ESTA is looking for training and examination organisations to take part in a trial pilot project for a new European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL) in February next year.  It is also wants to sign up would-be ECOL operators to participate in the same exercise. Candidates can be novices that have to be trained from scratch, or operators with demonstrable experience. ESTA Director Ton Klijn said: “We are calling on any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible.” Go to ESTA News for the full story

Poland is hosting the 2017 ESTA Autumn Meetings in Krakow on October 19 and 20 – the first time that ESTA has met in Eastern Europe.  Organised by the Polish Heavy Transport Association (OSPTN), ESTA’s General Assembly along with the transport and cranes sections will meet at the Sheraton Grand Hotel near the Vistula River. In the evening, an official networking dinner will be held 125 meters underground in the famous Salt Mine in Wieliczka where guests will be entertained by live music, magicians and art shows. Go to ESTA News or Upcoming Events for more information.

Spanish transport authorities have backed down in their attempts to enforce changes in the country’s exceptional transport regulations that discriminated against international hauliers.

The move follows a series of complaints made to the European Commission and the Spanish government from ESTA, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and a host of national trade bodies. Go to ESTA News for the full story. 

A meeting of ESTA’s ECOL Working Group on May 15 has agreed a date to trial the project – February 1, 2018. ESTA has also established the ECOL Foundation, the body that will have the job of supervising and monitoring the system of education, examination and maintenance.  Go to ESTA News for the full story. 

Following their successful conference, ESTA and FEM met VDMA Power Systems in April to discuss safety and developing new best practice guidelines. Also, the International Crane Stakeholder Assembly - whose members include both ESTA and FEM - is planning to produce a special guidance paper on standards for access roads and hard stands during the erection of on-shore wind turbines.  Go to ESTA News for the full story.

Søren Jansen is to step down from the post of  ESTA Director at the end of June. ESTA Secretary Ton Klijn will take over until the appointment of a new director can be announced at ESTA’s autumn meeting in Krakow, Poland. Go to ESTA News for the full story.

You can download the latest ESTA Annual Review here