Voices of reason
Page 20
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The Transport Tribunal has vacancies for three transport specialists. Could you be one of them?
Words: John Robinson About once every 10 years a new member of the Transport Tribunal is appointed. The opportunity has now arisen for three new members (CM 9 June), and interested CM readers with specialist knowledge should get in touch.
The decisions can have serious implications – businesses can be closed if they are not meeting the standards of the regulatory regime, and the appeals that come to the tribunal often concern safety issues.
One of the reasons the tribunal has a good reputation is because transport experts work within it to provide the technical expertise and background knowledge.
I was selected in 2002. I had stood down as MD of Imperial Tankers and wanted to retain an involvement in the road transport industry, alongside consulting work.
There are six transport members and six judges in the tribunal, and we hear cases in London and Glasgow. On average you sit once a month. We work as a panel of three, consisting of one judge and two transport members. Some members have been involved in road freight, others in passenger transport.
The work of the tribunal mostly involves O-licensing. Decisions by Trafic Commissioners (TCs) on O-licences – for example to refuse, modify or remove them – may lead to appeals heard by the tribunal. We look over the evidence and written decisions in advance, ask questions during the appeal, and then contribute to the decisions afterwards, to ensure they are clear to people who read them.
A fulfilling job role
Members need knowledge of the road transport industry and must have been practitioners within it. You are helping to make the decision by evaluating the evidence from an operator’s technical perspective, for example looking at arrangements for maintenance and monitoring drivers’ hours.
We also handle appeals relating to the licensing of driving instructors. The Driving Standards Agency grants the licences, and can revoke or modify them – if someone failed the periodic competence test, for example.
There are three planned retirements for which new transport members are being selected to ill.
The Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) is running the selection process, which will involve completing an application form and having an interview.
It could be another decade until the next opportunity to get involved in this tribunal comes along – so I would suggest that you don’t dither about applying!
The JAC will be seeking applications for Fee-paid Specialist Members of the Upper Tribunal, Administrative Appeals Chamber and Transport Tribunal from 13 July. ■