Meeting with IRU President Christian Labrot in Berlin, Minister Andreas Scheuer said: “We look forward to joining forces with IRU, and the global road transport sector, in order to find solutions to some of the biggest collective challenges facing mobility and logistics, including climate change, digitalisation and driver shortage.”

The next IRU World Congress will take place in one year, and will include an interactive programme, masterclasses, a ministerial-CEO dialogue, an innovation exhibition and a global competition for young start-up firms. 

Under the theme ‘Intelligence on the move’, it will bring together more than 1,000 senior figures from business, government, academia and international organisations from across the globe. 

Christian Labrot, IRU President, commented: “As an important transport and innovation hub in the heart of Europe, Berlin is the perfect place for our next IRU World Congress, especially given IRU’s long history in Germany, helping drive road transport standards and innovation for both people and goods.”

The congress will review the latest developments in – and potential of – innovation in artificial intelligence, low and zero carbon fuels, connected transport, automated vehicles and smart city networks, focusing on how transport operators and their clients can use and benefit from new technology, as well as how business and regulators should work together more effectively.