23 countries compete for the title of the World’s Most Fuel-Efficient Driver
A total of 23 drivers from almost the same number of countries will be taking part in Volvo Trucks’ Global Drivers’ Fuel Challenge Final next Friday, September 19th.
They will be competing against each other to find out who can drive most fuel-efficiently. The competition is the only one of its kind which is open to all drivers, regardless of the make of truck they drive.
From the initial 11,000 drivers, 20 of the 23 finalist are named on the on their website (http://www.driversfuelchallenge.com/#thefinalists) with three more to be added from the Asia Pacific region.
There are no Irish drivers in the 20 named but Tommy Walton represents the UK. He is aged 51 years with 21 years driving experience. He won the Volvo Trucks Driver Challenge 2014 and drives for Containerships UK (Ltd) out of Teesport.
Tommy was one of four that qualified to compete in the final, which came at the end of the twenty-nine week long competition that began in February. One hundred and thirty drivers from across the UK and Ireland took part in the competition which focused on improving driver behaviour. Tommy now goes on to compete in the Drivers’ Challenge Global Final to represent the UK and Ireland, which will take place next Friday in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“In the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge we want to highlight the fact that the driver can play a decisive role by adopting a more fuel-efficient driving behaviour. We also know that this is technical skill which all drivers can learn and which will save haulage companies a lot of money in the long-term,” says Vesna Jovic, project manager for the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge at Volvo Trucks.
The 23 finalists were selected after several tough qualifying rounds held throughout the world during this spring and summer.During the competition the drivers will be assessed on the basis of four different criteria, all of which influence fuel consumption. These include driving and braking, the use of the engine and gearbox and the ability to meet deadlines and to follow traffic regulations. All the drivers will be competing in brand-new Volvo FH trucks equipped with I-Shift automated gearboxes.
