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Past Issues

July 2005

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Any effort that goes towards recognizing and uplifting the standards of our truck drivers get the full support of FleetWatch. In this respect, we lift our hats to Engen for what they are doing for their drivers via the FormulaE Distribution Awards programme which includes a tough driving competition writes Patrick O'Leary.

The crème-de-la-crème of Engen's artic and rigid truck drivers gathered at Kyalami to do battle to find the best of the best. The winner of the articulated category was Paul Turner from Engen's Cape Town terminal who displayed his exceptional driving skills during the track tests.

It is well known that oil companies throughout the world set high standards when it comes to the professionalism of their truck drivers. In fact, it has been said that if you measure your company's drivers against oil company standards, you'll be aiming for the top. 

Given the fact that an on-the-road spill, or worse, a huge tanker explosion resulting from a road accident or some other mishap is about the worst publicity 'exercise' any petrochemical company can wish for, it is perhaps no wonder that such focused attention is given to ensuring professional driving standards are in place. I'd prefer, however, to think that there's more to it than that - and there is as Llewellyn Snyman, Engen's fleet operations manager explains.

"Since the Engen transport team reintroduced tachograph analysis with Datafos in April 2004, we have seen a marked improvement in driving performance from a national average of 82% in April 2004 to 92% in March 2005. In this period, 27 of our bulk truck operators have become members of our exclusive Club 600 by achieving six consecutive 100% scores.

According to Snyman, this was the "spark" that ignited the concept of FormulaE. "It's the formula for success, the formula to increase performance, the formula to energise staff and the formula for safety and quality," he says. The programme also, of course, offers management the opportunity to recognise in a special way the expertise and loyalty of the team of bulk drivers and the depots from which they operate.
 

Engen's fleet operations manager Llewellyn Snyman (right) checks the leader-board with scorekeeper Jaco Henning.

IT looks so simply to drive but you need a high degree of professional skill to operate this rig.

Prior to the introduction of the FormulaE programme, Engen did have in place the Club 600 as well as DOTY competition but the new look programme is now also linked to a Depot of the Year programme. The goals of the programme are to:

• Improve standards and driving skills. 

• Increase focus on Health, Safety, Environment and Quality. 

• Enhance customer service. 

• Reduce operating costs.

So that's the background. What FleetWatch is particularly interested in is the Driver of the Year component and on this point, not only do we commend the winners but also extend our congratulations to each and every participant on their achievements prior to the competition. Consider this:

To become a Club 600 member, all Bulk Truck Operators (BTOs) are monitored by Datafos Tachograph analysis. Based on the analysis, each BTO receives a monthly score. To qualify as a Club 600 member, BTOs must achieve six consecutive monthly scores of 100% based upon the process of randomly selected tachograph chart analysis. 

And here comes the crunch: The BTO will be disqualified from eligibility for an award and will have to start the 6-month cycle all over again should he/she be responsible for:

• Not attending scheduled training courses;

• Culpable accidents, spillages, contaminations or any other HSEQ related incident including vehicle abuse;

• Any customer complaints;

• Incidents that negatively affect the BTO's incentive payments;

• Incorrect, untidy attire;

• Incorrect, inaccurate documentation.

This is good stuff for it promotes on-going excellence rather than a mere once-off aim for an award. But, that's just the start. In order to make the DOTY finals, drivers have to go further than that.
 

From the group of BTOs that have achieved Club 600 status, six are chosen from both the Rigid and Articulated categories. To qualify for selection, each driver would have had to attain 100% tachograph scores for a consecutive period of 12 months. So those who did make it to Kyalami were the crème-de-la-crème of Engen's drivers. And it showed.

When I arrived, I was lucky enough to witness the skills of the eventual winner in the Artic category, Paul Turner who hails from the Cape Town terminal. By that time, participants had all gone through their Theory tests, Pre-trip Inspection tests, Road and Fuel Economy tests, Customer service tests and some were still busy with their fire simulation tests. Turner was completing his track tests which involved maneuvering and negotiating six obstacles within a set time limit.
  

Watching him conduct the alley parking test, then a serpentine test, a winding lane test and a width estimation test, I could see this man was good. "If this guy doesn't come first, then the standard of your other drivers has got to be exceptional," I commented to Sipho Masibuka, one of the judges, "He's probably the best so far," he replied.

I then ambled over to the fire simulation test where members of the Johannesburg Emergency Services were setting light to a controlled 'pan' fire which each Engen driver had to put out using the vehicle's on-board fire extinguisher. I watched the eventual winner of the Rigid category, Moses Motsoeneng from the Bethlehem depot, at work and I thought: "That's hairy stuff. Not for the likes of me."

It struck me then just how professional and qualified these drivers are. Not only do they have to know their rigs and how to drive and maneuver them both on the open road and in tight situations. They also have to know how to operate the equipment that drops the fuel once at a customer's premises; how to interact with those customers; how to take action in the event of an emergency; how to...how to...how to...the list goes on.

Given this, it amazes me that the general public still harbours the perception that a truck driver is 'maar net 'n lorrie dryver'. It really peeves me off that our driver fraternity suffers under such labels when they are far more professional and add more value to society than many of the people who decry them.
 

It is thus that in this issue, we have dedicated our front cover story to the truck drivers of South Africa - represented here by those magnificent men from Engen. We lift our hats to you all.

We also use this story to urge all operators to take a leaf out of Engen's book and implement some kind of driver recognition programme that will serve to motivate and encourage your drivers to reach the highest standards of excellence. It's in everyone's interests - not least of all your drivers.