WINNIPEG, Man. — Leading North American trucking experts are coming to Winnipeg next month to discuss vehicle technology, roadway infrastructure and public policy at The Future of Trucking Symposium. The event, hosted by the University of Manitoba and the Transport Institute, will be held at the Hotel Fort Garry Feb. 17-19.

“How will the industry evolve in response to changing freight movement patterns, environmental concerns, fuel price volatility, and labour availability over the next 20 years?  What strategies will address these critical issues?  While the road ahead will be full of challenges, we are optimistic about the future of trucking,” said organizers on the event Web site.

Included in the list of speakers is Truck News editorial director Lou Smyrlis who will kick off the event with a presentation entitled, The North American Trucking Industry: Where we are and where we are going.

Other prominent industry figures include Clayton Gording, president of YRC Reimer Express Lines, Don Streuber, president and CEO of Bison Transport, and Claude Robert, president and CEO of Robert Transport, who will take part in an aptly titled “presidential panel” to discuss the future of the industry.

The symposium will also feature a panel on future heavy-duty truck and engine technologies, i.e. selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Speakers will represent some combination of the following organizations: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Daimler Trucks (Detroit Diesel Engines, Freightliner and Western Star); Volvo/Mack Trucks; Navistar/International Trucks; Terra Environmental Industries or Yara Industries and Pilot/Flying J Travel Centers.

To register for the event, visit the University of Manitoba site here.