On March 8 2018, Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Transport presided over the opening of the seminar on “Enhancing Safety and Efficiency in Freight Transport”. Mrs. Luisa Ragher, Chargé d’Affaires, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Thailand and Mr. Tim Mahler, GIZ country director for Thailand and Malaysia, and high-ranking executives of the Ministry of Transport also attended this seminar in the Grand Ballroom at the Rama Garden Hotel Bangkok. Mr. Arkhom has set a policy to raise the safety standards for freight transport by trucks in Thailand and to sustainably reduce the risk of road accidents.  Mr. Sanith Phromwong, the director-general of the Department of Land Transport, executives of the Department of Land Transport, freight transport and logistics operators with trucks as well as government agencies and private sector organisations also participated in the seminar.

Mr. Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Minister of Transport said: “The Department of Land Transport has strictly enforced the transportation law and educated transportation operators on the safety regulations and legal measures they must follow. These measures will benefit drivers while also reducing road accidents. This is in line with Thailand’s aim to become the centre for trade, services and investment in the ASEAN region. Thailand must also strengthen its competitiveness through Green & Safety Logistics, with good management to reduce costs and an effective goods tracking system. Logistics and transportation costs account for 53.5 percent of total cost, followed by the cost of warehousing (37.4 percent) and management (9.1 percent). To improve the competitiveness of the transportation sector, the Department of Land Transport and GIZ are jointly organising a seminar on “Enhancing Safety and Efficiency in Freight Transport”. The forum allows for exchange of ideas and opinions among participants, with the main focus on improving the ability and capacity of operators and workers in preventing accidents during freight transportation, and in reducing fuel consumption from freight transportation. With the Songkran Festival coming up next month, the forum should encourage a good exchange of ideas on how to travel safely.” Mrs. Luisa Ragher, Chargé d’Affaires, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Thailand said: “The European Union has set the objective of disconnecting mobility from its negative side effects, a so- called “decoupling” of freight transport demand from GDP growth to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 60 percent by 2050.  Our transport policy is therefore designed to reduce road transport by turning towards less polluting and more energy efficient modes. In order to achieve our targets, we aim to increase the efficiency of our transport system; accelerate the deployment of cleaner vehicles; and promote alternative energy sources for transport.”

Mr. Sanith Phromwong, the director-general of the Department of Land Transport added: “To sustainably enhance the safety of the operators, the vehicles and the drivers, the Department of Land Transport has introduced continuous and ongoing measures including the obligation for each transportation company to employ a “Transport Safety Manager” responsible for transportation management and planning as well as overseeing the safety of vehicles and the capability of drivers. Our aim is to give passengers maximum safety. With GPS tracking, we can see how fast they drive, driving hours, emergency accident management, react quickly to any road accidents and prevent recurrences. This will allow us to set the criteria, conditions and qualifications of the Safety Manager for both bus and trucks operators within this year (2018).”

Photos at the seminar can be downloaded here