The search is on to find South Africa’s best truck driver, and with the second annual Highway Heroes campaign officially launced last week, Regent Commercial Vehicle Insurance will again be honouring the contribution made by fleet owners and truck drivers alike. The campaign recognises and awards those truck drivers that display the best driver behaviour in their day-to-day duties.
“Truck drivers play an invaluable role in sustaining South Africa’s economy. Ctrack wishes to highlight our commitment to them through once more providing our advanced telematics technology to aid in the adjudication process of Regent’s Highway Heroes driver campaign,” said Hein Jordt, MD of Ctrack Fleet Management Solutions.
During the launch held in Sandton, Regent Insurance paid tribute to last year’s winner, Themba Vilakazi, lauding him as an exceptional driver and reliable employee with an exemplary safety record. In an official statement, Regent Insurance reiterated that truck drivers like Vilakazi are one of the many reasons why South Africans are able to live the life they do. According to the statement, “truck drivers like Vilakazi safely transport everything we need from yoghurt to medical supplies, come rain or shine. If they stop, so does our nation.”
Vilakazi, who has over 15 years’ driving experience, received the prestigious award, winning R50 000 in cash and prizes.
For this year’s competition, fleet owners will nominate their truck drivers and explain why they believe their driver to be the best in the country. Drivers will be evaluated by way of a stringent analysis of driving techniques and behaviour via telematics data obtained from the fleet owner. The finalists will be put to the test, with Ctrack providing driving behaviour measurement which will contribute in determining the winner of this year’s campaign.
Last year, Ctrack was fitted to the trucks of all the finalists, measuring elements such as manoeuvring, speeds and distances travelled. These were then monitored by the Regent Bureau for 60 days.
Entry into the competition will close on 31 July 2016, after which drivers will be measured over a 60 day telematics assessment obtained from a Ctrack telematics device installed in the trucks of the top 10 finalists. Winners will be announced in November 2016.
“Ctrack’s support led to great results last year in not only helping fleet owners to study their drivers’ behaviour, but also to determine what other aspects of fleet management they can focus on, such as efficient fuel consumption. We look forward to being a part of this great initiative again,” concluded Jordt.
The winning driver will receive R75 000 in cash and prizes, while the runners-up will receive prizes worth R40 000 and R20 000 respectively. Fleet owners who nominate their best truck drivers stand a chance to win a reward and recognition prize worth R25 000 for their business should their truck driver be crowned the 2016 Regent Highway Hero.
Nominated truck drivers will also be entered into monthly random draws, and they stand a chance to win Regent branded promotional items.
Fleet owners can nominate their best truck drivers by completing an online entry form or by downloading it on www.regentrisksolutions.co.za , completing and e-mailing the entry form to highwayheroes@regent.co.za.
