Date:

March 14, 2023

Categories:

Industry News,

Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG) becomes Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM)Name change due to new tasks

With the turn of the year on 01.01.2023, the Federal Office for Goods Transport (BAG) will from now on be known as the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility (BALM). The increasing tasks gave rise to the name change.

This results in a broad, expanded range of tasks:

1. Civil emergency preparedness (ZN) in road traffic

2. Intermodal coordination in crisis situations

3. Coordination on arrival of Ukrainian refugees

4. Public transport model projects

5. Bicycle traffic

6. Project sponsor for aid programs to absorb effects of Corona pandemic

Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, visited the Federal Office in Cologne in March 2022 to get his own impression of what was happening on site, emphasizing as follows:

 

„The approximately 2,000 employees do an outstanding job and have long since ceased to be exclusively responsible for freight transport. […] We are now making this expansion in terms of content visible to the outside world. The new name shows what our Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility does!“

 

Picture Source: Bundesregierung / Jesco Denzel (Dr. Volker Wissing)

Quelle: Bundesregierung / Jesco Denzel (Dr. Volker Wissing)

The responsibility now extends further, because in addition to its previous tasks, such as control strategies and toll procedures, the Federal Office will henceforth also act as a service provider in the field of logistics and mobility. The new title is intended to represent to the outside world what has long been part of everyday life.

The name change will result in a one-time „compliance expense“ of around 389,000 euros. Since the federal office has just far more tasks and is also with the humanitarian aid an important support, in order to survive exception situations as simply as possible, it is long time for this change, according to the ministry.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

 

Even in crisis situations, the Federal Office functions in various areas, the incidents of the recent past have also made this clear, Dr. Volker Wissing continued:
 

„The Federal Office for Goods Transport is doing a great job here. Within a very short time, we have set up a perfectly coordinated logistics chain to bring refugees from the Polish-Ukrainian border to Germany. At the same time, we are bringing aid supplies to Ukraine to provide for the people there. All these logistical issues are coordinated by the crisis team from Cologne. The team is on duty 14 hours a day – seven days a week. Here, we work hand in hand to help quickly, competently and effectively.
“

 

With the headquarters in Cologne, 11 branch offices and a branch office in Berlin, there are sufficient contact points for questions and concerns in the areas of trade, politics and the public.

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Umbrella term dangerous goods

In the field of transport and logistics, dangerous goods are substances, preparations and objects that contain ingredients which, due to their nature or properties - whether physical or chemical - or their condition during transport, may pose certain risks to public safety or order, in particular to the general public, important public goods, human life and health, animals and property, and which are to be classified as dangerous goods by law.

Placards in large print

Placards are square, diamond-shaped stickers for transporting dangerous goods and are attached standing on their tips. The colour and number of the hazard label usually indicates the class of dangerous goods. Placards are used to mark dangerous goods on trucks. For example, the colour and the pictogram provide rescue workers with information at first glance about the expected dangers at the accident site. Placards are subject to strict legal requirements that must be strictly adhered to when printing and affixing them.

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