September 14 - Measures to improve safety along with new calls to harmonise heavy transport permitting and regulations across Europe will dominate discussions at the ESTA's autumn meetings in Poland in October.
Held in Krakow on October 19 and 20, the meetings will be the first that the European association for the abnormal road transport and mobile crane rental industry has organised in Eastern Europe.
"Safety has improved markedly in recent years in the crane and heavy transport sectors," said ESTA director Ton Klijn. "But there remains a lot to do - especially by working more closely with our clients and in the area of skills and operator training through our plans to create a European Crane Operators Licence."
Klijn added: "There is also a growing tendancy towards protectionism in a number of countries, and we need to spell out that increased bureaucracy and restrictions means lower efficiency and higher costs for our clients, and ultimately society at large."
The Krakow meetings and dinner will be hosted by OSPTN, the Polish Heavy Transport Association, while the dinner's diamond sponsor is Polish trailer manufacturer Demarko Special Trailers.
An official networking dinner will be held 125 m underground in the famous salt mine in Wieliczka.
