Putting road transport back on the map

The conference remains a place where the big issues are not only discussed and debated, but it also acts as a catalyst for change.

HRH The Princess Royal has accepted an invitation to deliver a keynote speech at the conference representing international development charity Transaid. The Princess is Patron of the charity which is striving to raise driving standards and road safety in sub-Saharan Africa.

Gary Forster, chief executive of Transaid, said: “We are delighted that Her Royal Highness accepted the invitation. We want to build a world where transport contributes fully to a better quality of life and is accessible to all. The support we receive from the UK transport industry is essential to achieving our aims.”

Speaker line-up
The conference will once again be chaired by Quentin Willson, one of Britain’s best-known motoring journalists.
Newly appointed as chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), Kevin Richardson is looking forward to speaking to delegates about his vision for the CILT and some of the key issues facing the logistics and transport industry. Kevin’s career includes being European development director for XPO Logistics and Norbert Dentrassangle and 20 years at TDG Plc, so he appreciates the challenges operators face.

Kevin commented: “Road transport is essential to so many day-to-day activities and is integral to the future prosperity of the UK. I am looking forward to speaking at the conference.”  

Glen Davies is Transport for London’s (TfL)fleet programme manager responsible for the management and development of the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, the Construction Logistics and Cycle Safety Scheme and the newly-unveiled LoCITY scheme for ultra-low emissions vehicles. He has over 30 years’ experience as an operator in the transport and logistics sector and will be talking about how TfL’s future strategy will ensure that the logistics industry can sustainably serve London’s growing economy and population.  

The police play a vital role in making our road networks safe and delegates will hear from Paul Keasey, of the Central Motorway Police Group, on how the police work to make the strategic road network safer by tackling issues such as criminal activity, speeding, alcohol and distraction; and how the police work with other organisations to improve standards. Keasey is directly responsible for the security and safety of over 400 miles of the strategic road network and his responsibilities include the direct governance of overt and covert operations within the motorway environment, the forensic reconstruction and investigation of serious road traffic collisions, and the leadership of a dedicated regional intelligence unit. He is also the UK representative on the TISPOL European Traffic Police Network.

Attracting women into the transport and logistics industry is an ongoing challenge, whether it’s drivers or managers.

We’ve asked Lesley O’Brien, a partner at Freightlink Europe and Freight Train to give delegates the benefit of her experience. Lesley is also a Road Haulage Association Board member and responsible for the She’s RHA initiative which aims to encourage more women into the profession, supporting, mentoring and empowering them.

Nick Hay, managing director of Fowler Welch, will talk about how his company has added value to its customers through a number of supply chain collaborations including a carbon reduction project that has reduced CO2 and a joint-venture packing operation in Kent. One third of the Fowler Welch fleet is now Euro 6 and, with its 640 trailers, it provides ambient and temperature controlled supply chain services for major brands.

Panel discussions
Microlise panel discussions are one of the cornerstones of the conference and for 2016, we have organised two debates.  

In the first, we address the key issues of driver recruitment. With estimates putting the driver shortage at anywhere between 40,000 and 60,000, we ask our panel whether the industry is doing all it can to address this issue? Are there untapped sources of potential recruits out there? We will hear from operators on how they are taking practical action to address the resource requirements of their businesses and from various industry organisations on supporting people into a HGV driving career and identifying the talent pools out there.

In the second panel, we have lined up a panel of truck manufacturers and operators to look ahead to Road Transport in the year 2020 and beyond. The panel will look at the state of the industry now and the likely demands in the years ahead from both the perspective of truck manufacturers and transport operators, exploring the key issues that are likely to impact the industry over the coming years – expect a lively discussion.

Microlise Driver of the Year awards
There’ll be an air of expectancy in the conference hall late morning, as we announce the winner of the Microlise Driver of the Year. The award is acknowledged as being one of the toughest to win because our judging panel review the entries anonymous telematics data analysed by the University of Nottingham’s Advanced Data Analytics Centre.  

It’s a rigorous process. Data is gathered and analysed from over 100,000 drivers engaging with Microlise telematics solutions.

Drivers are selected on the basis of at least ten journeys across each quarter and a minimum of 5,000 miles total driving. This data is then assessed against a range of criteria, such as harsh braking, over revving and speeding.

Questionnaires completed by the employers of each driver on the initial shortlist help to provide further evidence and indicators that might contribute to a driver being named as a winner.

We’ll also be announcing our other driver awards – Young Driver of the Year, Most Improved Driver of the Year, HGV Hero and Lifetime Achievement award.

Workshop programme
To help you get the most out of the day, alongside the main conference platform, there are a series of workshops designed to raised awareness and suggest solutions to some of the challenges facing operators today. They start at 7:30 a.m. prior to the main conference and there is another series in the afternoon after our panel discussions giving maximum opportunity to catch the ones of most interest.

This Road Haulage Association-sponsored workshop will focus on risk and accident management and compliance.

Motor Transport will be hosting a workshop on FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, and a second one on workforce management.

Meanwhile Microlise will be offering a series of short presentations ranging from advice on how to manage change in your business to news about our product roadmap.

Exhibition
With a 4,000 square metre exhibition space at the Microlise Transport Conference, including stands from gold sponsors DAF Trucks and MAN Truck and Bus UK, there’s also a wide variety of suppliers, transport operators, truck manufacturers and trade associations to meet.

Further Information 
microliseconference.com