O-licensing, a system of operator licensing for goods vehicle operators, should be fully up and running in Northern Ireland by April.

The Freight Transport Association had been critical at the slow implementation of these new licensing laws in the North, with legislation having been in place since January 2010.

The FTA has been pressing for O-Licensing as a means of forcing commercial vehicle owners to make regular, preventative maintenance checks on vehicles and to improve driver training on fault detection. This it said would reduce congestion resulting from vehicle breakdowns, improve air quality and reduce those indirect costs associated with unreliable deliveries and vehicle downtime.