IRU World Congress to focus on challenges facing transport sector

Challenges facing the transport sector, especially the shortage of truck drivers, will be the focus of the International Road Transport Union (IRU) World Congress, which will be held in Muscat.

The event, which will see 77 countries from five continents, including 25 ministerial delegates, will also discuss low level of trade between countries, environmental issues as well as ‘driverless trucks’ in the coming years.

His Highness Sayyid Asaad bin Tareq al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Affairs and Personal Representative of His Majesty the Sultan, will preside over the opening of the IRU World Congress on Wednesday. The three-day congress, held under the theme ‘Innovation on the Move’, is organised by the IRU and hosted by Asyad in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Communications at the Oman Exhibition and Convention Centre.

It was learnt around 82 per cent of people in the GCC expected driverless trucks to become reality in the next 10 years.

“Oman is strategically placed at the central position of the global trade corridor and offers excellent road infrastructure. It may be noted the Sultanate recently joined the TIR,” said Boris Blanche, Managing Director, IRU.

TIR is an international road transport convention.

82 PER CENT OF PEOPLE IN THE GCC EXPECTED IN THE NEXT 10 YEARS