PMV invites experts from MAN Truck & Bus, Volvo Trucks, Mercedes-Benz, and Genie to discuss the intrically linked topics of safety and efficiency.
When industry professionals speak of the ‘global PMV sector’, they are typically referring to suppliers rather than end users. At a meta-level, to discuss original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in broad terms is logical. These are global players with goals that apply to all markets, regardless of geographic location.
Enlisting similar language to describe end users, however, can be somewhat problematic. When it comes to those who purchase, buy, and use equipment and vehicles, it makes little sense to talk about a ‘global PMV sector’. Legislation differs from one territory to another, and as such, so do the choices of PMV end users.
The juxtaposition of global strategies and local behaviours means that the interface between suppliers and end users is one of the most interesting – and active – areas in the industry. OEMs find themselves attempting to drive sector-wide, bottom-up change whilst simultaneously catering to the needs and preferences of specific geographic markets.
It was within this context that representatives from Genie, MAN Truck & Bus, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo Trucks joined PMV Middle East in Dubai for a safety and efficiency roundtable. In addition to being intrinsically linked, these topics are heavily influenced by a region’s PMV-related regulations, or lack thereof.
When it comes to safety and efficiency, the GCC is a mixed bag. Whilst some countries, such as the UAE, seem keen to move towards a regulated model, more similar to that pioneered in markets like Europe and North America, other areas seem less keen to move away from the status quo.
With this in mind, roundtable participants began by calling for greater regulation of operators’ working hours. One participant noted: “The biggest risk on the roads of the Middle East are the drivers behind the wheel. If there’s no regulation to stop them from driving 18 hours per day, no amount of technology will make their trucks safe.”
Panelists suggested that a drivers’ working hours directive requiring the use of telematics systems and tacographs would represent a step in the right direction for the GCC.
Another member of the roundtable pointed out that a shift in the mindset of fleet operators could also help the situation. As he explained: “Telematics can help companies to improve their employees’ driving skills. However, as long as the fleet owners incentivise drivers on the number of trips they make between Riyadh and Jeddah, for example, it’s not going to fly.
“The industry needs a mindset change whereby it starts to think in terms of productivity, safety, and total cost of ownership (TCO). This change, I believe, is only just beginning in the Middle East. It’s a slow process.”
The group pointed out that some of the GCC’s largest outfits are bucking this trend, concentrating on TCO and operator safety as opposed to short-term gains. Nevertheless, they added that it is unreasonable to expect fleet owners to regulate themselves. This, they agreed, is the job of government.
Even so, the group seemed optimistic that change would occur, albeit gradually. Severel participants cited UAE Vision 2021, spearheaded by the Emirates’ Police, and Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and the major focus on road safety from Qatar’s Public Works Authority, Ashghal.
Another member added that there’s no need for GCC authorities to start from a blank slate.
“Whether you’re talking about a road-going vehicle or an off-highway piece of equipment, manufacturers can provide as much technology and guidance as customers require. If operators aren’t adequately trained or familiar with a product, productivity falls,” he said.
“In light of this, we are seeing a move towards global standardisation, which is a positive trend. There will probably be different names for different things, but the overarching consensus will be the same.”
The panelist also pointed out that the GCC stands to benefit considerably from this trend, as products from across the world can be found in this region.
Group members also commented on the importance of competence development, pointing out that a well-trained operator is not only safer, but also more efficient.
“The difference between a trained and an untrained driver in Europe ranges from 2% to 4% in terms of efficiency,” one panelist noted. “Here [in the GCC], you can save anywhere from 40% to 50% on fuel efficiency and wear and tear.”
A consideration that straddles both safety and efficiency is that of weight. Several participants commented that in order to remain competitive, fleet owners often feel compelled to overload their vehicles. However, he argued that efficiency, productivity, and safety go hand in hand.
In Europe, he explained, drivers represent the focal point of the industry, whereas in the Middle East, this is not necessarily the case. Several participants agreed, calling for a greater emphasis on education, both for drivers and fleet owners.
The group noted that in Europe, safety-related systems and technologies were introduced to the market by OEMs first, and were gradually became mandatory thereafter. Participants suggested that the GCC is likely to follow a similar trajectory.
Roundtable members agreed that the monetary advantages of efficient machines and vehicles should be used to encourage the uptake of the latest industry technologies in the GCC. However, a number of panelists warned that the financial advantages of efficient vehicles are more convincing when applied to bigger outfits.
One commented: “Larger fleets are not dominant in the GCC anymore. Today in the UAE, 65% of truck fleets contain fewer than five units. It can be difficult to sell the TCO concept to these customers, because on the whole, they are not aware of how much they are spending to operate their vehicles.
“The answer – for all customers, – is telematics. These systems allow fleet owners to precicely track the TCO of their fleets, no matter how large they are.”
Another participant said that when targeting the owners of smaller cohorts, he tends to focus on the negative ramifications that would follow from breakdown.
He said: “Smaller fleet owners should consider how much it would cost to have one of their units out of action for a week. For a fleet of four or five trucks, having one off the road would have a massive impact.”
In summary, attendees agreed that OEMs must keep pushing safety- and efficiency-related technologies to the market. In the GCC, however, real change is only likely to occur with the support of local policymakers.
Lee Vickers
Product Safety & Compliance Manager EMEAR
Genie
Terex Aerial Work Platforms
What are your primary responsibilities at Genie (Terex Aerial Work Platforms)?
I joined Genie in about 1996, and moved my way up the ranks. As product safety and compliance manager for the Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Russia (EMEAR) region, I now run quite a large team.
How does your role involve the promotion of safety and efficiency?
