In Asia Pacific, the competition has grown since its inauguration in 2007 in South Korea. Setting the standard for fuel efficiency and competent driving, the competition has attracted more than 13,000 participants across the region. The 2015 edition will see the highest ever 13 participating countries.
“At Volvo Trucks, we strongly believe in fuel efficiency as a key factor in driving real and sustainable change globally for both the environment and businesses around the world,” said Christophe Martin, President of Volvo Trucks in Asia Oceania.
“The Fuelwatch Challenge reflects our ongoing mission to make fuel efficiency a means to drive progress and a way of life for ourselves, our drivers and our clients in their respective industries. Governed by this philosophy, we take tremendous pride in building exceptional trucks that have extremely low fuel consumption.
At the same time, we believe that a competent driver, one who is skilled in safety methods and fuel efficient driving is critically important to any operation. Collectively, they have a huge and direct impact on reducing operating costs and achieving greater fuel savings for companies.
For this reason, through the Fuelwatch Challenge held every year, Volvo Trucks is committed to providing competence development efforts for drivers in the form of educational and training opportunities to sharpen their driving skills, fuel efficiency and environmental consciousness,” he continued.
The competition serves as a valuable platform that provides an accessible and attractive way for drivers to pick up fuel-efficient driving skills which have a positive, far-reaching and long term impact on businesses’ bottom-line and the environment. With an averagesized haulage business in Asia spending up to half its operating cost on fuel, every drop
saved really counts and cultivating a fleet of fuel-efficient drivers would thus go a long way. According to Volvo Trucks, skilled drivers can actually reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent which translates to significant savings in the long run.
“The Fuelwatch Challenge has been a really exciting, eye opening experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet drivers from many other countries, learn from them and exchange tips about safety and fuel-saving driving techniques.
I think being a good driver isn’t just about winning the challenge but it’s a lifelong journey that doesn’t stop just because the competition has ended. Till today, what I learnt helps me to do my job better in terms of safe and fuel efficient driving on a daily basis,” shared Houliang Liu from China, first runner-up from the 2014 Fuelwatch Challenge.
As the global leader in sustainable transport solutions, Volvo Trucks’ broader, long term commitment is to drive real progress across the world from individual drivers to customers, businesses, society at large and the natural environment. Ultimately, the Fuelwatch Challenge is not just a competition but an embodiment of this approach. With thousands of participating drivers competing, learning and training hard to be more fuel efficient, Volvo Trucks is gearing up to make a positive and exponential impact that goes far beyond the competition itself.
