The Department of Transport has outlined the eligibility criteria for the Road Transport Support Scheme (RTSS).

The Road Transport Support Scheme (RTSS) will be available to both licensed road haulage operators and the own account sector, in respect of certain heavy goods vehicles (over 3,500kg) where the vehicle is used in the haulage business (the carriage of goods by road).

As payments will be backdated to 01 March 2026, all applicants must meet the following conditions as of that date:

(i)               be the holder of a road haulage operator licence issued by the Department of Transport; or

(ii)             where the applicant is not normally required to hold a road haulage operator licence, an operator whose normal commercial activity relates to the carriage of goods by road; or

(iii)            be the holder of a passenger operator licence issued by the Department of Transport.

In all cases, payments will only be made to operators where the vehicle for which they seek support is registered on the Department of Transport’s National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) database, with motor tax paid and with a valid Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness Testing (CVRT) certificate will be eligible for support under this Scheme.

All applicants will be required to be registered for tax in the State and have a valid Tax Clearance and be able to demonstrate that their business is an ongoing concern. Declarations and proofs will be sought from applicants and will be verified by the Department as part of the administration of the Scheme.