In the process, Ngilo qualified to represent South Africa in the global Extra Mile Challenge competition that will take place in Japan in November 2016. The event at UD Trucks headquarters in Ageo, Japan, will see drivers from various markets compete in the recently-launched Quester range to determine the champion.
“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.”
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.
Apart from the driving tests, the drivers also had to perform some challenging handling and parking tests, where accuracy and efficiency were the 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.
UD Trucks’ versatile Quester range is specifically aimed at developing markets and is ideally suited to industry segments like agriculture, forestry and paper, public utilities, building and construction, mining and petrochemical. The model range is on the forefront of UD Trucks’ global aspirations of being a modern smart truck supplier, which excels on the essentials while retaining its inherent Japanese heritage.
UD Extra Mile Challenge 2016 top three:
1. Alfred Ngilo – Clover
2. Pinki Chuduku - Vital Distribution
3. Khumalo Vusumusi - Shoprite
