA writes to the driver to say what action it has taken, for example where medical information is needed from the driver or their healthcare professional, and it has started texting drivers who consented to updates by that method.

The answer of 14 October explains where the time goes. In Mr Madders’ words: “Applications that require medical investigation can often take longer to process, as they depend on the nature of the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, such as doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a licensing decision can be made.”

For lorry and bus drivers one measure is aimed at income. The minister said: “In September 2026, the average time to make a licensing decision for Group 2 vocational licences where a medical investigation was involved was 55.8 working days. When the DVLA is made aware that an application is required for employment purposes, the application will be prioritised where possible.” The words “made aware” put the job on the driver: tell DVLA the licence is needed for work.

How to avoid being caught out

Apply the day the reminder arrives. A driver aged 69 can renew online for free within 90 days of turning 70, and a car or motorcycle driver reports a condition online. Holders of bus, coach or lorry licences send a form or questionnaire, and renewals of C1 medium sized vehicle and D1 minibus entitlements go by post. Online renewal of a standard photocard costs £14, with no fee for drivers over 70 or on a medical short period licence. Keep the confirmation email DVLA sends once the application is in, along with every letter, and see the guides on dealing with the DVLA for the other licence tasks.

Declare. A driver who keeps a condition from DVLA that could affect safe driving risks a fine of up to £1,000, and prosecution if an accident follows. At 70 or over the declaration happens on the renewal form itself.

Know the seven tests for driving while the application is open. GOV.UK says a driver renewing at 70 can carry on if they have the support of their doctor to continue driving, had a valid licence, drive only under the conditions of the previous licence, have an application less than a year old, did not have the last licence revoked or refused for medical reasons, are not currently disqualified, and have no high risk offender disqualification dated 1 June 2013 or later. The DVLA guide INF188/6 gives the conditions for other applications, and the full walk through is in the earlier piece on how to keep driving legally while you wait.

Answer every DVLA letter fast. The agency writes when it needs facts from the driver or a doctor, and each unanswered letter adds to the wait. Ask the GP or consultant for the supporting letter at the same time as the application goes in, and tell DVLA at once if the licence is needed for a job.

What happens next

The answers give no target for medical decisions. GOV.UK still says a new licence should arrive within three weeks and might take longer when medical details need checking, a timescale that sits far from the 55.8 and 64.8 working days recorded for Group 2. The next test is the October average for Group 2. The delay bands to the 28th show 17% of cases past 90 days, down from 28% in August and level with May and June. A full October average has not been published in the answers saved for this run.

MPs from three parties have now asked for the same data, and each new answer adds a month. Drivers with a renewal due in the next three months have a simple job: send the form the day the reminder lands, keep every letter, and plan work and travel around a decision that can run to 13 weeks of working days.

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Sources

• UK Parliament: Driving Licences, UIN 39028, answered 6 November 2026
• UK Parliament: Driving Licences, UIN 38781, answered 6 November 2026
• GOV.UK: Renew your driving licence if you’re 70 or over
• Mirror: DVLA ‘prioritising’ some driving licence applications as it confirms new update

Reviewed by Preetam Gadekar