5) Beverley Bell, Senior Traffic Commissioner
Bell has continued to champion the independence of the TCs and has rarely stayed out of the headlines. Make no bones about it, Bell knows her status and power in the industry and is not afraid to use.
Last year she had no qualms about taking a swipe at Vosa for, in her words, not doing enough to target the "tough hard core of highly non-compliant operators".
In April, speaking before the Transport Select Committee as part of its inquiry into the organisation's work, she raised eyebrows with her comments on the number of Vosa-led prosecutions being seen by all TCs.
“Where are the drivers’ hours referrals?” was the rally cry. “Where are the serious investigations?"
Bell lambasted Vosa for targeting the “soft underbelly of the nice, but incompetent, small operators” adding that it is “much more difficult to target the tough hard core of highly non-compliant operators, who show a total disregard for road safety".
Criticising Vosa in such a public and personal way was done from a position of strength. As Alastair Peoples gets to grips with the creation of the DVSA, these words will be at the forefront of his mind.
