As we roll towards summer, it’s time to get the hoses out.
Not to water the garden, but rather to clean our trucks, vans and trailers, as this is the season of shows and you want your vehicles looking their best.
These trade shows are a chance for manufacturers, hauliers, and every other company and business associated with the transport and logistics industry to show off their latest innovations in front of their peers.
It’s only a few weeks ago that the NEC in Birmingham hosted the annual Commercial Vehicle (CV) Show, and at the start of June all roads lead to Stoneleigh in Warwickshire for the huge Road Transport Expo, or RTX 2024.
A leading figure in the trucking industry commented recently that more has happened in the past three than the previous 27 of his 30 year career in the industry. And this will certainly be borne out when you see the innovations, and new products that will be on display at shows this year, starting with CV and now moving on to RTX.
This industry is at a turning point. It realizes the future of transportation has to be green, and by and large all the players in the industry are embracing this. So at RTX , and all the shows in 2024 and beyond expect a lot of battery/electric vehicles, more ways to use sustainable fuel and telematics systems and companies providing the IT to assist logistics firms operate their fleets in a more efficient, economic and sustainable way.
No one in the business is brave enough to announce that they have found the magic ‘silver bullet’ that will sort all our environmental problems. Nor does anyone believe they have the pathway to the future of transport mapped out exactly and precisely.
What we have currently is all manufacturers spending huge amounts of time, money and expertise developing a range of solutions to bridge the gap from an industry solely reliant on diesel, to one that will, eventually, be low carbon – or potentially fossil free.
So, when you are attending the shows this year, open your mind to ‘the road ahead’, and dismiss nothing until you at least find out more about how to be greener – and cleaner.
Austin Lynch Editor
Email: [email protected]
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