The Fuelwatch Challenge 2016 by Volvo Trucks has found its champion.
Zulkifli Saad, who hails from Penang and who works with Prifaria Sdn Bhd, was crowned the champion by clocking 2.83km with just 1 liter of fuel while carrying a load of 20 tonnes in an FM 440 with iShift.
He posted a time of 1:07 minutes during the driving challenge covering a total of 40km.
He will be making his way to the Fuelwatch Challenge 2016 Asia Pacific in Sweden next month.
The 38-year-old also took home a BSN voucher worth RM5,000 and other exclusive Volvo goodies.
“Winning Fuelwatch Challenge is undoubtedly the highlight of my career behind the wheel,” said Zulkifli.
“I have been training hard for this competition, especially on means of conserving fuel, but I don’t think I would have done so well without the advice and knowledge provided by our champion mentors.”
Last year’s champion Nor Rahmat Abd Talib, Ahmad Othman (Champion from 2014) and Zamri Abd Rahman (Champion from 2013) shared their know-how and experience with the 19 semifinalists a day prior to the event and after, mentoring them on the best ways to tackle the competition’s driving and fuel efficiency tests.
Their expert tips and tricks paid off in spades for winner Zulkifli.
Zulkifli added, however, that his win had placed a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
“There has never been a Malaysian winner at the final, but I hope to be the one that flies our flag high,” he said.
“I would also like to share the knowledge and skills I’ve picked up with others to help them understand that a fuel-efficient driver is one of the most important factors for both the environment and a company’s economy.”
Second place went to Norhadima Umar from Megah Transport Sdn Bhd who drove 2.76km using 1 liter of fuel.
He won a RM3,000 BSN voucher and a Challenge trophy while Samsudin Abdul Hamid from MISC Integrated Logisctic Sdn Bhd who placed third, won a RM2,000 BSN voucher and a similar trophy.
He registered 2.69km using 1 liter of fuel.
The respective companies won a year’s subscription to Dynafleet, Volvo’s very own fleet management system.
As with its six previous editions, this year’s Challenge looked to increase awareness on the importance of fuel efficiency, promote greater sustainability and lessen environmental impact.
Fuelwatch Challenge 2016 saw over 36% increase in participation, with over 50% of contestants returning again to test their mettle.
It also saw participants using Volvo’s proprietary Dynafleet Management, an online fleet management system introduced locally in 2015.
Aimed at improving fuel efficiency, producing better vehicle utilization and reducing administration, Dynafleet allows transportation-based companies to manage their fleet of trucks efficiently and easily.
The subscription-based telematics solution streamlines the planning and execution of transport assignments to give companies the opportunity to gauge fleet and driver performance, measure fuel consumption, track location and communicate with individual trucks and drivers via a user-friendly app.
Drivers, meanwhile, benefit from the reports generated by the system which enables their companies to highlight development areas as well as tailor make trainings for them.
“The Volvo Fuelwatch Challenge has continuously become a key platform that educates drivers, fleet managers, customers and other stakeholders about the importance of good driving practices. This year, the Fuelwatch Challenge was different from previous years because drivers were competing in Volvo Trucks fitted with Dynafleet, Volvo’s fleet management system. The system was used to gauge the fuel efficiency of the drivers during the competition. We’ve also a safety campaign with the aim to create awareness among truck drivers and other road users, about the importance of blind spots, especially in the presence of large trucks,” said Law Ah Tiong, Vice President, After Market, Volvo Trucks Malaysia.
The Fuelwatch Challenge, which receives strong support from Road Transport Department (JPJ), was first introduced to Asia Pacific in Korea in 2007 and to date has seen over 15,000 participants picking up fuel-efficient driving skills, information and technical know-how.
