A good driver can make a lot of difference? and that is what the India Fuelwatch, a competition organised by Volvo Trucks try to focus on. In the sixth edition of the competition P Ravi from S V Engineering Constructions was adjudged the winner; and the difference in fuel consumption between the highest and lowest fuel efficient driver was a whopping 15.4 per cent!

Fuelwatch competition in commercial vehicle industry, one of its? kind in the country, was conceptualised with a major objective of promoting both the financial and environmental advantages of fuel-efficient driving. It aims to acknowledge and reward drivers, who are central to minimising fuel consumption.

According to AS Rao, Senior Vice President, Volvo Trucks, VECV, fuel efficiency and vehicle productivity are the most critical aspects of fleet operation and profitability. Rao says ?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.?

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 Construction at JKOC-5, Yellandu, Singareni Collieries, Kothagudem in Telangana. Fifteen 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 three 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.

Kameshwar Rao of Mahalaxmi Infracontracts was adjudged the first runner-up and D Ganapathi of Sushee Infra, the second runner-up. The winner and runners ups were felicitated at the customer meet organised to highlight and sensitise them on the benefits of this initiative. The winner now moves on to compete in the Volvo?s Asia Fuel Watch Competition held at Bangkok, Thailand.