At a recent meeting held at IRU in Geneva, US and global trucking industry stakeholders compared and addressed solutions to key challenges undermining road goods transport operations.
The challenges facing the US trucking sector are similar to those found in other regions: chronic driver shortages, overly ambitious decarbonisation targets, inefficient driver training, lack of secure parking, among others.
These are the issues that representatives from IRU, the US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the International Labour Organization, and IRU member the American Trucking Associations debated at a recent event in Geneva.
IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto, who gave the opening remarks, said, “The US trucking sector is facing the same challenges, such as chronic driver shortages and a lack of enabling conditions to meet decarbonisation targets, that IRU and its members are working on around the world.”
“It only makes sense that we explore solutions to these challenges together. Often, the solutions are not too different, despite regional specificities,” he added.
The objective of the meeting was to foster international collaboration and knowledge sharing among key trucking actors.
By leveraging the expertise and perspectives of each organisation present, the meeting facilitated dialogue, fostered mutual understanding, and paved the way for collective action towards a safer, more efficient and greener trucking sector.
The event also presented an opportunity for FMCSA to enhance its global exposure and engagement with international research and regulatory initiatives.
Next steps include sharing information and data on training programmes and younger commercial driver initiatives, as well as best practices and actions to decarbonise the trucking industry with available measures that can be implemented right now.