Trailer 2009 officially opens

On Friday, 20 November, the Trailer trade fair officially opened its doors in Kortrijk Xpo and this for the thirteenth time. “Thirteen” had long looked likely to become an unlucky number for Trailer, but the endurance and will power of the exhibitors and the organizers made sure that Trailer actually is taking place, in contrast to many other European fairs. Trailer 2009 is an organization of SAV, the professional organization of the Flemish road transporters and logistical service providers.

In his opening speech, SAV Chairman Rudy Maes referred briefly to the theme of the fair: “Beyond the Crisis”. The economic climate has undergone a complete u-turn since the last Trailer fair. But, like Trailer, SAV, also with its lobbying, wants to look further than the crisis. Maes delivered his speech in the presence of the  representative of the Flemish Minister of Public Works and Mobility, Hilde Crevits. Also present were the Governor of West Flanders, the mayor of Kortrijk, and many other prominent representatives of regional and national authorities.

Referring to the presence of the representative of Minister Crevits, the SAV chairman stressed primarily the powers of the Flemish Executive. Rudy Maes expressed his disquiet with the content and the allocation of the income from the kilometer charge that Flanders wants to introduce. He made an urgent appeal to the Minister for consultation about this critical subject. SAV, specifically, wants to keep the internalization of the external costs from landing solely on the head of the road transporters. The income must absolutely be used to improve the road infrastructure in Flanders. If Flanders wants to continue to benefit from its great advantage as the logistical center of Europe, then a number of missing links have to be eliminated urgently. Maes referred here as an example to the connection between the E17 and the Liefkenshoek Tunnel.

Urban distribution and freight route networks
Rudy Maes also spoke to his audience about the thorny situation in the cities and towns. In the past, too little attention was given to access roads in the planning of industrial areas. They often run through densely populated city centers, and local authorities have long excelled in announcing measures to ban heavy traffic out of the centers. This certainly does not contribute to road-transport efficiency. SAV is asking for structural consultation and agreements between all of the parties involved in this matter. The Flemish government has to play an organizing and facilitating role in this process. The transport sector refuses to become the victim of the abject urban planning in Flanders and argues for urgent consultation in the development of freight route networks.

As regards distribution in the cities, SAV asks for assistance in the use of hybrid vehicles in order to compensate for the extra costs over the classic diesel vehicle.
The Chairman of SAV, finally, stressed once again the demands the sector has long been making for the subsidization of Euro 6- and EEV vehicles and the organization of trial routes for Ecocombis.

Trailer Award
During the Trailer 2009 opening ceremony, the Trailer Awards were presented and this for the fifth time. As customary, an award was issued for the Best Vehicle at Trailer 2009 and also an award for the “Best Accessory”. The candidates were judged by a jury of national and international trade journalists assisted by a number of potential users.

In the category of “Best Vehicle”, the Trailer Award went to Stas for the V-streamline. Its global concept was perceived by the jury as innovative and advanced in a few areas such as aerodynamics, fuel savings, reduction of the Co²-emission, cutback on the sound pollution and the safety aspect. The concept was developed in collaboration with a few other partners ao of the academic field. The second Trailer Award in the category of “Best Accessory” went to Versus-Omega for their Carapex Rail® roof curtain. The jury was of the opinion that this innovation represents a significant excess value for the intermodal transport and offers advantages for load-security.

Source: Transportweekly