IRU Secretary General, Umberto de Pretto;

“TWO IMPORTANT STRENGTHS IN INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICS IN THE COMING YEARS; DECARBON AND DIGITALIZATION”

  “TRUCKING RIG IS THE EASY AND RELIABLE WAY TO TRANSFER GOODS OVER MORE THAN INTERNATIONAL BORDER”

“DIGITALIZATION OF TIR WILL BRING SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGES TO SHIPPERS”

In this context, as My Truck Magazine, we talked with the Secretary General of the International Road Transport Association (IRU) Umberto de Pretto about the activities of the IRU, the development of the sector, the reflections of the pandemic process on the sector, digitalization and green logistics studies. You can read in our news.

Members of IRU, which is an umbrella organization with more than 170 members in 80 countries of the world, provide services in both passenger and goods transportation. IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto also states that together with the transport companies and the member organizations representing these companies, the IRU serves as the voice of more than 3.5 million companies on a global scale. Speaking about IRU's fields of activity, Pretto said that; “Having many members in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Oceania and the Middle East, IRU operates in Turkey within the scope of the Trucking Rig System in cooperation with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, which has been a member since 1965. It acts together with UND and TOBBUND, its other member organizations in Turkey, as well as TOBB, for the solution of global problems that will include Turkish transporters and the construction of a healthier future.”

“IRU Seeks Solutions for Insufficient Drivers Available and Improved Driver Conditions”

Noting that IRU carries out a wide range of activities on behalf of its members to shape passenger and freight road transport and ultimately connect communities with safe, efficient and green logistics, Pretto continued his words by saying that; “IRU carries out a wide range of long-term projects to the benefit of the road transport industry and advocates for the interests of the road transport industry, such as digitization and carbon neutral transport, raising safety, vehicle and operating standards. In addition, the IRU is also seeking solutions to the problems faced by the industry, such as the shortage of available drivers, improving driver conditions and COVID restrictions affecting cross-border transport. In this context, it takes initiatives on both national and international scales and acts to the benefit of the sector.”

“IRU Academy Certifies Thousands of Drivers Every Year”

Expressing that the role of the driver is becoming more diverse every day, Pretto said that non-driving skills such as safe loading and securing of goods, route planning and use of safety equipment; points out that it can have a greater impact on safety, performance and efficiency than driving itself. Stating that they also provide training programs for correct transportation practices, Pretto said that;  “The IRU Academy certifies thousands of drivers and professionals working in transportation companies every year. With our training partners, IRU offers training programs to ensure better safety, efficiency and environmental sustainability.”

“One of Turkey's Leading Companies, Netlog, Chose IRU Roadmasters Platform”

Stating that IRU offers an online solution called RoadMasters for companies that measure all elements of driver competence, Pretto states that RoadMasters provides transportation companies with the opportunity to comprehensively report very critical information at the driver, department and company level, while also revealing the possible risks facing companies. Pretto continued his speech as follows: “Within the scope of the program, the knowledge and skill gaps of the drivers are presented in detail, and the companies are given the opportunity to minimize their risks and related costs by acting proactively. In addition, it is possible to prevent possible undesirable situations such as accidents, fines, additional maintenance expenses that may occur in the future. IRU RoadMasters helps companies hire the right driver. Again, within the scope of the program, the drivers employed or to be employed by the companies are provided with the opportunity to prove their efforts for safety, efficiency and service quality. Netlog, one of the leading companies in Turkey, has chosen the IRU RoadMasters platform to increase the efficiency of drivers and to develop driver talent management with a data-driven approach by gaining the opportunity to foresee possible risks and started to provide benefits in internal evaluation of drivers within the scope of the program. ”

“Trucking Rig is the Easiest and Most Reliable Way to Cross Goods across Multiple International Borders"

Stating that they work in close cooperation with the United Nations, Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, ECO, TRACECA, BSEC and European Union bodies in IRU initiatives carried out on a global scale, Pretto said that; “IRU also plays an important role in facilitating trade in the management of the truck system, which is the only global transit system in the world. While the trucking rig ensures the shipment of goods from a country of origin to the country of destination via a multilateral, mutually recognized system of closed cargo units controlled by customs, the TIR, supported by the United Nations Convention, is the easiest and most reliable way to move goods across multiple international borders. ”

“One of Our Expectations for Turkey to be Involved in Pilot Projects”

Pointing out that digitalization is one of the most important activities of IRU in truck transports for Turkey and surrounding countries, Pretto also touches on the digital transports that will start between Turkey and Iran. Pretto quotes the following on the subject: “Finally, with the agreement reached between Turkey and Iran, the start of digital truck transportation between the two countries will be an important development especially for Turkish and Iranian transporters. The digitalization of TIR, which will bring great convenience and cost reduction regarding the operation of the truck system, will bring significant advantages to the transporters. In all of the studies carried out for the digitization of the TIR system in the geography from Turkey to China, the transporters have gained significant advantages in terms of cost and time, and this issue has been clearly demonstrated in the pilot transports. As IRU, it is one of our expectations for Turkey to be included in these pilot projects, and Turkish transporters will benefit from these opportunities, which will enable them to gain cost and time advantages today.”

