Road Transport Logistics driver takes national championship

27 September 2018

New Zealand’s champion truck driver for 2018 has been awarded to Darren Wilson of Road Transport Logistics after an intensely competitive final of the NZ Truck Driving Championship at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.

Darren came out on top of an incredibly tight field across the many different disciplines of the competition to take the title of NZ’s Champion Truck Driver for 2018 and a cheque for $6,000 courtesy of the event’s major sponsors TR Group and Master Drive Services.

The competition, which was run partly on the Otago Daily Times Stand Slab inside Forsyth Barr Stadium, included a range of tests showcasing competitors theoretical and practical knowledge as well as an on-road and emergency response component.

“One of the things the industry is trying to achieve with this competition is an appreciation amongst the public of just how high the technical, practical and theoretical knowledge is of the top drivers, says RTF Chief Executive Ken Shirley. “They really are outstanding at what they do.”

In the class competitions Greta Campbell from Waikato Fuels 2015 Ltd took out the Class 2 competition and Andrew Crandon of McFall Fuels won the Class 4 category.

Overall winner Darren Wilson picked up the Truck-Trailer Combination class, while John Baillie of Baillie Transport won the Tractor-Semi Combination category.

In the ERoad NZ Young Truck Driver of the Year, David Rogers of Tranzliquid successfully defended his title and took home the $1,500 winners cheque courtesy of ERoad.

“The Young Driver of the Year category is an important event, especially in the context of the current driver shortage and the road transport’s endeavours to recruit young people into the industry. The young men and women who compete in the NZ Truck Driving Championship are an illustration of the potential for career progression and professional development that exists within the industry.”

“TR Group and Master Drive Services, who were the Championship’s major sponsors, deserve a great deal of thanks for their continued support of the event. Without our sponsors events such as this would struggle to get off the ground,” says Shirley.

“The competition steering committee would like to thank all those that helped to administer and manage the event as well as staff and volunteers from NRC and the RTANZ regions who so successfully ran the regional heats.”

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