A big shake-up to “modernise” the Traffic Commissioner system has been proposed by the Department for Transport.
The document puts forward the idea of a Board of Traffic Commissioners and two new posts of Director O licensing and Director Bus. These would report to the Board. The Board would oversee the overall performance of the traffic commissioner system and would allocate casework to individual commissioners. The directors will be accountable for the performance of traffic commissioner support staff.
The DfT also wants to introduce a concept of time-limited, reviewable contracts.“The independence of traffic commissioners is of paramount importance, but we feel that there are clear advantages in this measure and in allowing more accountability of the way traffic commissioners carry out their work. This accountability would relate to how the work of the traffic commissioners is carried out and organised rather than to the actual decision making”, says the proposal.
It is clear that these proposals will highly controversial. The Traffic Commissioners already fear that VOSA and the Department for Transport want to take over their role either through fixed penalties or by weakening their independence from VOSA.
Everyone in the industry needs to look carefully at these proposals to ensure that the Traffic Commissioners remain independent and continue to give operators a fair hearing.