WELCOME TO ESTA
Welcome to ESTA, the leading European association for the abnormal road transport and mobile crane rental industry. We represent national trade associations whose members are mobile crane and access platform, rental and abnormal road transport companies.
Individual companies can become special members if there is no appropriate national association from their country. ESTA also welcomes affiliate members from relevant clients, government departments, regulatory bodies, service companies and all organisations active in our markets.
In addition, ESTA has recently created the category of “Supporter” for companies that are members of their ESTA’s national associations but who want to become more directly involved in ESTA’s work.
LATEST ESTA NEWS
Sarens receives ECOL training centre approval
January 12, 2021
Sarens - the Belgium-based international heavy lift and transportation company - is the latest organisation to complete the process of becoming an approved European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL) training centre and is expected to start its first ECOL courses shortly. The company's training centre in Wolvertem, Belgium, received its ECOL Certificate at the end of last year.
IRU details Brexit deal's impact on road transport
December 29, 2020
The Brexit deal's impact on road transport has become clearer. The European Union and the United Kingdom have signed a draft EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement and the IRU has produced a summary of the most important new rules related to road and goods transport that will come into effect on January 1, 2021. The IRU document is here.
EU sets new COVID EU-UK transport rules as French border reopens
December 23, 2020
The European Commission has adopted a recommendation on a coordinated approach to travel and transport in response to a new COVID variant in the United Kingdom. At the same time, UK Government has sent a strong message to drivers to avoid the Kent area while the backlog of trucks is cleared following the reopening of the UK French border on the understanding that drivers are tested for the COVID virus.
Full story is in ESTA News here and official documents are in Downloads here
Intermat cancelled - ESTA Awards 2021 to go online
December 18, 2020
Following the news that Intermat in April next year has been cancelled, we are now planning to hold our ESTA Users’ Night and Awards on April 22nd, 2021 as an online event, with the addition of a special celebration of the winners at our autumn meeting in Finland, which we hope we will be able to hold in person. The 2021 entry forms are in the Awards section of this website here
UK confirms readiness for TIR post-Brexit
December 20, 2020
The UK government has confirmed it is ready for increased TIR transits between the UK and the EU when the Brexit transition period ends in two weeks. Extensive UK government planning and new support information for hauliers seeks to mitigate potential traffic and driver issues on the UK side of the border. More information is in Downloads on this website here or on the IRU website here
IRU details post-Brexit road transport regulations
December 15, 2020
The International Road Transport Union - of which ESTA is a member - has outlined the procedures for road transport vehicles using ports between the UK and the European Union that will enter into force on January 1st , 2021.
Details are here
Opposition grows to new French "blind spot" rules
December 15, 2020
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has written two letters to the European Commission - to DG MOVE and DG GROW - calling on them to oppose the obligatory marking of blind spots on heavy-duty vehicles being unexpectedly being introduced in France from January 1. Go to Downloads on this website for copies of the letters.
Emergency Brexit contingency plans announced
December 11, 2020
ESTA Director Ton Klijn has today written to all ESTA members advising them of the contingency measures being planned in case the European Union and the UK fail to reach agreement on their future relationship.
New signage rules in France causing concern
December 7, 2020
A row is brewing over new regulations introduced in France on "blind spot" signage for heavy transport vehicles that are due to come into effect unexpectedly on January 1, 2021.
Full story is here
ECOL exams available in three languages
November 20, 2020
The online examination system for ESTA's European Crane Operators Licence project is now up and running in three languages - English, Dutch and Danish - and work is underway on German and Spanish versions. Full story here
Van Noort warns on future skills shortages
November 20, 2020
Wouter van Noort, ESTA’s Section Cranes President and European Managing Director for Mammoet, has warned the crane industry of the long-term dangers of losing skilled employees during the Covid19 crisis. Full story here
Concern at Germany's VEMAGS permit reforms
November 19, 2020
ESTA is planning to talk to the European Commission about the growing concerns surrounding planned changes to Germany's VEMAGS permit regulations for heavy and abnormal transport. Full story here
ECOL talks in Germany, Ireland and Spain
October 5, 2020
Talks are underway with organisations in Germany, Ireland and Spain to establish mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) between the national crane operator licencing authorities and ESTA’s European Crane Operators Licence.
