DRIVER TRAINING
Emirates Motor Company Commercial Vehicles
(EMC CV), the authorized general distributor
of Daimler Commercial Vehicles in Abu Dhabi
and a member of AlFahim Group, organized the
UAE’s fi rst Mercedes-Benz Fleetboard Driving
Championship in collaboration with Daimler
Commercial Vehicles Middle East.
The competition, which is designed to
recognize truck drivers and award individuals
with the best driving skills, attracted EMC CV’s
largest Fleetboard clients in Abu Dhabi Western
Bainoona Group (WBG), Tristar Engineering
and Construction, Al Falah Holdings and
Transgulf Readymix.
The UAE Fleetboard Driving Championship
kicked off in February 2019 with an initial 800
drivers competing in four clusters, and only 18
drivers were shortlisted to compete in the fi nal
qualifi cation round in three categories.
Fleets and drivers were clustered into
diff erent operational segments, namely Actros
Classic and the new Actros – both tractor/
trailer operation (medium to long distance);
and Actros Classic and new Arocs – both
tipper/mixer operation.
EMC CV and Daimler Commercial Vehicles
MENA judged the competition with driver
ratings based purely on overall grading from
Fleetboard performance analysis. The top two
drivers per cluster then went head-to-head in
the fi nal event which was divided into three
main categories:
Category 1 – 25 kilometer drive (weighted 60
EMIRATES MOTOR COMPANY AND DAIMLER
CV ORGANIZE UAE’S FIRST MERCEDES-BENZ
FLEETBOARD DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
Finalists (above) and winners (below) of the Mercedes-Benz Fleetboard Driving Championship.points)
Category 2 – Alley dock reverse exercise
with semi-trailer rated on quickest time and
accuracy (weighted 20 points)
Category 3 – Straight reverse, accuracy
braking and stopping closest to multiple
designated points, and driving over off -set
of cones with front RHS wheel (weighted 20
points).
The winners were Sugraj Singh Parshotan
from Al Falah Holding, Wajid Ali from Tristar
Engineering and Construction, Adam Khel,
from Wester Bainoona Group and Abdul
Hameed from Transgulf Readymix.
Bilal Al Ribi, general manager of EMC CV,
said: “We organized this championship for the
fi rst time in the UAE to honor truck drivers
and the entire industry with the attention
and exposure they deserve. I congratulate
all the winners and thank Daimler
Commercial Vehicles Middle East for their
leading contribution which has ensured theresounding success of the competition.”
“EMC CV is the largest Fleetboard
Mercedes-Benz distributor in the MENA
region and is constantly involved in
community-driven activities. Our association
with the Mercedes-Benz Fleetboard Driving
Championship will allow us to continue
attaining the highest levels of customer
satisfaction, while strengthening our
relationship with clients in Abu Dhabi,” he
added.
Johannes Faatz, head of business
development, Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Daimler
Commercial Vehicles MENA, added: “We
have been organizing this activity in Europe
for the last decade, and this is the fi rst year
we bring it to Abu Dhabi, UAE with EMC
CV. The Mercedes-Benz Fleetboard Driving
Championship provides the perfect platform
for drivers to showcase their talents. I thank
all the drivers and the esteemed corporations
that encouraged their teams to participate.”12 FRONT END
PLANT / MACHINERY / VEHICLES AUGUST 2019 http://www.pmvmiddleeast.com