After a two day competition involving 21 truck drivers from around the country the fuel miser winner has been announced. Steve Wastell of BLU Logistics has won the Australian final of the Volvo Trucks Drivers’ Fuel Challenge 2018.
Drivers had their fuel efficiency performance tracked throughout the Challenge using Dynafleet data, which reported precise real-time information and analysis of how they were performing throughout every minute of the drives. The field of 21 competitors was reduced to 12 drivers for the final on Day Two of the Challenge, which ultimately determined the overall winner.
The winning driver will now travel to Sweden in September where he will represent Australia in the global final, competing against drivers from 37 other countries around the world.
“The Drivers’ Fuel Challenge is an incredible event, it really makes you think hard about every part of your driving and draws on all of your truck driving experience and skill,” said Steve. “It’s also a great way to challenge the typical stereotype of truck drivers. There’s no doubting that this is a difficult course to navigate in the best of conditions, let alone while trying to get the most fuel efficient performance of the day.
“Australia has some of the best trucks drivers in the world, and we can only get better if we’re looking at our telematics and working out how to improve by driving with fuel efficiency in mind. Now I just can’t wait to get to Sweden and do Australia proud in the world finals.”
The Volvo Drivers’ Fuel Challenge has been running every year since 2012 and uses the Dynafleet app, which includes a Fuel Efficiency score, which measures how efficiently a truck has been driven. It calculates a scored based on driving style, not just fuel consumption, which makes the Fuel Efficiency score an effective way to compare trucks that perform different operations within a business.
The score consists of four separate scores that each has a value between one and 100. The four areas measured are speed adaptation, engine and gear utilisation, anticipation and braking, and standstill. The four scores are calculated based on data logged from the truck, which is analysed and weighted taking into account the type of operations the truck is used for, whether that be long haul, distribution or construction.
To obtain a Fuel Efficiency score, the trucks must have the Dynafleet Fuel and Environment service selected, be driven for at least 30 kilometres and had the engine running for at least 60 minutes during the selected time period.
“Safety and efficiency are at the very heart of what drives Volvo trucks, we know from research that a fuel-efficient driver is a safe driver. The Volvo Drivers’ Fuel Challenge demonstrates how vitally important it is for truck drivers to develop great skill and competency in managing fuel consumption,” said Mitch Peden, Vice-President Volvo Trucks Australia.
“This Challenge puts the drivers through their paces both on and off road to test their ability in gaining optimal fuel efficiency from a truck in differing conditions. Our trucks are designed with the best fuel efficiency features possible, however it’s ultimately up to the driver to achieve good performance.”