Let’s go back four years ago to the year 2020 when we lived with the repercussions of Covid-19; strict embargo on where to go and to travel, flights cancelled, countries closed to entry, cities all over the world were shut down. People were trapped in one area or the other. Malta, a small island, was closed for tourists; workers were sent home, and schools closed everywhere. Families with children were trapped in their homes. Birthdays were celebrated on Skype and people started working from home as children had their lessons on their parents’ laptops.

In the meantime, the insularity of the Maltese islands was starting to hit us hard. As the entry of tourists was suspended, flights were cancelled and the ferry service to Sicily was kept to a minimum with no tourists to carry. We were all afraid that our stock of food, medicines, fuel would dry up and we all were thinking of going back to our ration scheme adopted in WW2 times. However, there was a sector in the industry, called the international trailer service, which looked beyond its strength and stretched itself to face the challenge of time. Drivers on continental Europe could not drive freely; consequently, they were transferred to central stations where they could go and pick up the trailers sent from/to Malta. Our imports and exports could at least be carried to their final destinations with all the difficulties/challenges. Truck drivers were stopped enroute; passports, vaccination certificates and routes were controlled. Some were even forced to put on special clothing to go into some areas in Europe.

Pharmaceuticals were in demand; food was becoming scarce; medicines were needed everywhere. Export demands for our goods produced in our country such as semiconductors, automotive parts and pharma were on demand and our trailer companies had to find ways to carry these goods to central Europe to be transported by air to their final destinations in the US and Asia. Our  hauliers had the task of ensuring that the raw materials needed for our needs were brought down to the southern tips of Europe; the convoy of trailers bringing in and taking out our necessities are on my mind. These  hauliers belonged mainly to companies formed approximately 100 years ago. It is the generation of people who have the risk-factor in their genes and are resilient to challenges. As time went by, they invested in modern tractors, trailers, and warehouses. Advanced technology ensured goods were carried in safe hands as they were monitored through their journey.

Nowadays the Maltese international hauliers provide employment for over 1500 workers. They have trained their employees in the carriage of goods and operate in line with international transport regulations. They already felt the need for these transport companies to unite in 1986 to have one voice in the Maltese industry. One has to say that unity at that time was considered a force to opposition than to enhancement. With time, the fact that Malta was joining the EU in 2004 pushed our haulier companies to resurge again as a union. The freedom of movement of goods was certainly an opportunity to our trailer companies to operate in a bigger market, albeit under a regime of EU laws which had to be adhered to. The transport companies in mainland Europe are very strong, especially in France and Germany; they have a big political influence on their governments. Some demands which they may ask can have an effect on our land-transport industry, made up of approximately fifteen companies. The EU Commission’s regulatory approach could have a bigger impact on Maltese hauliers than on those stationed in mainland Europe. The Combined Transport framework within the EU which combines the flexibility of road transport with the environmental benefits of rail, inland waterways or short sea shipping is a case in point. The mandatory return of vehicles and drivers every eight weeks to one of the operational centres in the Member State is another bone of contention. Some of the Maltese transport undertakings had to invest a lot of money to create centers in Europe to adhere to this rule.

With all these changes, the need for the Maltese international land- transport companies to unite and be one force in the EU is even greater than before. The Association of Tractor and Trailer Operators, commonly abbreviated as ATTO, has been recently set up purposely to protect and fight for the interest of Maltese operators. The first Board of ATTO felt it was in the interest of Maltese Islands for one of its first tasks to be bringing these challenges to the attention of the Maltese authorities. ATTO appreciates the efforts coming from the Ministry of Transport and Transport Malta and it hopes it will gain the support of our new MEPs in the new legislature to ensure the best service to our Maltese economy. Our claim that the interests of small island nations are different to those of the other EU members was accepted by our partners in the Republic of Ireland and in Cyprus through our contacts with IRU, the International Road Union. Our membership in this union has only one target: that of ensuring that the interests of our members are safe- guarded even in international fora. It is the task of ATTO to ensure that no size fits all; Malta, an island nation in the EU has different needs. ATTO is there to secure the interests of its members in Malta and beyond our shores.

Tony Mifsud – Secretary General of the Association of tractor & trailer Operators - ATTO - ex General Manager of Lufthansa Cargo in Malta with international experience in air cargo logistics.