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Change happe
Page 26
Page 27
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Philip Brown shares his thoughts on his time so far as Senior Traffic Commissioner — and on the challenges that still lie ahead. Louise Cole reports.
An operator sits, gripping the arms of his chair. The Traffic Commissioner has just told us why, by law, he cannot allow the man to keep his 0-licence after he operated without a transport manager for two years and neglected his maintenance. It is an inevitable verdict, yet this is clearly a man who — despite his mistakes — has worked hard and tried hard.
But then Senior TC Philip Brown postpones the revocation, allowing the man to reapply.He gives him a second chance.
Road transport professionals may not realise the difficulties of being the person passing judgement on drivers and operators, perhaps depriving them of their livelihoods.
Once inside the TC's office, task Brown how he copes.
"Well, it's not always quite like today," he admits. "I've got no idea what to expect when I walk in. I know the issues, but not the reaction I'll get from the individual. You just have to think on your feet."
Today's case was a good point. "1 felt I'd made a difference and he's got the message. Complying with the rules is mandatory; it's not an optional extra."
The TCs' job is to protect road safety not punish the guilty, and this helps to strengthen their resolve. "The road safety message is a positive one and that's what we're here to do," he says.
Brown has led the TCs through some interesting times — including the civil service squeeze on the Department for Transport and the resulting Vosa efficiency drives, which have led to the centralising of 0-licensing functions at Leeds. The TCs have had to learn a new way of working now that Vosa staff are at a distance rather than down the corridor in Bristol.
"The centralisation of licensing administration in Leeds was always going to have wrinkles to be ironed out and things arising that one hadn't thought of. But the TCs, Vosa and the DFT have come to an accord," Brown says.
Voicing concern
Some of Brown's colleagues, in particular TC Christopher Heaps who retired recently from the South-Eastern area and whom Brown is replacing, have been vocal about their concerns. However,Brown believes that once the systems are in place, any problems will be resolved. He is determinedly positive about the move, while acknowledging that it is easy for change to be mishandled.
"Change management is an art as well as a science. You can accept the principle of the need for change, but you can't change effectively unless you have the resources and sufficient people of sufficient calibre."
This process has been "hugely affected by the efficiency reforms that translated into headcount cuts. Without that it, would have been more effective, efficient, quicker. We could have made changes more smoothly," Brown says.
"But I believe that we can all move forward. I've always believed, if we are allowed to, in a spirit of co-operation." Positive as the message is."if we are allowed to" hints at the difficulties of interagency projects.
On a practical level, some of the problems of not being able to pop down the corridor to speak to a colleague are being resolved by technology. Brown is learning Lows Notes. which allows cases to pop up in his e-mail inbox "it's brilliant" and Vosa is implementing video con ferencing technology to enable faceto-face meetings to be held remotely.
Brown and his team are committed to road safety and it is this that encourages him to resolve any difficulties that may affect the functioning of the TCs offices, "I just need the tools to do my job well. I always want to improve the way I do my job and to be a positive voice within my area of specialism.
"We're all supposed to have the same objective, which is road safety," he says.
Unfortunately, a number of operators still don't understand the simple and pressing need for road safety. "Everybody signs up to the obligations, but for some it's not at the forefront of their minds.'" Some, he feels, choose to try to beat the system, rather than work within it. "There is a culture comprising people who would be excellent operators if they chose to comply," Brown explains.
Serious consequences Sadly, many operators fail to understand the enormity of their errors, even when their licence is taken away. "They understand the consequences to themselves rather than the possible consequences to the public."
There is a genuine feeling that Brown and his team see themselves as public servants. During the interview he answers the phone to North-Western TC Beverley Bell, who was supposed to be on holiday hut was driving to an inquiry in another area; the retirements of Christopher Heaps and David Dixon left the TCs temporarily short-handed (although the positions are now filled). "That's the kind of dedication you get here," he says. "We're all covering each other's patches at the moment."
Brown feels that operators carry a heavy and necessary burden,but one that could be shared, perhaps by those that service the industry the garages responsible for maintenance and the agencies that dole out drivers are not legally liable under 0-licensing regulations. "There is maybe a place for such regulation, but I wouldn't want to create another layer of bureaucracy," he adds.
So what would Brown say to Commercial Motor readers? -The message I'd like to get across is that we are very aware of the competitive tensions and challenges that the government and the industry are facing.! want safer roads and an efficient industry."