“Benefits such as Cost Reduction and Transit Time Advantage Provided by the TIR System Also Concern Turkish Transporters”

Emphasizing that they, as the IRU, support the eTIR studies carried out within the United Nations, Pretto underlines that it would be beneficial for the transporters to enable digital TIR transports from today. While talking about the developments regarding Turkey's neighboring countries and where it carries out logistics activities, Pretto said: “Another development that closely concerns Turkey is the work carried out by Iraq to become a party to the TIR system. The great benefits such as Egypt's being a party to the TIR system, the cost reduction and transit time advantage provided by the TIR system in Central Asia, the Middle East and the Gulf countries are of great interest to Turkish transporters.

“International Transport Forum Projects Road Transport to Double Globally Between Today and 2050”

Despite the difficulties faced by many road transporters due to the pandemic, Pretto states that they are optimistic about the future of the international logistics market. Stating that the long-term growth forecasts are still positive, although not as strong as before the pandemic, Pretto stated that the International Transport Forum predicts that road transport will double globally between today and 2050, and said: "While the pandemic accelerates the transitions between modes, brought road transport to the fore at many points, and it also affected supply chain trends. Two other major drivers of international logistics in the coming years are decarbonisation and digitalisation. While there is already a focus on sustainable logistics in supply chains (alternative fuels, fuel and energy infrastructure, powertrain and next-generation technologies, route management and storage) this will continue in the future.”

“Data Security and Data Governance Will Also Direct Our Activities as Critical Issues”

Emphasizing that digitalization is one of the important issues in logistics in the future, and stating that IRU is actively working on digitalization, Pretto said: “With the continued growth in digital operations and digital platforms, 'big data' stands before us as an important reality, while data security and data governance are also important. will guide our activities as critical issues. While data governance, digitalization, automation, international standards and cross-border cooperation are elements that should be evaluated, IRU works very actively on these issues. While there are very important developments especially in the digitalization of the TIR system, IRU's work on this issue and its close cooperation with countries bring both operational convenience and cost advantage to transport companies.

“Immediate Completion of Projects such as eTIR Will Gain Great Momentum to the Logistics Sector”

Pointing out that the most important need is digitalization during the pandemic period, Pretto points out that the acceleration of the ongoing work within the scope of the need for digitalization with the effect of the pandemic will also have important consequences. Pretto said: “Road transport sees significant regional differences in the pace of recovery, depending on the resilience of the sector, the overall economy in the region, and how severe the pandemic has had there. Larger and wealthier economies tend to recover faster than smaller and less developed countries. The most important fact achieved in this process is the need for digitalization. The fact that the ongoing work within the scope of the need for digitalization has been accelerated with the effect of the pandemic will also bring significant benefits for the future of the sector. The prompt completion of projects such as eTIR, which will reduce costs and significantly eliminate the workload, will accelerate the logistics industry.”

“IRU Continues Initiatives To Make Transportation Systems More Resistant To External Shocks Like The Pandemic”

Emphasizing that the logistics industry had the opportunity to become more resilient to external shocks with the pandemic, Pretto said: “IRU participates in political work with international organizations and continues its initiatives in order to make transportation systems more resilient against external shocks such as pandemics. In order for the industry to survive, the IRU has made and continues to make intensive attempts to pursue policies that will not interrupt the transportation services offered by the companies. It is among the positive opportunities of the pandemic that governments increase their decarbonization efforts by linking COVID rescue packages to green and sustainable investments, and that the transition to green logistics will be accelerated with the incentives to be provided.”

“IRU Welcomes Green Deal”

Making statements about the transition to green logistics, which he considers as one of the positive opportunities that came with the pandemic period, Pretto stated that they welcome the "Green Consensus" that will guide the green logistics practices in Europe, especially the IRU's 2050 carbon neutral target across the EU. Pretto said: “The first foresight under the laws and regulations that will change under the Green Deal will be decisions on fleet investment over a 10-year term. There are rapid gains, such as the cross-border use of high-capacity vehicles and the use of mass mobility services instead of passenger cars. In addition, the IRU is acting for the benefit of the industry within a few key elements of the EU Green Deal and the recently announced '55 Compliance' proposals focused on reducing emissions by 55 percent by 2030.”

“We Support the Decarbonization of Heavy Vehicle Transportation and the Improvement of Infrastructure Works”

Continuing his words by emphasizing that they support the decarbonization of transportation and infrastructure works in logistics, Pretto said: “In terms of intermodal transition and intermodal cooperation policies, instead of a top-down mode transition of the EU, it will increase cooperation between transporters serving in different modes by considering energy resources and regional differences. We think that it should aim to reduce the CO2 rate in this way. In this regard, IRU wants to focus on innovation to establish faster, greener and more profitable connections between transport modes. We believe that the cooperation between the modes should be encouraged and the road fees should be transferred to innovative projects in road transport. Regarding the EU's recently announced 'Harmonization with 55' measures, we, as IRU, support the works such as decarbonization of long-distance heavy vehicle transportation, improvement of infrastructure works and increasing the number of electric vehicle stations on a general scale. However, we are also concerned about the expansion of emissions trading schemes to include commercial road transport. If all these plans are combined with new energy taxes based on energy and CO2 performance, they can significantly increase the costs of carriers, which can significantly increase the transportation costs of service parties.”

“Green Principles Is A Roadmap to Inspire and Guide Cooperation”

Referring to the activities of IRU in terms of green logistics, Pretto states that they have initiated the 'Green Principles Agreement' to realize carbon-neutral commercial road transport by 2050. Pretto said: “The Green Compact is a commitment made by IRU members and the commercial road transport industry, a roadmap to inspire and guide collaboration. The Green Principles include actions from industry and governments on new technologies and infrastructures, changing operational practices, and developing better collective services for clients.”