Sep 12, 2022 #ThankYouTrucker, Leanne Sebastian, IVECO SA, David Mashiane, Donald Mthokozisi Mbokazi, Jeffrey Maja, Enoch Mokoena, Luticia Smith
And the finalists for #ThankYouTrucker are …
A shortlist of five top truck drivers for the #ThankYouTrucker competition have been announced.
The public now have an opportunity to cast their votes for their favourite driver. The winner will receive R50 000, the runner up R10 000 and the third placed driver R5 000.
#ThankYouTrucker is a prestigious award given to an exceptional truck driver. A record number of entries was received for this year’s awards. “The selection committee was faced with a very challenging, but uplifting task,” says Leanne Sebastian, Communication and Brand Specialist at IVECO SA, organisers of the competition, in partnership with the Road Freight Association. “Our country’s drivers have incredible stories to tell – of determination, bravery and dedication.”
The five shortlisted drivers are:
David Mashiane – Imperial - A passionate heavy goods driver who has experience in transporting numerous dangerous goods in a number of countries across Africa, David has maintained an excellent driver’s score card. He has been accident and incident free for the last seven years and serves as a role-model to other drivers. While on the road, recently David saved a little child’s life in Zimbabwe – thanks to his clear thinking, pro-active assessment and defensive driving skills.
Donald Mthokozisi Mbokazi - Crossroads - Since joining the company in 2012, David has proven to be a stalwart employee and an inspiring mentor to newly-recruited drivers. He is a top performer with zero incidents and exceptional KPI track records. After being hospitalised in 2016 for a severe lung disease, Donald quit smoking and developed a much healthier lifestyle. Four years later, he suffered another blow: he lost his hearing in one ear and now uses hearing aids. Not even these setbacks or the recent challenges of COVID-19, the floods, protest action and riots in KwaZulu-Natal, have deterred David from performing at his peak and leading his team.
Jeffrey Maja - GEO Group - Jeff’s story is a remarkable one. Forced by circumstances to leave school at the age of 16 in order to take care of his mother and siblings, he started doing piece work as a gardener. His hard work and determination was recognised by one of his employers and Jeffrey was promoted and trained to become a driver. He worked his way up the company and now holds both a code 10 and code 14 driver’s licence. Dependable and able to overcome any obstacle thrown at him, Jeffrey also has remarkable capabilities and experience when it comes to off-road driving. He always goes the extra mile and has a natural affinity for driving “his” truck.
Enoch Mokoena - Transvaal Heavy Transport (THT) - Enoch started his career at THT 45 years ago, at the age of 21, and will be retiring in December 2022. He is part of the THT family and has grown with the company, every step of the way. Described as “an astonishing gentleman and driver”, Enoch has hardly any incidents on his file. He drives with caution and operates his vehicle like he owns it. He is a specialised driver who recently, at the age of 71, transported a 30m long overhead crane on his extendable steerable axle trailer - without a fuss. Enoch has literally driven millions of kilometers all over Southern Africa in his career. He is easy to talk to, is hands on with the loading and offloading processes and definitely not shy to raise his concerns, whether it is about the load or his vehicle's performance.
Luticia Smith - Act Logistics - Described as a” firecracker of a driver” and a “legend”, Luticia has had to overcome several major challenges – including breast cancer. She has always had a passion for courier and logistics - her father was a well-known courier driver in the Cape Town area for over 30 years. In 2018, whilst being employed at ACT Logistics for a little over two months, Luticia received the devastating news that she had stage 3 breast cancer, requiring intense chemotherapy and an urgent mastectomy. Despite her circumstances, Luticia goes the extra mile, and undertakes her work with professionalism and finesse. Managing unmanageables and soldiering through pain – nothing will stop this lady!
Vote now for your favourite drivers at www.thankyoutrucker.co.za. Voting closes on 28 September 2022.
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