On November 22, the finals of the Extra Mile Challenge 2016, the UD Trucks’ global competition for UD Quester drivers this year, took place at the UD Experience Center at the UD Trucks headquarters in Ageo, Japan. Four regional champions from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Africa competed, with the Malaysia team winning top honors.
During the competition
Based on UD Trucks’ brand promise, “Going the Extra Mile,” the Extra Mile Challenge demonstrates how customers can make the most out of UD products and services. The competition focuses on three key elements; pre-inspection, fuel efficiency & safety, and drivability, to improve driving skills and reduce both costs and downtime.
For the challenge, drivers representing each country compete in a simulated transport delivery cycle. Each practical station is judged by the following criteria: revenue, fuel efficiency, uptime & maintenance cost, and driving safety. The winning team claimed the highest profit based on transport calculations. The Extra Mile Challenge demonstrates how UD Trucks not only helps achieve further business success, but also strengthen driving capability and confidence, contributing to safer roads and motivated drivers.
The day culminated with a special award ceremony and announcement of the competition results. The Thailand team won “Best Fuel Efficient Driving”, while the Malaysia team won “Best Pre-Check Inspection” while the South Africa team was awarded “Best Driving Skill.” The overall champion of the competition was the Malaysia team.
During the award ceremony
“It is an honor to have won this award at the finals in Japan. This is a milestone in my career as a driver. I have been driving Quester over one year already, which made me feel confident when I was driving the Quester truck during the competition,” said Yuzairi Bin Ibrahim, the winning driver from ASAC LOGISTICS SDN.BHD. Tan Seong Teik, the managing director of ASAC LOGISTICS, continued that, “This event is a great opportunity not only for the participating driver but also for our company to spread this achievement and motivate other drivers in our company back in Alor Setar, Kedah, north Malaysia.”
The Extra Mile Challenge also proves how the UD Trucks’ “Gemba Spirit” – the professional, passionate and dependable spirit at the heart of UD Trucks – is aimed for our customers. Kishi Nobuhiko, UD Trucks Senior Vice President, Brand and Product, commented that, “The Extra Mile Challenge is not just a driving competition, but also provides a great opportunity for drivers to evaluate their skills, refine their strengths and ‘go the extra mile.’ UD Trucks is committed to improving our customers’ businesses at their ‘Gemba’ regardless of the countries. Through this competition, we aim to help enhance driver capability and confidence, in addition to providing excellent products and services backed by our value of Ultimate Dependability.”
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For more information from the UD Trucks, please visit http://www.udtrucks.com/en-int/home
UD Trucks is a total transport solution provider dedicated to delivering optimized total cost of ownership to its customers. It sells and serves light, medium and heavy duty trucks as well as special vehicles. UD Trucks was established in Japan in 1935 and became part of the Volvo Group in 2007. With its headquarters located in Ageo, Japan, UD Trucks supports sales and services in more than 60 countries through a worldwide network.
