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trailer world issue One 2008

160 haulage companies came to the 8th Wiehl Forum to address the topic of “Human Beings as the Key Factor” in logistics.

16 Issue One 2008 Dr. Bert Brauers, Head of Sales at BPW Bergische Achsen, hit the nail on the head: „Trailers, trucks and steel are be- coming scarcer than ever, but the scarcest resource at the moment is truck drivers.“ In doing so, he also summed up the slogan for the 8th Wiehl Forum, namely “Com- plex Logistics – Human Beings as the Key Factor”. Mr. Brauers and Uwe Kotz, Manag- ing Partner of BPW, welcomed representa- tives from about 160 haulage and trans- port companies to Wiehl last November. This was a record attendance for the tra- ditional customer event organised by the axle manufacturer based in the Bergisches Land region of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. Those present included Michael Kubenz, President of the German Haul- age and Logistics Association (Deutscher Speditions- und Logistikverband, DSLV) and Klaus-Peter Röskes, Vice President of the German Goods Traffic, Logistics and Waste Disposal Association (Bun- desverband Güterverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung, BGL. Attracting drivers to the industry and training them also represented key topics at the Wiehl Forum. The working time directive that came into force in April 2006 is itself re- sponsible for presenting Germany‘s transport companies with a demand for almost 50,000 extra drivers, estimates Mr. Kubenz. The problem is not likely to go away. Quite the reverse. “The average age is rising,” observed Klaus-Peter Röskes, sounding the alarm. “30 percent of drivers currently at the wheel will be leaving the industry over the next few years,”confirmedWernerGockeln,Managing Director of the German Road Traffic Asso- 100,000 driver vacancies soon 30 percent of Germany‘s profes- sional drivers will be retiring in the next few years and not enough drivers are being recruited to fill their places. At the Wiehl Forum, representatives from 160 haulage companies met to discuss ways out of the dilemma. Campaign FAC THEDRIVER Full house at BPW: No empty chairs in the conference room. Photos:BPW

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