The commercial vehicle industry has been invited to contribute to a consultation on how Traffic Commissioners deal with the conduct of professional truck, bus and coach drivers. The consultation was launched on 13 July 2015 by Beverley Bell, the Senior Traffic Commissioner. Traffic Commissioners are responsible for regulating drivers who apply for a vocational licence and existing licence holders who’ve been reported because of their conduct. The eight week consultation invites views on proposed revisions to the STC’s Statutory Document on Vocational Driver Conduct and forms part of the traffic commissioners’ key strategic objectives for 2014/15 – to review and modernise the regulation of lorry, bus and coach drivers. The Senior Traffic Commissioner wants to hear from drivers, Transport Managers and Transport Operators on any part of the guidance, but the key areas are:

• the decisions that commissioners make
• what action is taken against drivers
• issues that can be dealt with by staff working for commissioners
• serious offending
• disqualifications
• case studies
• how to communicate the guidance to professional drivers

Launching the consultation, Senior Traffic Commissioner, Beverley Bell said: “Professional drivers carry out the frequently challenging work of transporting goods or passengers across Great Britain and on the continent. “This consultation is a key part of our work around the regulation of those drivers. I therefore encourage the industry, stakeholders, safety groups and other interested parties to respond and help inform how traffic commissioners deal with the conduct of professional drivers.” The consultation is open until 7 September 2015 and you can read the consultation and relevant documents here. Responses to the consultation can be submitted by email to sstcconsultations@otc.gsi.gov.uk