THE SESSION, led by the transport regulatory team at law firm Weightmans, follows a fictional operator through the fallout of a fatal reversing accident – and asks whether it can still be trusted to hold an operator’s licence.

The event is free to attend, with free lunch and free parking included, but seats in the session are limited and delegates are urged to register now.

The scenario centres on the fictional Redwood Distribution, a Midlands haulier running 75 vehicles and 85 trailers with around 120 staff. After three years of rapid growth, one of its vehicles reverses into a warehouse operative causing fatal injuries. The police and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation that follows finds that drivers had never received practical reversing training and that no banksman was required on customer sites.

Delegates will then see one incident escalate across several sets of proceedings; in the Crown Court, a coroner’s Prevention of Future Deaths report and, finally, a Public Inquiry called by the Traffic Commissioner. Along the way, the company’s own internal investigation is explored.

For warehouse occupiers, the value lies in seeing how quickly a single yard incident can put an entire business at risk. Delegates will examine whether the operator’s management systems and post-incident remedial action are enough to preserve its good repute. They will also consider the transport manager’s personal duty to exercise “continuous and effective management”. Possible outcomes range from no action or a formal warning up to curtailment, suspension or revocation of the licence and disqualification of the transport manager.

Attendees will leave with practical lessons for their own sites, from how near misses are reviewed and acted on to how internal investigations should be handled.

The session will be presented by three Weightmans specialists.

Sarah Jennings, road transport regulatory associate, regularly represents operators and transport managers at Traffic Commissioner Public Inquiries across the UK. She plays a central role in the firm’s training offer, including mock Public Inquiries and board-level briefings, and has helped develop Transport Manager Comply, a software-as-a-service compliance tool for operators. She speaks regularly at Logistics UK and CILT events and is an active member of Women in Transport.

James Harvey, transport regulatory solicitor, is based in Birmingham and advises hauliers, professional drivers and transport managers on operator licence compliance. He supports clients with audits, notifications to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner – including serious incidents such as bridge strikes – and DVSA prosecutions, and delivers compliance training and mock Public Inquiries.

Donna-Marie Helgeson, principal associate, joined Weightmans’ regulatory team in Leicester in August 2025. She specialises in health and safety and environmental law, advising businesses under investigation or facing prosecution by the HSE, the Environment Agency, local authorities and the police. She also conducts complex, legally privileged internal investigations for large corporates.

Tomorrow’s Warehouse Manchester takes place on Wednesday 30 September at Old Trafford Cricket Ground. With the event now just days away, operators should register today to guarantee a seat.

Register FREE here.