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It’s true that the leadership levels within most haulage companies are under stress. As a result, people operating in a leadership capacity aren’t known for having lots of spare time on their hands. There is a ‘nose to the grindstone’ culture that can spring up as a result and the “I’m too busy to leave the office” mind-set can become the order of the day. However, haulage companies today need innovative solutions, and to get those they also require leaders who are capable of thinking outside of the box. The Benefits of Sharing Ideas Phrases such as “outside the box thinking” have become a little hackneyed and overused. They bring to mind ‘consultancy-speak’. But it would be dangerous to dismiss such concepts entirely – however you choose to describe them. We all really do benefit from sharing ideas and listening to the experiences of others. It’s also very useful to be able to see forward a little in terms of what’s coming at us over the horizon. Upcoming IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) Conference A great way of doing so is to make the effort to get out and attend some of the regular industry conferences that are held around the country. For example, the IRTE (Institute of Road Transport Engineers) conference is being held in Nottinghamshire on 27-28 September. This association was first inaugurated back in 1944 and is very well respected for its work in sponsoring or indirectly inspiring innovation across the road transport industry. Top conferences such as IRTE contain vast amounts of useful information for haulage companies, and I would heartily recommend those in management positions to attend. What is Going to be Covered? Don’t be misled by the “Engineers” section of the title – this conference isn’t exclusively about flanges and the angles of manifold outlets etc. It’s very broad-based and covers subjects as diverse as legislative change, technological advances, environmental protection, cost containment ideas and commercial trends. In fact, that’s only a small selection of what’s on offer. Networking Opportunities Almost as important as the presentations are networking opportunities. If you’re able to get away from your desk and share your views with others, it’s almost inevitably the case that you’ll encounter ideas and new approaches that might be applicable in your environment and generate benefit accordingly. Many challenges and opportunities are relatively consistent across the industry and these conferences can help you to leverage advantage based upon that mutual exchange. Time and Cost Almost inevitably, there will be questions of “do you have the time” and “will the spending be justified”. They’re both perfectly legitimate and a sign of a healthy cost and efficiency awareness. However, it’s worth guarding against the dangers of becoming desk-bound. That feeling that you’re indispensable may be reassuring in the short term, but ultimately haulage companies need leaders and influencers who are rounded individuals and who possess a holistic view of the industry. We all need to make an effort to exchange information with our peer groups, and conferences like to IRTE can be a marvellous opportunity to do so for most if not all haulage companies. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage companies with jobs in road transport and haulage work. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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