      |
|
Copyright © 2000 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. |
|
|
| Past Issues |
February
2000
|
|
|
|
||
|
Progress Made at Joint Meeting
In order to look forward to where you're going, it is often handy to look back from where you've come. In this regard, a brief outline of the history of the IRTE in southern Africa is perhaps pertinent. The IRTE is a London-based organisation which was inaugurated in 1944. During the years which followed the 1939 to 1940 World War, many members spread their wings to many parts of what was then the British Commonwealth and by 1960, a few members who had settled in Johannesburg got together to form a steering committee under the chairmanship of the late W F (Bill) Bolton. In April 1966, this group applied to London for the formation of a Southern African IRTE Centre which was approved by the IRTE Council in London on May 26, 1966. The Centre was to include members from countries in Southern Africa as far away as Malawi. The headquarters were in Johannesburg but the Centre was to accommodate residents applying for membership from South Africa, South West Africa (now Namibia), Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Zambia, Malawi, Swaziland, Lesotho, Botswana and Mozambique. By 1968, local members had formed groups in Cape Town and Durban which, although not registered as independent Centres, were identified as Groups under the banner of the Southern African Centre and listed in a directory published by IRTE London in 1968. However, in view of the increase in the activities of the Cape Town and Durban Groups, the Cape Centre was formed in 1969 followed by the Durban Centre. The Southern African Centre then became the Johannesburg Centre. Unfortunately, as the years passed, the three Centres drifted apart and their independence has resulted in an unfortunate lack of communication. Fortunately, this has been realised and in an endeavour to rectify the position, a joint meeting of the representatives of the three Centres was held on Monday, January 24, 2000 at which the following were present: Barney Curtis and Hentie van Jaarsveld representing Johannesburg; Doug Drysdale and John Miller representing Cape Town; Dave Foulds and Alan Crossman representing Durban. Also present by invitation were Laurie Merchant from Durban, Jack Webster, Dave King and Jim Campbell from Johannesburg; and from Zimbabwe was David Cruttenden. Jim Campbell chaired the meeting. A draft agenda had been circulated and was accepted with the addition of two items – Truckex 2000 and Training. The link with London and membership fees The implications of breaking ties with London was discussed at length and while it cannot be denied that a major concern of existing members - and a major problem in attracting new members - lies in the high membership fees paid to London due to the Rand to Pound exchange rate of 10:1, consensus of opinion was that it would be unwise to severe links with London. However, it was agreed that every effort must be made to solve the fee problem. Some of the ideas put forward included: The suggestion that affiliate members pay their fees to the South African Centres which will retain the fees to provide finance to meet local administration costs. The grade of affiliate member does not prescribe any technical or other qualifications except the person must in some way be affiliated to the road transport industry. The Cape Centre has had communication with the Institute of Road Transport Engineers New Zealand which has disassociated itself from London and gone independent. Copies of the IRTE NZ Rules and an informative letter from the national secretary were circulated at the meeting. New Zealand has the same problem with fees paid to London based on the London membership fee structure. New Zealand also contends that the technical information and policies are based too much on British domestic needs and are not sufficiently international. Dave Cruttenden from Zimbabwe provided useful and interesting input on the experience and policy of the IRTE in Zimbabwe which has a worse problem than South Africa in terms of membership fees paid to London. Dave also mentioned the Zimbabwe experience with the Chartered Institute of Transport. The fate of the South African Institute of Transport, which broke away from the London based CIT and did not succeed, was also considered and while the problem of fees must be resolved, the consensus of opinion, as mentioned, was that it would be unwise to break away from London - at least at this time. While it must be accepted that London will not consider reducing membership fees for South African members, partial relief could possibly be achieved by discontinuing the free supply of the monthly publication Transport Engineer to every member. This would reduce the cost of servicing the members and the annual membership fee could be reduced accordingly. Members who wish to receive the Transport Engineer should inform the local Centres who can import from London in bulk and distribute to such members at a cost. Other ideas suggested included:
But, it was acknowledged that in order to encourage employers to sponsor their staff, and also in general, the image of the IRTE must be improved by giving much more positive publicity to the objectives and activities of the Institute. This must include promoting the benefits to members and their employers through being members of IRTE. It was recognised that FleetWatch can - and has - provided wide publicity for the IRTE but the Institute must feed regular information to the editor. Other publications can also be used to spread the IRTE image. Communication between the Centres Unfortunately, over the past 20 years or so, communication between the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban Centres has deteriorated to the detriment of the Institute and although a friendly relationship exists between the members and officers of the Centres, each has drifted into "doing its own thing". The interchanging of ideas, activities and information scarcely exists! It was agreed that this situation must not be allowed to continue. The thought of merging the three Centres into a National South African Institute was mentioned but the feeling was that this would not be advisable for practical reasons such as maintaining local activities, etc. A preferred idea was to establish a central umbrella facility into which the three Centres could feed information which could be collated, co-ordinated and recorded. A full time person would have to be employed and facilities provided. This would provide for co-ordinated activities of IRTE in South Africa while retaining the individuality of the three Centres. Recognition of IRTE by the authorities Several years ago, the IRTE had an active Technical Committee which was recognised by the authorities and was represented on many committees dealing with Road Traffic and Road Transport matters. Unfortunately, this committee ceased to function and was replaced by the Road Transport Operators’ Technical Committee (RTOTC) which has gained recognition and credibility. The possibility of the RTOTC reverting back to the IRTE was discussed and it was agreed that this should happen. Liaison with the bus industry The IRTE in South Africa has concentrated mostly on areas involving the road transport of goods and the RTOTC has tended to do the same. It is felt that there are common areas in which the bus industry has the same or similar interests and concerns as the freight industry. It would therefore be in the mutual interests of the SABOA Technical Committee and IRTE/RTOTC to liaise on technical matters. Training in Road Transport The Cape Town Centre circulated a comprehensive training programme for Workshop Managers and personnel offered by Fleet Control Services. But this course does not satisfy a much needed requirement for the training of road transport engineers. The IRTE is the forum for setting up such a course. There is no recognised qualification in South Africa for a Road Transport Engineer – not a diesel mechanic or an automotive engineer but a road transport engineer which involves far more than a BSc Mechanical Engineering or Workshop Personnel qualification. Link with the TMC in the USA The Truck Maintenance Council (TMC) is a division of the American Trucking Association (ATA) and it was agreed that the magazine of the ATA will be made available to IRTE members. Contact and distribution of technical information from other organisations such as SAE, ECE and SABS should be encouraged. IRTE Year Book The Cape Centre has approved of an IRTE Year Book publication which it is believed, raises the IRTE’s profile. It was agreed that the concept is good for future publications but radical changes need to be made. Truck Exhibition It was agreed that IRTE would support the Truck Exhibition to be held in Durban on May 24/26, 2000. Centres’ Monthly Meetings The dates for the Centres’ monthly meetings are as follows: Cape Centre
Durban Centre
Johannesburg Centre
It was suggested that the Centres keep each other informed of proceedings at their meetings and was agreed that the next joint meeting of the representatives of the three Centres will take place at the truck exhibition in Durban on May 24/26, 2000. Following this inaugural joint meeting, I am confident that complete liaison and communication between the three Centres will be restored. |
||
The
Institute of Road Transport Engineers kicked off the new millennium
with a joint meeting of the Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban Centers
to discuss ways of improving the services and operations of the IRTE
as well as to find ways of bridging the communication gap that has opened
between the three centres over the years. Jack Webster, a Fellow of
the IRTE and FleetWatch's correspondent on legislation, reports on some
of the outcomes of that meeting.