Newsroom

As the EU grapples with an ageing workforce, IRU made the case for tapping third-country drivers to help ease growing shortages at the recent THAMM Plus event in Tunis, Tunisia.

IRU outlined its road transport sector reform methodology, tools and results to transport professionals from across Africa this week in Benin.

At a key FIA event during the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, IRU stressed the need to better support road transport companies in enhancing standards.

Decarbonising road transport and developing the necessary skills took centre stage at this week’s Green Impact Expo & Summit in Morocco, where IRU laid out actionable strategies for a sustainable, skilled future in mobility.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) trainers are now equipped to pass on vital defensive driving knowledge and skills to their drivers and subcontractors in Uganda and Tanzania, enhancing the safety of humanitarian missions.

The transport of dangerous goods presents significant risks if not managed properly. The League of Arab States has now approved a joint proposition, made by IRU, to harmonise procedures across the Arab region.

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.

Safety is at the heart of our work. For decades, we, together with our members, have worked to make road transport safer for everyone, including for drivers operating vital life-saving services.

To reduce road accidents in Cameroon, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, IRU is providing a comprehensive defensive driver training framework to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

With a fleet of 70 tanker trucks, IRU New Industry Shaper Balai Sakho, the Director General of Senegalese company “Transports Ibrahima Sakho”, is driven by an unwavering commitment to quality and a personal relationship with the sector.

After assessing Benin’s driving licence system and road safety protocols, IRU, the world road transport organisation, has devised a series of recommendations to improve safety and overall traffic efficiency.

IRU’s Secretary General has outlined solutions to key challenges facing the road transport sector at the global road transport trade union conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Starting with the Covid-19 pandemic, several crises have struck the road transport industry in recent years, leading to supply chain instabilities and exacerbating other long-standing challenges, such as excessive border queues.

The Parliament of Togo has unanimously endorsed a new transport law developed by IRU with the support of the World Bank. IRU, drawing on its global expertise, advised the Togolese government, transport operators and professional organisations on revamping the transport sector and improving its operation. These efforts, which were initiated in 2020 and supported by the World Bank, culminated into a new transport law adopted by the Parliament of Togo.

African states are taking the necessary steps needed to improve regional trade, but more obstacles remain ahead. IRU and regional actors discussed proven UN solutions to transport and trade challenges facing the continent.

IRU and South Africa’s Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA) explore cooperation to boost passenger and goods transport across Southern Africa.

IRU’s President Radu Dinescu has outlined key road transport operator challenges to the International Road Federation’s annual conference in Morocco.

IRU has helped international partners run a training workshop on trade and transport digitalisation tools eTIR and eCMR for Sub Saharan Africa, in Casablanca, Morocco.

IRU has presented to Togo’s Ministry of Transport the results of a three-year project to formalise and professionalise the country’s road transport sector. 

Leading European bus and coach operator ALSA has decided to rollout the IRU RoadMasters solution across its entire network. The company is deploying the programme in Morocco first; Spain will follow shortly.

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto met with Geneva-based ambassadors of landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) yesterday to discuss how to lessen the impact of the pandemic.

With the backing of the World Bank, IRU has been working to support an in-depth reform of road transport in Togo, leading a project that will continue until 2022.

Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country and one of its largest economies, has become the 77th country to accede to the United Nations TIR Convention.

IRU is guiding efforts to formalise and professionalise the road transport industry in Togo through the creation of a national road transport federation.

With the support of the World Bank, IRU has delivered the third phase of a five-part road transport reform project in Togo.

IRU pledges to cut the cost and time of trade in Southern Africa On the sidelines of the World Congress held in Muscat, IRU signed a memorandum of understanding with South Africa’s Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (C-BRTA), to reduce barriers to trade in Southern Africa.

Alagu Balaraman, Partner and Managing Director of Indian Operations at CGN Global, highlights the critical drivers of change in logistics. He warns the industry to stay ahead of the curve so not to lose out on the opportunities.

No more running on empty How a smart, connected platform assists trade, integration and the environment. CEO of EmptyTrips, Benji Coetzee, talks about how her digital company tackles the issue of empty trucks and wasted journeys on South Africa’s roads. From humble beginnings and with vast ambitions, this first online transport marketplace connecting transporters, brokers and shippers is a game-changer in the logistics and goods transport business. 

Bringing road transport up to speed Will Petty, leading IRU’s work to professionalise the road transport sector in Africa, looks at the wide-reaching benefits of safer, more efficient, more sustainable road transport services as a means to drive economies in the right direction.

IRU World Congress regional takeaways: East Africa In the run-up to the IRU World Congress, we talk to FEAFFA’s John Mathenge and Wanja Kiragu from the East Africa Online Transport Agency, to hear about their expectations for the event and how it might benefit their members and the wider road transport industry of the East African region.

Increased training, the deployment of new technologies and a coherent regulatory environment are the life-saving elements required to reduce the number of traffic accidents in Africa. 

IRU organised a workshop with the World Customs Organization, Africa Transport Policy Programme (hosted by the World Bank), and the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation, gathering representatives from the public and private sectors in Cotonou, Benin, to discuss efficient and effective transit regimes for the region.

South Africa maps the road to TIR South African government representatives are meeting with IRU this week to establish a concrete roadmap for implementing TIR to boost the efficiency of international road transport in Southern Africa, and to put in place modern frameworks for regulating access to the regional transport market.

IRU called for greater use of more flexible, straightforward customs procedures to reduce the burden of transit costs on small and medium-sized (SME) operators. 

Presenting at African Ports Evolution 2017 in Durban today, IRU highlights the role of internationally harmonised transit systems in offering highly effective tools to boost trade across all transport modes.

The implementation of new regulations on national customs seals in Zimbabwe is causing significant and costly delays at borders, with trucks waiting for up to five days. A multilateral, mutual recognition transit system would avoid the need for restrictive national procedures.