October 2019 Newsletter

Dear IFRTT subscribers,

This newsletter is about a stormy autumn, but also contains information on the submission of papers for the HVTT16, 12-15 October 2020 in Qingdao, China (see below). John de Pont (HVTT16 Scientific chair) will inform you about the paper submission process. In the November Newsletter Mats Harborn (IFRTT Vice President Asia) will give more news on the HVTT16 in China.

But first: a stormy autumn.

Despite the fall in nitrogen emissions, about three-quarters of the Dutch nature reserve still receives too much nitrogen than is permitted under European legislation. This makes biodiversity poor. The highest general administrative court in The Netherlands, The Council of State, has determined that the current approach of the Dutch government is insufficient. As a result of this ruling, many permits for the construction of stables, residential areas or roads have been declared invalid and it has become more difficult to obtain new permits.

A governmental committee recommended smaller stock of cattle per farm. The farmers, however, are tired of being portrayed as environmental polluters and that constantly new rules are being imposed on them. Then again for animal welfare, then again for the use of pesticides or for other reasons. The strong mutual competition, low price for agricultural products and the large number of rules that require high investments have a major impact on the well-being of farming families.

Few groups in society have such a powerful weapon in their hands as the farmers. Tractors are a powerful weapon. In large numbers, they went to the government center of The Hague and to the provincial houses in recent weeks. They set off early in the morning, causing long traffic jams.

The construction sector is the next one that is planning to go to The Hague. People have to be fired because construction projects have stood still for almost half a year. A difficult problem for the government where half measures no longer help.

These are signs that things have to change. Continuing to produce and consume as we do now, will generate more and more friction. Some parts of the world can still afford to look away, but in other parts of the world it costs human lives. The same task applies to road freight transport. In addition to increasingly stricter measures being imposed on vehicles, the accessibility of cities is also being restricted in Europe by establishing environmental zones.

This requires smart logistics and smart vehicle technical solutions.

And what a better platform to discuss such issues as the HVTT16 in the fascinating city of Qingdao in China, with the title: Laying the foundation for the future. In China, climate goals and the energy transition have high priority. Make your contribution to these discussions in which the future is shaped!

16th International symposium on Heavy Vehicle Transport Technology

HVTT16

Laying the foundation for the future

12-15 October 2020

Qingdao, China

Paper submission

The deadline for the submission of extended abstracts in November 30th, 2019 so you need to start working on them soon.

The call for papers is attached to this newsletter for you information. As with all recent HVTT symposia the peer review and acceptance of papers will be based on an extended abstract. This should be about four pages long and should give a good overview of the expected content of the full paper. Using the OECD working group terminology this would typically result in four sections:

• What is the issue(s) the paper is addressing? (Introduction)
• What did we do? (Method)
• What did we find? (Results)
• What do we recommend? (Conclusions).

As with HVTT12 and HVTT14 the management and reviewing of the papers is being done using EasyChair. Easychair is accessed through its website easychair.org. If you previously were an author or reviewer for HVTT12 or HVTT14 you will already have an EasyChair account. If not, you will need to create one. This is very straightforward and is free. Once logged in you will be able to find HVTT16 and submit your abstract.

A link to the EasyChair abstract submission process will be available through the HVTT16 symposium website. You will be notified through the email network as soon as it is live.

Best regards to you all,

Loes Aarts (IFRTT President)

John de Pont (HVTT16 Scientific Chair)