INTERNATIONAL
ANDSPECIALIZED TRANSPORT
■
MARCH 2015
43
European licenceplans
makesteadyprogress
A
mbitious plans from the European
Association of Abnormal Road
Transport and Mobile Cranes
(ESTA) to create a European Crane
Operator Licence (ECOL) are gathering
momentum. Experts close to the project,
however, warn that the complex work
might not be completed for another twoor
threeyears.
The latest progresswasdue tobe
discussed at theESTAMarchboard
meeting, as
IC
went topress. It is expected
tobe raised again at ESTA’sGeneral
Assembly inParis thisApril, during the
Intermat exhibition.
Workon the learningoutcomes– that
is,what craneoperatorsneed toknow–
has almost been completed.
The focuswill now shift todevising
trainingprogrammes thatwill have the
backingof theEuropeanQualification
Framework, theorganisation responsible
for overseeing the co-ordinationof
qualifications throughout Europe.
ESTA is alsoproposing to set up a
separategoverningbody to run the
licence scheme and isdrawingon the
experiences of similar initiatives in
theUSA andAustralia, organisedby the
NationalCommission for theCertification
ofCraneOperators (NCCCO) and the
Crane IndustryCouncil ofAustralia
(CICA), respectively.
TheECOL
project is being
overseenby a
special ESTA
workinggroup,
comprising
representatives from
eight countries.
Themovehas been
welcomedby the
overwhelming
majority among all of ESTA’s 18members.
Supporters believe that the licencewill
lead tohigher standards, improve site safety
andboost employment opportunities for
qualifiedoperators,making it easier for
them to findworkoutside theirhome
country. They also think itwill reduce
training and education costs andhelp
make theEuropean crane industrymore
competitive inglobalmarkets.
The licencewill supplement, rather than
supersede, existingnational qualifications
and is likely tobe set at ahigher
qualification level than currently exists
inmostmember states - so countering
the fear among some in the industry that
ECOL couldbecome a “lowest common
denominator”qualification.
“We stronglybelieve that there is a
real need tohaveone standard inEurope,
and that ECOLwill significantly raise
skills levels,” saidHaydnSteele, safety
and trainingmanager atUKESTAmember,
theConstructionPlant-hireAssociation,
andoneof the expertsdriving theproject.
Steele added, “There aremanyhurdles
toovercomeyet, andoperatorswith a
futureEuropean licencewill still need tobe
awareof local rules and regulations, but the
advantages of having everybody trained to
the samebenchmark aregreat.”
HaydnSteele
TheAssociation is looking for a new
transport officer as part of its strategy of
expanding the activities of its transport
section.
The priority of the newpaid-for post
will be to growmembership and contacts,
especially in areaswhereESTA is yet to be
represented. The successful candidate is
likely to bemulti-lingual.
To find outmore, or to apply, please
contact Caroline vanGeest at ESTA on:
ESTA transport section vice-president, WimRichie, hasmade a new
call on Europe’s road transport authorities to help reduce paperwork
and bureaucracy faced by the heavy transport industry and to adopt the
Special European Registration for Trucks and Trailers (SERT). After a
lengthy campaign by ESTA the SERTwas launched ten years agowith
European Commission support. Only theNetherlands has fully adopted it.
Many in the industry feel that an opportunity to boost efficiency and
eliminate an obstacle to cross-border trade is being lost. SERT forms
a key part of the European Best Practice Guidelines for Abnormal Road
Transport, first published by the European Commission’s transport directorate andwhich
received the approval of the EC’s road safety authorities back in 2005. It is intended to
replace themany different national documents faced by heavy transport firms, reducing
paperworkwhilemaking sure the authorities have the detailed information they need.
WimRichie, also a former senior policy officer for the Dutch department of road
transport, said, “SERT has great benefits for the industry. It will reduce costs as for every
vehicle only one document is needed to give all the necessary information.”
Richie added, “What ismore, SERT is a very effectiveway of registeringmodular trailers –
that is, trailers that can be put together in different combinations evenwhen different
manufacturers are involved.”
In 2012 ESTA completed some new research and concluded that complyingwith different
cross-border permit regulations costs the industry around €500million (US$560million) a
year. It believes this figure could be almost halvedwith amore efficient system.
ASSOCIATION TRANSPORT
OFFICERNEEDED
APUSHONEUROPEANPERMITS
A round up of news
from theEuropean
Association of Abnormal
Road Transport and
MobileCranes
WimRichie
ESTAUPDATE
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