The City Logistics 2016 Driver of the Year (DOTY) doubled up this year from the successful 2015 event. The 2015 world-class driver championships at City Logistics only focused on 10 finalists from line-haul operations. This year distribution drivers were also included as a separate category and included 10 finalists – thus a total of 20 top City Logistics drivers competed in the 2016 national two-day DOTY.
A wise person made a pertinent comment that ‘People, not product or price, will create a future sustainable advantage.’ The hosting of the Driver of The Year (DOTY) competition once again, focusing on skill, knowledge and discipline makes so much sense when drivers have such an impact on the bottom line and where training will invest in a sustainable future.
The first day of the competition focused on an hour-long theoretical 35-question test followed by practical driving on Day Two for both line-haul and distribution drivers with differing skill-sets for each. Yonke Education & Training Solutions provided the independent scoring and umpiring
The winners on each category were:
Distribution
- 1st Winner – Ritesh Raghoobeer
- 2nd place – Nkanyiso Ngcobo
- 3rd place – Yogindhran Panjanathan
Linehaul
- 1st Winner – Lovemore Ncube
- 2nd place – Peter Manwononga
- 3rd place – Gilbert Chimvinga
The young executive team at City Logistics has proved to be effective and efficient. What makes the difference? It’s between doing the right things and doing things right!
- Effective logistical services are doing the right things for clearly identified customers in correctly chosen market segments with products and services matching the needs of those segments.
- And then efficient means doing things right in terms of business processes applicable to and suiting customers with logistical needs.
Today IT plays a huge role in trucking and logistics. The era of chrome-vanadium has moved into ‘Pentium chips’ and ‘Intel Inside’ and also belongs to younger people. Mercedes-Benz have recognised this with their on-board IT systems, FleetBoard in particular. All Mercedes-Benz Actros models are equipped with FleetBoard hardware. According to Rowlands Peters, National Sales Manager for FleetBoard/Driver Training at Mercedes-Benz South Africa, currently 70% of these systems are ‘live’ and in use.
Telematics is an effective tool
So what’s this got to do with a DOTY event? Everything! Using telematics effectively screens the driver pool to narrow down those who could enter and qualify as DOTY finalists.
The people backdrop at City Logistics consists of 3000 employees including 700 drivers who cover 50 million kilometres annually – 200 drivers are engaged in line-haul operations while 500 are involved in distribution. A saving of only one cent/kilometre at City Logistics contributes half-a-million Rand annually!
Suppliers are extensively involved in the 2016 City Logistics DOTY and very well signposted for their sponsorship. A ‘full’ bag of sponsors promotional gifts was also provided to each driver.
This event is now entrenched and anticipated as a City Logistics annual event – it raises the bar for standards and achievement in SA’s road transport industry. Congratulations to Anthony Naicker, City Logistics Transport Director, and his team.
But driving is much more than a hard skill – effective and efficient driving is the outcome of attitude. And good attitude is hard work all year round – no successful fleet operator can just rely on an annual DOTY to care for attitude. It comes from the top – management. Well done to the City Courier team!
By Dave Scott
