IRTE Conference 2014 provides future engineering insights 18 September 2014

Robert Evans, chief executive of Cenex (the UK's first centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies), delivered the keynote at yesterday's (17 September 2014) annual IRTE Conference.

The event, held at Hilton St George's, Burton upon Trent, attracted more than 200 delegates and 26 speakers,

Evans – who is chair of the UK Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Association (UK EVSE) and a member of the Automotive Council Technology Group – examined current and future drivetrains, focusing on alternative fuels, including LNG/CNG (liquefied/compressed natural gas), biofuels and hydrogen, as well as multi-fuel diesel engines, gas engines, hybrids and electrics.

Other morning highlights included: an opening message from the new Secretary of State for Transport Claire Perry; and sessions on Euro 6 engine maintenance issues from Scania, selecting trucks to cut costs, and implications of the next type approval update.

Speakers included industry experts, transport engineers and fleet managers.

Delegates were also introduced to a new joint training initiative for transport managers, overseen by IRTE and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

Launched at the conference by IRTE's head of operations and communications Ian Chisholm and CILT's head of professional development Shane Walton, the initiative aims to deliver first class training for transport managers facing changing legislation.

This year's IRTE Conference also included a staged public inquiry, presided over by traffic commissioner Kevin Rooney, with a defending legal team from Backhouse Jones specialist transport law solicitors.

Safety infractions of a fictitious transport operator were examined, with arguments presented by both the traffic commissioner and defending legal team.

The audience was then presented with a list of possible penalties, and were then invited to vote on which they thought most suitable before the traffic commissioner pronounced his verdict.

Also new were in-depth technical and commercial streams in the afternoon covering: legal/compliance; fuel-saving; and bus and coach challenges and technologies.

"The IRTE Conference this year was our most successful yet," comments Chisholm.

"The inclusion of a mock public enquiry in particular afforded delegates a unique opportunity to see first-hand the possible repercussions of non-compliance," he continues.

"I'm confident that the day's event helped further the aim of making road transport as safe and efficient as possible."

Sponsors were: Mobil Delvac 1, Bullwell Trailer Solutions, Disc-Lock, FTA, Lloyd Morgan Group, Lytx, Motor Wheel Service Distribution, Pirelli, Prime Transport Solutions, R2C Online, Renault Trucks, Total-Sim and Valeo.

Author
Brian Tinham

Related Companies
Society of Operations Engineers

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