(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Volvo Trucks, a leading manufacturer of heavy commercial vehicles, hosted this year's Volvo Trucks Driver Challenge 2019 in Qatar last month, inviting the nation's best drivers to the 'ultimate test of skills.
Twenty-two of Qatar's best truck drivers from different companies competed in this year's challenge to get a chance to win a tailor-made trip to Sweden with an exclusive visit to Volvo's production facility, the Volvo Museum and the Volvo Trucks Experience Centre.
This year's first place winner was Marvin Addatu Valdez from Byrne Equipment Rental, followed by Sheik Mohamed Sheik Dawood from Tokyo Freight Services in second place and Khalid Abdelazim Osman from Gulf Construction Machinery in third place.
The aim of the Volvo Trucks Driver Challenge was to put the driver in focus and reinforce the importance of skilled and competent drivers, Domasco, the exclusive distributor of Volvo Trucks in Qatar, said in a statement.
The drivers were scored based on different areas that represent three of Volvo's main pillars: fuel efficiency, productivity and safety.
Drivers play a major role in the fuel economy equation. The driver's control over how he starts or stops, the speed he travels at and the amount of time he spends using cruise control all help determine the truck's fuel consumption, Domasco explains.
'While we aim to build trucks with low fuel consumption, we believe it is equally important to have fuel-efficient drivers, said Faisal Sharif, managing director at Domasco.
When it comes to productivity, the driver makes all the difference with his driving skills, precision and competence. Volvo trucks 'have always tried to support the truck drivers in order to maximise efficiency by providing the latest technical innovations such as the Volvo FMX that focuses on manoeuvring skills, the statement notes.
'Safety has always been Volvo's top priority. To ensure the safety of all, a skilled and attentive driver is needed. The Volvo Trucks Driver Challenge assesses the driver's attentiveness and precision based on a set of checkpoints and rules, added Sharif.
The Volvo Trucks Driver Challenge 2019 in Qatar highlighted challenges that the nation's truck drivers face daily. The skills of the drivers are often the decisive factor in the productivity, profitability and safety of an organisation. This yearly challenge helps gain insights to make sure that Volvo is always providing the best for its drivers, the statement adds.
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