Britain’s Senior Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell, who has announced she will step down in 2017, will give what could be her final public address in the role at the Microlise Transport Conference on 17 May next year.
Bell, who was appointed as Traffic Commissioner for the North West in 2000 and Senior Traffic Commissioner in 2012, was the first female to fill the role. This summer she publicly announced that she would not seek reappointment though would continue in her role until spring 2017.
“I am delighted to confirm that I will be speaking at the Microlise Transport Conference next May, when I will be able to deliver an update on TCs’ strategic objectives to reduce the burden on compliant operators, whilst targeting the serially and seriously non-compliant operators and drivers,” said Bell.
The Microlise Transport Conference last year attracted more than a thousand transport professionals making it the largest road transport conference in Europe.
The free-to-attend conference, which will again take place at The Ricoh Arena in Coventry, includes a full day’s programme supported by focused workshops and a sizable exhibition area. It will once again be chaired by award-winning motoring journalist, author, TV presenter and campaigner Quentin Willson.
“We are very pleased that Beverley will be speaking. Our industry continues to face many challenges and much has changed since the last time Beverley addressed the Conference in 2013. I think it will be very interesting to hear from her as she prepares to hand the baton on to the next Senior Traffic Commissioner,” said Bob Harbey, Microlise Executive Director.
An array of speakers joined the conference in 2016 including HRH The Princess Royal, the RHA’s Richard Burnett and the CILT’s Kevin Richardson; as well as Fowler Welch and the two official Brexit referendum campaign groups. Seven of Europe’s eight largest HGV vehicle manufacturers were also represented on a panel debate broadcast live online.
The Microlise Driver of the Year Awards will once again be hosted at the conference, to celebrate the UK’s most talented HGV drivers, both through analysis of more than 100,000 drivers’ telematics data, as well as a number of nominated categories. These include HGV Hero, Lifetime Achievement, Extra Mile, Most Improved and Young Driver of the Year.
Alongside the conference programme, delegates attending in 2017 will also gain access to three specially curated workshop areas covering a range of topics relevant for transport professionals. The Ricoh Arena is conveniently located in the centre of England at the heart of the country’s logistics “Golden Triangle” to provide easy access.
Registration for the free-to-attend event has opened through the conference website, which can be found at www.microliseconference.com.