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A World Driver of the Year?
Page 84
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IRU TO AWARD PRIZES Aa contribution to the world-wide problem of road safety, the IRU is planning to award prizes for professional passenger and goods drivers. Announcing this last week at the concluding session of the IRU's first London Congress, Mr. K. C. Turner, immediate past-president of the TRTA, and now IRU president, said the rules of the competition had yet to be agreed but the basic idea of the IRU road safety committee was to present awards to drivers who had distinguished themselves by their behaviour towards third parties, or had contributed signally to road safety, or whose actions had been personally heroic in the context of their normal driving duties.
At the subsequent Press conference, I asked Mr. Turner if he thought the various national commercial-driver competitions could play any useful part in nominating drivers for the projected IRU awards. Mr. Turner said he thought this would help a lot as it would save the IRU a great deal of work, but Dr. Rolf Schober, chairman of the road safety committee of the organization, said his colleagues had not thought in terms of a competition. They had in mind to present awards to drivers who had shown excellent moral qualities.
Road safety was the first concern of the committee, said Dr. Schober. Many countries gave awards to drivers for the exercise of professional skill; they wished to recognize qualities of integrity and behaviour. Prize winners, he added, must be really worthy of commendation.
Questioned about the part to be played internationally by C-licensed operators (and their European equivalents) in carrying goods for third parties as back loads, Mr. Turner said the IRU took the same view as the TRTA in Britain. Both were convinced that "own account" operators should stay out of the professional haulage field.
At various times, said Mr. Turner, such as during the Suez crisis, real tests of the practicability of C-Licensed operators carrying return loads for third parties had been made, but the idea simply did not work. The Cmen were not basically interested in this type of operation. They were concerned with getting their own firm's work done for internal reasons. "We're not against it in principle; we just don't think there's anything in it." _ Mr. Lothar Raucamp said the professional haulier's rates were conditioned by the possibility of getting return loads. If traders on own account canvassed return loads it would vitally affect professiona! hauliers as well as the railways. Relations between the professional and C-licensed hauliers were not always easy, he said. Each must learn to respect the other's interests.
Healthy co-existence
When Mr. F. D. Masson, director of the Economic Commission for Europe, and representative of the United Nations, addressed the final conference session, he conveyed greetings from the secretary-general of the United Nations and from the executive secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe to the IRU delegates. Mr. Masson said he had known about the IRU for many years. Indeed, he was one of the few present who had known it when it was but a "twinkle in the eyes of its founders". He had always believed in the necessity for a healthy and economically sound co-existence of the modes of transport and the best way to achieve that was through the valid confrontation of the views of all interested parties. Whilst it was true that theoretical and administrative approaches should not be neglected in framing transport policies, practical considerations and sound business sense were no less necessary, and in this regard truly representative associations of carriers could be relied upon to play a full part.
In the 18 years of its life, Mr. Masson went on, the IRU had made a valuable contribution to the work of the Inland Transport committee of the UN Economic Commission for Europe. From its inception that committee had welcomed and encouraged the full participation of governmental and non-governmental international organizations concerned in or likely to be affected by its work.
After referring to activities concerned with the economic regulation of transport, Mr. Masson said there had been a number of meetings to discuss the opening of new international bus lines, though these meetings had not been very successful. A lot of work had also been done to avoid fiscal discrimination and unduly burdensome customs formalities at frontiers.
He stated that in the labour and social field a European agreement concerning the work of vehicle crews engaged in international road transport would probably operate shortly. Agreements had also been drawn up dealing with the international transport of dangerous and perishable goods, and work continued on technical questions relating to maximum weights and dimensions of vehicles and the interchangeability of tractors and trailers in international traffic.
Concluding, Mr. Masson said he suspected that it was not always easy to reconcile conflicting interests of IRU members but he was convinced that the strength and vitality If the organization was due to the fact that its members had the wisdom to set aside the questions that divided them and concentrate on those that united them. "By maintaining such unity", said Mr. Masson, "IRU will continue efficiently to contribute to the harmonious development of international road transport".
Overseas delegates
Earlier, the Congress was addressed by delegates from Australia. Canada and Japan. Mr. R. Rowe, representing the Australian Road Transport Federation, said his members had many problems in common with European operators. They faced unequal competition from railways and frequent government intervention with harsh regulations. The immense distances involved in Australia would seem strange to many delegates, he said. Their goods operators were organized in three sections to reflect this. Local and metropolitan operators within 50 miles formed one section; long-distance operators operating within six states over distances of 50 to 600 miles formed another section, and the inter-state hauliers, who could undertake journeys of from 50 to 3,000 miles were also separately organized.
Mr. Rowe said the iron ore developments in Western Australia involved major road haulage operations and hauls of 600 to 900 miles were commonplace. Australia used containers as successfully as any country, he said, and they had many roll-on /roll-off ships, as in Europe. He stressed that the closest possible collaboration was essential between shipping, port and transport operators, and he concluded with a criticism of the hostility sometimes shown to private road operators at discussions of the transport sectional committee of the International Labour Organization.
Mr. G. Gouin, president of Association Canadienne du Camionnage, said there were 7,000 road haulage firms in Canada offering every type of service. The country was larger than the USA and 42 times larger than Britain. Rail deficits and opposition to the closure of uneconomic railway lines were part of the Canadian scene. He concluded by urging all delegates to attend the Canadian Universal and International Exhibition at Montreal in 1967, in Canada's centenary year, which would be the largest world fair ever seen. The proceedings would include a large road-transport congress. "Canada, too, has a woman Minister of Transport", said Mr. Gouin. "I am glad to notice that the practice has extended to England."
Mr. R. Tagushi, of the Seino Transportation Co. and representing the Japanese Trucking Industry, said his country's Trucking Association's 20th anniversary was next year. They supported IRU policies and had many common problems, and particularly supported moves to increase maximum dimensions and weights. He hoped many delegates would visit Japan.