The final round of the inaugural Scania Driver Competitions South East Asia 2016-2017 (SDC) was held recently at MAEPS, in Serdang and saw some stiff competition between 19 Scania truck and bus drivers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore. This is the first SDC that is truly regional as prior to this, it was only a Malaysia and Singapore affair. This makes things pretty interesting with added competitors and a chance to be crowned regional champion!
So anyway, this SDC 2016-2017 finals saw the truck drivers competiting with a Scania G410LA6x2MSZ attached to a 20ft container trailer whilst the bus drivers get to drive the Scania Marcopolo K410IB4x2 coach. Both truck and bus drivers had their skills tested through a series of timed maneuvering tests. Here, the drivers had to complete the 'Knock the Cone' precision test and the ' Boardwalk' obstacle test.
But for the 19 finalists who managed to get this far the journey began in 2016 where over 1,000 drivers from the countries mentioned herein went through the elimination rounds that tested their knowledge on road transport laws and regulations, alternative fuels, fuel efficient & safe driving, load securing, occupational risks & health and emergency procedures. So being at the SDC finals is an achievement for many of them. I personally know of Malaysian drivers who have competed in this competition twice.
According to Managing Director of Scania Southeast Asia, Marie Sjodin Enstrom, there has been increasing interest in the SDC and that this competition is also a catalyst in getting heavy commercial drivers to upgrade their skills and that basically means safer drivers which ultimately lead to safe driving conditions for all road users. The techniques learnt will also help drivers get better fuel economy for their vehicles, which is always a good thing for vehicle operators too.
This round of the SDC was sponsored by Michelin Malaysia Sdn Bhd who provided all the tyres used in the competition. SDC was also supported by Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya (JKJR or Road Safety Department), the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and the Embassy of Sweden.
Now, the SDC 2016-2017 champion in the truck category was Sareswaran Srues A/L Ram of Air Products Sdn Bhd from Malaysia. He received RM10,000 in cash, a challenge trophy and a certificate. Second went to Wong Yih Chien of Transworld International Pte Ltd from Singapore and third, Kukuh Hendrawan of PT Semen Gresik from Indonesia.
The bus category was won by Law Cheok Gheen of Zulco Sdn Bhd from Malaysia who received RM10,000 in cash, a challenge trophy and a certificate. The case of Mr Law is quite unique as he is actually part of the company's management rather than a daily bus driver. He does trains the drivers and I suppose now he has a win to back his credentials after this.
Second place went to Soe Naing of Aung Kyaw Moe Express of Myanmar and third place went to Rahman Khan bin Abdul Karim of Singapore Ducktours from Singapore. The companies that the first place winners represented were also given services vouchers totaling approximately RM5,000.
Aside from the above, Scania also announced the winners of their recent Facebook photo contest (photo above) and they also provided test drives of their Scania G410 Prime Mover complete with trailer, a Scania Macropolo coach and the Scania RAPID KL MRT Bus. I managed a drive in the MRT Bus as I have actually already tried out the easy to drive G410 as well as the Marcopolo coach at the last SDC in 2015 (you can read about them here actually).
As for more about this year's SDC, you can see below that we've made a VLOG of the event where it also shows some bits of the MRT Bus drive we did. Watch it for some moving pictures. More photos and the official press release after that.
7 August 2017
Malaysians Sweep The Top Driver Awards At Inaugural
Scania Driver Competitions Southeast Asia 2016-2017
Since 2003 more than 350,000 truck drivers in nearly 50 countries have participated
in Scania Driver Competitions (SDC) – the world’s largest truck and bus driving event
– that focuses on increasing road-safety awareness, improving fuel consumption and
minimising the environmental impact of commercial vehicles.
The final driving skills round of the inaugural SDC Southeast Asia 2016-2017 (SDC-
SEA) edition recently held in Malaysia saw 19 drivers from Indonesia, Malaysia,
Myanmar, the Philippines and Singapore competing for the prestigious title and it was
the Malaysians who took the coveted top driver titles.
The bus category was won by Law Cheok Gheen of Zulco Sdn Bhd from Malaysia
who received RM10,000 in cash, a Challenge Trophy and certificate.
Law, who said he was very happy to receive the award from such a high-level
competition, also trains the drivers in the company where he is a manager.
“I need to know the actual situations that the drivers face, to have the proposer
mindset, so this win adds to my credibility and closes the gap for me both as a trainer
and a manager when I advise them on how to be safer and more cost efficient.”
The truck category was won by Sarveswaren Srues A/L Ram of Air Products Sdn
Bhd, also from Malaysia, who received RM10,000 in cash, a Challenge Trophy and
certificate.
Describing his win as a huge surprise, Sarveswaren said he really did not expect to
win but is thrilled that he did.
“What I learned from this competition is the importance of being focused when being
inside a vehicle and on the road, to be aware to be aware of your surroundings and
also plan or strategize your journey. It has definitely made me understand and
appreciate the importance of safe driving.”
The objective of the Scania Driver Competitions is to elevate the status and prestige
of heavy commercial vehicle drivers by recognising the true heroes – the drivers
themselves. This inaugural regional edition is more demanding than the local editions
previously held, as it has been made more challenging for the 19 finalists with
tougher rules and scenarios.
Out on the roads, the competency of the drivers is even more important today in
overcoming the many challenges the transport industry is facing hence the theme of
this year’s competition – Face the Challenge!
The truck drivers were tested using a Scania G410LA6x2MSZ attached to a trailer
carrying a 20ft container, while the bus drivers were in the Scania Marcopolo
K410IB4x2 coach. During the competition, their abilities were tested through a series
of timed maneuvering tasks – the ‘Knock the Cone’ precision test and ‘Boardwalk’
obstacle test.
Enrolment for the competition began in 2016 and more than 1,000 drivers from all
over the region initially went through elimination rounds that tested their knowledge of
road transport laws and regulations, alternative fuels, fuel-efficient and safe driving,
load securing, occupational risks and health, and emergency procedures.
“We have seen an increasing interest in the SDC and that is a good indication that it
has been a catalyst in getting heavy commercial vehicle drivers to upgrade their skills
and that means safer drivers, safer conditions for all road users and better fuel
economy for operators,” said Marie Sjödin Enström, Managing Director of Scania
Southeast Asia.
Being at the finals of the SDC is one of the ultimate achievements for many of the
experienced drivers as the competition also a represents the professionalism
required in the industry.
SDC is sponsored by Michelin (M) Sdn Bhd, and supported by Jabatan Keselamatan
Jalan Raya (JKJR), Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Jabatan
Pengangkutan Jalan Malaysia (JPJ) and Embassy of Sweden.
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