AUTOFORUM

UD names the top SA driver

Aug 30, 2016 Volvo, UDTrucks, SouthAfrica, HeavyDuty, Trucking, Economy, ExtraMileChallenge

UD Trucks Southern Africa recently announced the winner of annual its Extra Mile Challenge driver competition.

KZN local Alfred Ngilo took top honours out of the 21 participants, and was named the most efficient and productive driver after a day of evaluations and challenges at the Gerotek Vehicle Testing Facility.

Ngilo has therefore also qualified to represent South Africa in the global Extra Mile Challenge competition. That event will take place in Japan in November 2016 at UD Trucks' headquarters in Ageo, and will see drivers from various markets compete in the recently-launched Quester range.

“With our brand promise of Going the Extra Mile in mind, we put the challenge to our fleet customers to see whose driver would become the best of the best,” said Gert Swanepoel, Acting Vice President of UD Trucks Southern Africa. “Truck drivers play such a vital role in the success of any fleet company and in the country’s economy, so it is a privilege to recognise and celebrate these valuable skills in this manner.”

In the SA finals, drivers - all using the same UD Quester construction models - were put through their paces in various challenges that measured revenue generated, fuel efficiency, uptime and maintenance costs, as well as safe driving skills. Drivers first had to complete a pre-drive inspection on the vehicles to ensure the roadworthiness and safety of the trucks. The participants also had to perform some challenging handling and parking tests, where accuracy and efficiency were key to success. UD Trucks’ experts continuously evaluated each team out on the various tracks, and once the course was completed, technicians downloaded and scored the drivers’ fuel efficiency and driving styles according to information retrieved from the trucks’ on-board telematics system.

“The results of the Extra Mile Challenges has bolstered our belief in the level of driving skills available in South Africa. We wish Alfred every success with the global competition in November, we are with you every step of the way,” said Swanepoel.

UD Extra Mile Challenge 2016 Results are as follows:

Alfred Ngilo – Clover

Pinki Chuduku - Vital Distribution

Khumalo Vusumusi - Shoprite