Changing the Perception: How the #onetruckfamily is Addressing Vital Industry Topics
ETRA's #onetruckfamily continues with event at Circuit Zolder, Belgium
The #onetruckfamily campaign conceived by the European Truck Racing Association and embraced by some partners of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship held its latest industry awareness event at Circuit Zolder last weekend.
Belgium and indeed all Benelux countries are an important artery and source for transportation and haulage, so it was a vital event for the public and the industry to be highlighted by the campaign.
The guests this weekend were Luc Haverbeke, Fernando Kuypers and Paul Doppenberg who were welcomed by ETRA as guests of the official campaign.
They were given special access to the inside machinations of the FIA ETRC paddock and got insights in to the running of the event from race control to the official timing service.
Europe is an expansive network continent where support infrastructures and links via EU countries is vital for goods to be transported efficiently.
Three quarters of EU freight is transported over roads. When looking at inland freight transport, freight by road (74.9 %) was more than four times as high as the share transported by rail (18.2 %) while inland waterways accounted for 6.9%
Annually around 1.7 trillion tonne-kilometres of freight are moved by road per year in the EU and it is expected that this number will raise during the coming years.
Most of this freight is domestic freight, meaning that the shipment start and ends within the borders of the same country. Around two-thirds of road freight is domestic while the other one-third is international road freight.
Of the EU’s 28 member states, most of the road freight is hauled in relatively few countries.
Seven countries together – Germany, Poland, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, and the Netherlands – represent nearly three-quarters of the EU’s road freight transport in terms of total tonne-kilometres. The FIA ETRC hosts races in four of these countries which represents 50% of the annual race calendar.
The remaining 21 member states are responsible for just 27% of the tonne-kilometres from road freight transport (source: European Commission 2015).
Some of the key challenges facing truck companies and truck drivers is a feeling of indifference or even hostility from some aspects of society.
“I decided to be part of the campaign because I believe that this is a way to really engage with the drivers and also increase our crews, as there has been a lack of drivers in recent years,” said transport logistics owner Sven Walter.
Walter, who also runs a team in the FIA ETRC – Don’t Touch Racing, believes that motorsport and the transport industry can work symbiotically to bring more positive attitudes.
“Less and less people want to work in this profession and I believe that bringing motorsport and the job as truck driver together can be a good solution.”
The next stop off for the #onetruckfamily campaign will be at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit in France on September 28/29.
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