Drivers and topmanagers receive IRU-UND Awards under the name “Second line of defence for COVID-19 pandemic”

UND, the International Transporters’ Association of Turkey, hosts traditional award ceremony every year to deliver IRU awards for top road transport managers and IRU Diplomas of Honor to nominated by employer companies successful professional Turkish drivers engaged in international road freight transport.

To continue this well-established tradition and with a view to pay respect to the real heroes of the international road transport sector across the world, facing enormous challenges especially during the peak times of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis in early months of the year, UND organised the ceremony able to appeal even larger audience and media coverage than before.

It was held on 16 September 2020 in a mixed online-offline bases in UND Premises in Istanbul with electronic participation of guests.

Among 1.200 drivers from 40 countries across the world nominated by their employers in 2019, 48 Turkish ones were qualified to receive the IRU Diplomas of Honor, with 5 distinctive professionals awarded as “Top Road Transport Managers of 2020”.

UND, additionally selects one driver among IRU Diploma winners as the “Best Professional Driver of the Year”; but special to this year the UND-IRU joint award went to 3 professional drivers as a tribute to the fight of the sector against Covid-19.

BSEC-URTA Honorary President and UND President, Mr. Cetin Nuhoglu in his opening speech, expressed that during the pandemic period the world community was forced to admit that international road transporters and professional drivers perform such a blessed function.

Mr. Cetin Nuhoglu stated that just like the health professionals, the drivers and international transporters deserve to be applauded as real heroes for supplying essential goods and services across borders, seriously challenged amidst extraordinary risks and uncertainties.

IRU’s General Delegate for Turkey, Middle East & Region and BSEC-URTA Secretary General Mr. Adrian Albu attended the meeting and celebrated the winners on behalf of the IRU and BSEC-URTA Top Management. He congratulated award winners for their responsible attitude towards the profession, with altruistic efforts aimed at continuing supply chains under difficult condition. Adrian Albu stated that they represent “the second line of defense” through their critical roles in the continuation of economies and assuring daily life of peoples.

The General Delegate also underlined that the road transport industry is one of the sectors most impacted by COVID-19. This was caused by transport and movement restrictions put in place by countries to manage the pandemic, which resulted in disruptions of the supply chains and mobility networks and to the overall economic slowdown.

Adrian Albu highlighted that with road transport a fundamental driver of economic and social activity, the economic recovery from COVID-19 consequences in countries all over the world is at risk caused by movement restrictions, health screening and border controls and closures.

Accordingly, Albu shared the IRU’s recommendations to national governments focusing on three broad objectives as “keeping drivers, transport workers and citizens safe; keeping supply chains and mobility networks running smoothly and ensuring that road transport operators stay in business”.