On 21st and 22nd October, the qualifying rounds for the Volvo Trucks’ Drivers’ Fuel Challenge final were held at the Volvo Demo Centre in Gothenburg, Sweden. There, and in the face of fierce competition from drivers representing 17 countries, Han HoGyun from South Korea eventually won the event to be crowned the most fuel efficient driver in the world.

More than 3,600 drivers worldwide who had competed to see who could drive in the most fuel-efficient manner, but Han HoGyun clearly demonstrated just how important drivers can be when it comes to using the very minimum of fuel.

Seventeen winners from local competitions in Volvo Trucks’ European and Asian markets got together to fight for the title of the world’s most fuel-efficient driver, including a strong challenge from the UK representative, Jim Whitmore who drives for Dairy Crest, based in Nuneaton.

However, the eventual finalists were Enrique Sanchez Parrondo from Spain - who won the European qualifier - and Han HoGyun from South Korea, the Asian winner. Then, on the afternoon of 22nd October, the two victors met one another in an exciting ‘play-off’ final which produced the global winner of the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge.

“We could see from the different results that, even between all the incredibly skilled finalists, there were relatively large differences in fuel consumption. It’s impossible to overstate the important role that is played by individual drivers when it comes to the amount of fuel that can be saved while driving. Fuel-efficient driving has a beneficial effect on both the environment and companies’ economy,” says the President of Volvo Trucks, Staffan Jufors.

There was a difference in fuel consumption of ten per cent between the best four drivers in the European competition. The corresponding figure in the Asian contest was 16 per cent.

The winner, Han HoGyun, not only won the title of Global champion in the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge, but also wins a ‘Volvo Life-Time Experience’ - a trip for two worth around USD 15,000 (approx. £ 9,500) to anywhere in the world where Volvo Trucks runs operations.

“I’m really proud to have won this competition. I drove as I normally do and I am now going to return to Korea and teach my colleagues how to drive in a more fuel-efficient way,” says Han HoGyun.

Due to the success of the competition, the Drivers’ Fuel Challenge is going to be a recurring global event, just like VISTA, Volvo Trucks’ worldwide competition for technicians.

“We are running this competition to underline the importance of fuel-efficient driving and to inspire other drivers. Watching all these skilled, committed drivers who have been here and competed against one another has been great fun,” says Ann Hesselbom, SVP Human Resources at Volvo Trucks. “We always do our utmost to help to maximise our customers’ profitability and fuel costs represent a large part of a haulage company’s costs. Drivers who can drive fuel efficiently make substantial savings possible.”