Copyright © 2001 FleetWatch magazine and FleetWatch On-Line.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from the publishers. Views published are not necessarily those of the publishers.

The German trucking industry has as one of its priorities the aim to attract youngsters into the industry realising that without newcomers, the industry will not be sustainable. All the kids pictured here look on the trucking industry as one which can provide them with a solid career. South Africa needs to follow this example.

What do you see here? Sure, you see people around a bus, an engine, a cut-away cab and a girl sitting at a desk. That's obvious. But what is the common underlying theme that runs through these photographs? The answer is youth - young people.

While walking around the show on the first day of it being open to the public, I made a point of noticing whether or not young people were present. And they were - in large numbers. I stopped a few of them to ask what their interest was in the trucking industry and whether they regarded it as a good career choice. The one guy was studying mechanical engineering at university and said he would definitely be applying for a job in the industry. "It is a good industry with lots of career potential for young people like me," he said. This particular guy had an earring, a tongue stud and some funny coloured streaks in his hair but what the heck, he also had a brain so bring him on. The others I spoke to expressed similar sentiments.

The girl in the photograph sitting behind the desk is Louis Temin, a young student doing a stint with Scania as part of her studies towards a Bachelor's Degree in Transportation Design. Those fancy drawings of futuristic trucks you see behind her on the wall are her designs. The translation of the slogan on the wall is 'Young Designers imagine the trucks and buses of tomorrow'. The overall theme of this particular exhibit on Scania's stand was: 'Get a glimpse of the Future'. And who's driving that future? Young people like Louis Temin. I asked her what she regarded as priorities in designing trucks the future - her future. "We must have trucks that are friendly to the environment and they must also be safe on the roads. Of course, they must also look good." But of course.

The point I'm making here is that in Europe, the trucking industry markets itself as being an attractive one for youngsters to enter and build a career. Interesting is that both DaimlerChrysler and MAN - probably others too - had focussed activities at the show to attract new youngsters into their organisations. One of the programmes went under the rather clever banner of CAReer. In South Africa, however, youngsters hardly know our trucking industry exists and it has been a dreadful failing on the part of the industry to ensure qualified sustainability. I suppose this is understandable given that not even the Government of this country takes much notice of the trucking industry - except to bash it every now and again. This folly has now come home and we are all feeling the pinch via a serious lack of skills at all levels and in all sectors of the industry. The South Africa trucking industry is manned by older people who, when they look down, see no youngsters coming up to replace them.

In Germany, as these pictures prove, young people are interested in the industry - and so they should be. After all, it's their future that youngsters like Louis Temin are designing for. It is imperative that South Africa follows the European route and starts to attract youngsters into the industry. If this is not done, our future will be a bleak one compared to the bright future that Louis and her ilk are facing.