Calling all South African truck drivers! Here’s your chance to be a World Champion in the arena of fuel efficient truck driving.
Since 2009, Volvo Trucks has run a global competition called the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge which has been open to all professional truck drivers from around the world irrespective of the truck brand they drive. The popularity of the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge has grown since its inception and the most recent global competition – in 2011 – attracted around 3 600 participants from 22 countries.
Now, for the first time ever, the competition has been opened to South African truck drivers and the winner is guaranteed a spot in the World Final where 25 of the world’s most fuel-efficient drivers will participate in Volvo’s hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden on September 19th, 2014.
“Fuel cost is a heavy burden for most haulage companies. However, an improved driving style can result in considerable cost savings. With the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge, we want to highlight this fact and encourage truck drivers to adopt a more fuel-efficient way of driving,” says Philip Phasha, project manager for the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge 2014 in South Africa.
FleetWatch fully supports this competition for we have stated in the past that until South Africa introduces ‘clean’ fuel which will allow manufacturers to bring in the new technology trucks on a wide scale (Euro 5 and Euro 6 specced trucks), the best contribution the trucking industry can make to reducing harmful emission is via fuel efficient driving. The less fuel we use, the less the emissions. Not only does this benefit the environment but also a company’s bottom line.
Unfortunately, however, the reality is that in South Africa, the general practise is ‘voet-in-die-hoek’ and go like the klappers to increase trip times and trip frequencies. We need to change this culture for the potential benefits of driving in a fuel-efficient way are considerable. Volvo Trucks’ own research shows that by using accredited services for individual follow-ups on fuel consumption, together with driver training, it is possible to reduce fuel consumption by around 10 percent. Of course, road safety also comes into the picture for it has been proved that fuel efficient drivers are safer drivers.
The Drivers’ Fuel Challenge participants will not only be tested in actual fuel consumption but also in fuel-affecting driver behaviour such as anticipation, braking as well as engine and gearbox utilisation. It will all be done in realistic conditions in which the drivers have to maintain productivity and where they also need to show that they use the truck in a safe and responsible way.
The South African rounds will take place on the following Saturdays: May 24th in Cape Town; June 7th in Durban and June 14th in Johannesburg. The national competition will be held on June 21st and will take place in Johannesburg. Registration is open from now until March 30, 2014.
To register, send an email with your name, surname, email address, company name, telephone number, as well as a copy of your PrDP license to Info.MarketingSA@volvo.com.
Go for it guys. Let’s show the world what we’re made of.
