Profile: Christopher Walton

Christopher Walton
News editor, Commercial Motor
christopher.walton@rbi.co.uk

I'm the news editor of Commercial Motor. That means not just ensuring that the news section of the magazine is full of interesting and accurate news but deciding what the biggest stories of the week are (and don't worry, they all appear on Roadtransport.com too).

I also have to make sure we interview the biggest hitters in road transport, investigate some of the under-reported parts of the industry and analyse what all the headlines mean for your business. Not forgetting the letters and opinion sections, to which all submissions are welcome.

I joined the Road Transport Group in August 2008 and I'm still trying to learn the difference between EGR and SCR. The stories I enjoy writing, however, are those that matter the most to operators: from the need for secure parking facilities at Britain's largest container port to Vosa getting tough on the Driver CPC.

I also enjoy interviewing the major shakers in the industry, such as Senior TC Philip Brown, and getting to grips with different ways of doing business – my recent feature on the changing economics of pallet networks and the growth of the online freight exchange is one example.

Before joining Commercial Motor I was senior reporter for Caterer and Hotelkeeper for 18 months, specialising in pubs and bars, and I started my journalistic career in 2002 on IT title Microscope as a trainee reporter before working my way up the ranks to senior reporter.

I've also written for Computer Arts and Computer Arts Projects as well as appearing on stations from Radio Five Live to Cheshire's Silk FM as an industry pundit.

Out of work I like to distract myself with cricket, rugby and football when not renovating my house, and I'm a somewhat obsessive collector of comics.

You can follow me on Twitter: @RT_ChristopherW