ULD CARE Latest News

Welcome to the 2nd issue of the ULD CARE Newsletter. In this issue: changes to the ULD CARE Board, SAFO, Training – The Missing Link in ULD Operations and Alphabet Soup !

Welcome to the 2^nd issue of the ULD CARE Newsletter. We hope you find the material in our newsletter and on our web site of value and that you will want to share it with your industry colleagues and contacts by forwarding them a copy. For those who have recently joined our mailing list: a big “Welcome and Thank you” for signing up. 

It has been almost two months since our conference in Vancouver which was timed to coincide with the IATA IGHC Ground Handling Conference – also held in Vancouver. This first step to foster a stronger connection to the ground handling community, who, as we all know, play a major role in ULD operations, met our expectations. ULD CARE was represented at IGHC and IGHC at ULD CARE. As was already indicated to our members, the presentations from Vancouver are available on the website. If you would like to read more about our last conference, do not miss the article titled “Message from your New President” posted on our website on May 23, 2013. The ULD CARE board is in the process of developing further connectivity with not only the ground handling community but others, such as Airport Council International, which also has a significant impact on ULD activity.

Before highlighting to you some of the articles featured in this newsletter, we would like to bring you up to date as far as the ULD CARE structure is concerned. The ULD CARE Board of Directors has undergone some changes. With the retirement of our long term president Dick O’Marra from UPS earlier this year, and his subsequent resignation from ULD CARE, our former Vice President Urs Wiesendanger (Air Canada) has agreed to assume the position of President, while Bob Rogers (Nordisk Aviation Products) has accepted the position of Vice President. Please note that we still have 2 vacancies on our Board of Directors for airlines, 1 from the America’s and one from Europe/ Mid East / Africa. If you wish to play a role in ULD CARE, just put your hand in the air! The Board of Directors’ structure can be viewed here.

A lot has been happening in the last two months. As those of you keeping an eye on the ULD CARE website will be aware, a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) was issued by the FAA in regard to the restraint of heavy vehicles. This subject, which is clearly of relevance to ULD operations, is covered in this issue as well as being highlighted on our home page. While it may seem that moving heavy vehicles by air is only for a few specialist operators, and so not of importance to most airlines, the issue of the use of securely restraining cargo (nets/straps) is of utmost importance to all airlines, shippers and forwarders alike. We urge you to read the article in this month’s newsletter.

We also offer you this month an article on the importance of training standards in ULD operations. ULD and untrained operators are a combination that is likely to lead to damaged and non-airworthy ULDs, a situation that ULD CARE is focused on rectifying. This article is one step along that course.

Finally, by popular demand, we have for you a useful jargon busting article we are calling “Alphabet Soup” that should unscramble much of the acronyms, codes and definitions that abound in this industry. Ever wonder what some of the myriad of acronyms we use actually means? Alphabet Soup is the perfect answer.

Enjoy our second newsletter and feel free to give us some feedback. We hope that by the next issue, we will be able to give you some details about the next ULD CARE Annual Conference.