In addition, five more training institutes have applied to join the European Crane Operators Licence system – three from Belgium and two from Germany. Full stories are in ESTA News here
Winners of ESTA 2020 Awards announced
September 25, 2020
Italian company Fagioli and Netherlands-based Mammoet Europe both took home two of
the top prizes in this year’s delayed ESTA Awards. Click here for the full list of winners and finalists. A full recording of the event is here . The awards - and the accompanying
webinar – were run online for the first time due to the COVID19 pandemic and
attracted more than 400 registered delegates. The event was jointly organised
by ESTA and International Cranes and Specialized Transport.
It attracted record numbers of entries from 13 countries and was
sponsored by Kässbohrer, Liebherr,
Spierings and Tadano Demag. (Photo is from Fagioli's winning entry for its work following the tragic collapse of the Morandi Bridge in Genoa.)
ESTA Director makes Brexit appeal
October 2, 2020
ESTA Director Ton Klijn has made a direct appeal to British companies and associations not to let the Brexit debate divide – and weaken - the European heavy transport and lifting industries.
New EU transport regulations approved
July 29, 2020
European transport companies will have to deal with new rules for driving and rest times, cabotage, secondment and the introduction of the smart tachograph 2 after the European Parliament approved a new range of Mobility Package proposals on July 9. Full story here
ESTA asks Brussels to give wind safety higher priority
July 29, 2020
ESTA Director Ton Klijn has written to Wind Harmony – the project funded by the European Commission with the aim of improving safety in the fast-growing wind industry – to call for greater emphasis on lifting and transportation safety during the construction of onshore wind farms.
ECOL confirms British Columbia recognition deal
July 15, 2020
The European Crane Operators Licence has signed a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with the British Columbia Association for Crane Safety (BCACS) from Canada following a meeting of the ECOL Expert Committee in May. The expert meeting – held electronically due to COVID-19 – agreed to an alignment of standards between ECOL and the BCAS. The two sides then signed a formal MRA, a process that was completed on July 8. The agreement means that an ECOL licence and a BCACS licence will be interchangeable and operators holding them will be able to work in both territories. Full story is on the ECOL website here
ESTA and TLN call for rethink on VEMAGS changes
July 13, 2020
ESTA and Dutch member TLN have written a joint letter to the German authorities raising serious concerns about changes to the VEMAGS permit issuing system that were introduced at the end of June. For more, go the ESTA News here
Marking and lighting campaign wins support
June 18, 2020
ESTA’s long-running campaign to harmonize international marking and lighting regulations for heavy transport and abnormal loads has received a major boost. The proposals have won the backing of the VDA, the influential German automotive industry association and will now be presented to the UNECE committee responsible for administering international conventions on traffic regulations in October. Full story is here
ESTA calls for action on wind industry BPG
May 14, 2020
ESTA is calling on its members and supporters to encourage the wind industry to adopt its new best practice guide and improve the sector’s safety record. The new guide can be downoaded for free from this website for a limited period here . The Best Practice Guide discussions were lead by ESTA with the support of VDMA Power Systems, the part of the German Engineering Federation whose members include the major turbine manufacturers, and the crane manufacturers through FEM, the European Materials Handling Federation. The full story is here
Support grows for ECOL in Germany
April 30, 2020
Crane & Logistics Partner has been certified as the first German-based examination institute for ESTA’s new European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL).
Liebherr receives final ECOL approval
April 2, 2020
Liebherr has completed the process of becoming an approved European Crane Operators Licence training centre and has carried out the first three German language ECOL examinations in Ehingen at the Liebherr Schulungszentrum.
ESTA’s new wind industry BPG published
March 30, 2020
ESTA has published a new best practice guide in an attempt to cut onshore wind farm accidents. For a limited period, the Best Practice Guide for the Transport and Installation of Onshore WTG Systems is available to download free of charge from a special section on this website. Further details are here and the report is here
New international recognition for ECOL
March 23, 2020
ESTA’s new European Crane Operators Licence is to sign its second Mutual Recognition Agreement with the British Columbia Association for Crane Safety (BCACS) from Canada following a meeting in the Netherlands last month.
New EU directive underlines urgent need for ECOL
February 10, 2020
Support for ESTA’s new European Crane Operators Licence (ECOL) could be given added impetus by a new directive from the European Union due to come into force this summer. Go to ESTA News here for the full story.