The contest re-emphasised the importance of fuel efficiency and driver productivity
 “Fuel efficiency and vehicle productivity are the most critical aspects of fleet operation and profitability. At Volvo, special emphasis is given to superior driving skills because it plays an important role in achieving better fuel efficiency and profitability for our mining customers where fuel accounts for over 50 per cent operating costs,” said Rama Rao A S, Senior Vice President, Volvo Trucks, VECV.
Volvo Truck Fuelwatch competition is pioneering in commercial vehicle industry and is one of its’ kind in the country. The finals of sixth edition of the competition was flagged off by Rajeshwar Reddy, General Manager Mines, SCCL, Yellandu and Vikram Reddy, Owner, S V Engineering Constructionat JKOC-5, Yellandu, Singareni Collieries, Kothagudem in Telangana.
15 drivers out of the 25 nominations from 39 Volvo’s key customers after rigorous evaluations and 13 regional competitions across the country got a chance to participate in the India final of the competition. The competition conducted over duration of 3 months was the ultimate test for Volvo drivers to achieve highest fuel-efficiency in the real life driving conditions for the off-road applications. The competition was organised by Volvo Trucks to bring out the importance of the skills of a driver that play a critical role in driving high performance Volvo Tippers to achieve higher efficiency and productivity, which results in better profitability for fleet operators and eventually creates a huge positive impact on the environment with reduced emissions.
The purpose of Volvo Truck’s India Fuelwatch is to promote both the financial and environmental advantages of fuel-efficient driving. Fuelwatch competitions aim to acknowledge and reward drivers, who are central to minimising fuel consumption.
The finals of India Fuelwatch 2015 were conducted from 7th to 9th June where P Ravi, driver from S V Engineering Constructions, was adjudged the winner followed by Kameshwar Rao of Mahalaxmi Infracontracts as the first runner-up and D Ganapathi of Sushee Infra as the second runner-up.
“Difference in fuel consumption between the highest and lowest fuel efficient driver this year was a whopping 15.4 per cent which emphasises the point that a good driver can make a lot of difference,” Volvo Trucks said. The winner and runners-up were felicitated at the customer meet organised on 18th June in Bengaluru to highlight and sensitise them on the benefits of this initiative. The winner will now move on to compete in the Volvo’s Asia Fuel Watch Competition held at Bangkok, Thailand.