The European association for abnormal road transport and mobile cranes – ESTA – is moving forward with its plans to develop a European Trailer Operators Licence (ETOL) for SPMT operators.
The plans were put forward at the association’s spring meetings in the Netherlands and were met with strong support from members. Moving forward, the ETOL licence scheme will be developed using the operational and management structure of the existing European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL).
The idea of creating a licence had been proposed by ESTA’s SPMT working group, which is updating ESTA’s 2016 SPMT Best Practice Guide, and whose members comprise 12 of the biggest and most influential companies in the sector.
Concern has been growing in the industry at the lack of recognised training qualifications and the need to improve safety standards as the SPMT market grows.
ESTA director Ton Klijn said: “There is no doubt of the huge demand for such a licence, and the training that will be required to obtain one. We have received strong backing from companies and individuals the length of the supply chain – from clients, our transport company members and operators themselves.”
The working group’s 12 member companies come from eight different countries, reflecting the widespread concern about SPMT standards across Europe, added ESTA. They comprise Collett & Sons, Cometto, DNV, Fagioli, Goldhofer, Mammoet, Sarens, Siemens Gamesa, Technip Energies, Terra Navtica, Tii Group and Wagenborg.
