On December 6, 2022, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (CCIA-BML), TECHLOG project partner in Lebanon, conducted a roundtable discussion on road freight transport (trucks). Ten people attended the Roundtable, including shipping and fleet managers, as well as various logistics specialists.

The major goals of the conversation were to start an open dialogue about the firms' innovative requirements and difficulties in the Lebanese land transport sector. In addition to identifying the numerous obstacles in the logistics sector and the funding mechanisms for producing the essential tools (simulators) that may benefit this sector. Participants discussed strategies and opportunities to support and promote specific research and innovative programs.

Beirut Chamber presented TECHLOG simulators driving lab project to provide Truck Drivers training sessions and Road Safety awareness within the Chamber Simulators Lab at the conference. The discussions centered on the following topics: Operating and Management Plan (the Cross Border Open Lab, Literature Review, Governance, and Methodology), Road Safety Challenges in Lebanon, Enhancement of Safe Driving: Research Projects and Innovative Tools, and Logistics Management.

The Roundtable also included a visit to CCIABML's TECHLOG Mini Lab for Truck Simulators training. The High Council for Road Safety, the AUB, and the operators struck an agreement on truck driver training. It will include both a theoretical (presentations and discussions on road safety and the necessity of following traffic regulations) and a practical (hands-on) component (where truck drivers will have the opportunity to try the Tech-log simulator). It is vital to emphasize that this training should be conducted with the understanding that the truck drivers invited are experienced and may, as a result, reject the ideas made if they are not presented carefully and considerately.

Several suggestions and recommendations were made at the Roundtable to improve road safety, including the cost of GPS versus its applicability in real life, challenges with the law (no current law enforcement, which causes more chaos), challenges with cross-border regulations (with Syria and Jordan), awareness training for truck drivers, and allowing truck drivers to try the simulator for additional knowledge. Participants agreed on the basic framework of driver training to increase their awareness to road safety circumstances and needs.

On these foundations, the partners have decided to create and ratify an agreement in the upcoming period, which will contain the targeted categories of trainees, training content (lectures and practices), and a projected timeframe.