I work locally with regulators – and with external authorities – to promote safety and efficiency. A big chunk of that is being acknowledged as an expert in the industry; you collaborate with other experts to review and write standards that affect the products directly in the marketplace. I like the fact that I can use my knowledge of what’s actually happening in the powered access sector to help inform the standards that are implemented.
How does Genie technology help to boost efficiency and safety on GCC work sites?
I would say that the most significant trend that I have seen during my career is our push towards standardisation across the Genie range. This could apply to anything from the control systems to the equipment’s operator interface.
What more can policymakers do to promote efficiency and safety?
Again, there is a desire and a movement – certainly amongst the people with whom I circulate – to reach the point of global standardisation for equipment. I’m not sure whether it will happen, but to achieve this situation would be absolutely fantastic; not only from a manufacturer’s viewpoint, but also for the end users. In addition to improving safety, standardisation would result in a host of efficiencies. When the user interface of one product is similar to another, productivity increases.
What are your major efficiency- and safety-related priorities for the coming 12 months?
Product registration, for me, is a key issue. It would allow OEMs to share information with owners that might not be available to them otherwise. I would like to push this model in the EMEAR region.
Dr Richard Brown
Head of Product Management
Middle East
MAN Truck & Bus
What are your primary responsibilities at MAN Truck & Bus?
My role encompasses many areas of the back office support to our importers in the region. My team covers areas including: product monitoring, sales engineering, assembly support, business solutions, importer support and product management.
How does your role involve the promotion of safety and efficiency?
We are focused on provision of safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly transport solutions, from the initial specification of vehicles and monitoring the vehicles in operation, to regular training of the drivers to ensure safe and economic use of the products.
How does MAN technology help to boost efficiency and safety on GCC roads?
MAN products are available today to address all the technical and driver-aid devices that have been developed over many, many years of research and accident investigations. The implementation of those solutions depends upon legislation and owner/operator understanding of the return on investments that can be achieved through specification for safety through the reduction of operational cost.
What more can GCC policymakers do to promote efficiency and safety?
There needs to be communication and collaboration with all contributors to a safer road transport industry development. The introduction of legislation without training and development of enforcement processes would be of little benefit. Manufacturer implementation of mandatory specification inclusions would not work if the owners and operators of the vehicles do not accept the increase in technology and consequential increase in purchase price.
What are your major efficiency- and safety-related priorities for the coming 12 months?
We will continue to deliver our ProfiDrive training to our customers, for which demand is constantly increasing, and we will introduce our new telematics system, which will allow operators to track drivers’ behaviour and target training accordingly.
Ognjen Jovanovic
Body-builder Product Manager
Commercial Vehicles
Daimler Middle East & Levant
What are your primary responsibilities at Mercedes-Benz?
I am responsible for analysing the regional market and competitive environment for Mercedes-Benz Trucks, as well as defining the regional product portfolio and technical support to our general distributors and bodybuilders.
How does your role involve the promotion of safety and efficiency?
By developing optimum vehicle and body configurations and introducing new technologies into the market, we safeguard profitability and safety for our customers over the entire vehicle life-cycle. As a result, the owner of a Mercedes-Benz truck in the Middle East benefits from efficiencies that are completely in accordance with the specific vehicle application, as well as climate and operating conditions.
How does Mercedes-Benz technology help to boost efficiency and safety on GCC roads?
Many innovations that Mercedes-Benz introduced are now an indispensable industry standard for trucks. We defined the terms “Active Safety” and “Passive Safety” in 1966 – and those principles still apply today, worldwide. We also have the technology leadership position in the field of automated transmissions and a long tradition of telematics systems with our own FleetBoard system, which offers detailed driver and vehicle performance analysis.
What more can GCC policymakers do to promote efficiency and safety?
Road user behaviour, vehicle technology, traffic infrastructure, efficient law enforcement, and emergency services all play a role. Besides this, drivers’ skills need to be continuously developed. Better trained drivers can make the full use of all innovative driver assistance and safety systems.
What are your major efficiency- and safety-related priorities for the coming 12 months?
Mercedes-Benz driver training has received excellent feedback from all participants within the region, so we will continue to offer training for every customer of our trucks.
Ian Drury
Transport Solutions Development Manager
Market Middle East
Volvo Group Trucks
What are your primary responsibilities at Volvo Group Trucks?
Promotion and implementation of service agreements; Volvo’s Dynafleet telematics system, including both importer and customer training; and driver trainer development.
How does your role involve the promotion of safety and efficiency?
I focus on reducing accidents resulting from human errors, as well as driver habits and productivity. Business owners are becoming increasingly aware of the total cost of vehicle ownership, and are seeking ways to maximize utilisation of their products to ensure the best possible value for money.
How does Volvo technology help to boost efficiency and safety on GCC roads?
When Volvo was founded in 1927 by Assar Gabrielsson and Gustaf Larson, they had two core values – quality and safety. Its designers were told to design with quality and safety in mind. Our latest models have these two elements in mind – their cabs are the safest ever built by Volvo, weight has been reduced, and time-saving and remote-control devices introduced. Dynafleet telematics, I-Shift gear changing technology, airflow aerodynamics packages, and driver training make Volvo Trucks some of the most fuel efficient in the industry.
What more can GCC policymakers do to promote efficiency and safety?
We need stronger legislation, better alignment between the member countries, and more stringent driving tests for both LCVs and HGVs. The next evolution has to be the exploration of all the safety and efficiency opportunities being created by new technology.
What are your major efficiency- and safety-related priorities for the coming 12 months?
Volvo will be working on several telematics projects in different Middle East markets, and will continue to educate the region’s driver trainers by arranging an advanced driver training event in the Volvo Demo Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden.
