What’s challenging for you? Andreas Söderström, winner of Young European Truck Driver 2010, often reverses his truck between gate posts with only centimetre margins on either side.

“Planning and calmness are important characteristics for anyone who wants to win a driver competition,” says Andreas Söderström, the 2010 Young European Truck Driver champion.

Precision manoeuvring in the daily work

With only centimetres left on each side of the vehicle, Andreas Söderström quickly reverses his huge Scania truck between two stone pillars for a delivery of gravel.

“When it’s really tight it’s better to reverse than to drive forward. I keep an eye on the rear lamps with the rear view mirrors,” he says.

Together with his father, Söderström runs the transport company Göran Söderströms Åkeri in Ingelstad, Sweden. The company fleet consists of four trucks that mainly transport asphalt, gravel and woodchips.

Different challenges

No job is exactly the same. Some mornings Söderström begins his day at an asphalt plant, others in a gravel pit, and others still begin with him taking containers close to felled forests and then transporting woodchips to pulp factories or power and heating plants.

Transporting woodchips on narrow forest roads instilled in Söderström the importance of planning his driving. Forest driving can be unforgiving, and with no help for kilometres; there is no room for mistakes.

“I usually start my work day at five or six o’clock in the morning and don’t return home until between four and seven o’clock in the evening,” he says.

When Söderström signed up for the competition in 2010 he didn’t know much about it, and had almost no experience driving a truck with a semi-trailer. Still he managed to advance from the regional final to win the Swedish final and ultimately the European final.

“The toughest moment in the competition came when I was reversing and trying to stop the vehicle no more than 20 centimetres from a wall,” he says. “In those types of situations it’s extremely important to use the rear view mirrors.”

Grew with the mission

Söderström’s improbable run began with some apprehension, but by applying his maxim of planning and calmness he forged onwards, finally ending up with the championship and a 100,000 euro gift certificate which he promptly converted into a new Scania R 620.

“The truck came in very handy as we had planned to replace a three-axle truck with a new four-axle to cope with the requirements of our big asphalt customer,” Söderström explains.

“If I hadn’t won, I probably would have bought a Scania R 560. Now, with the R 620, I have access to 60 extra horsepower. I didn’t go for an automated gearbox, however, since I have better control over my driving with a manual one,” he says.

Tight margins are not a problem when you know what you’re doing. Skilled drivers have a good chance of making it to the Young European Truck Driver 2012 final to compete for a Scania truck worth 100,000 euros. Andreas Söderström did in 2010. Is 2012 your year?

Söderström also selected winter tyres from Michelin for his new truck, the optimal choice for grip and durability. He’ll use them all year, at least to start with.

Encouraging other drivers

More topically, he has just signed up for this year’s driver competitions.
“The victory has led to much attention and that has been fun,” says Söderström.

Even if he doesn’t win a truck this year, putting one’s skills up against other top drivers in the field is a stimulating experience.

Read more and register below

In November the Tanzania Driver Competition produced a winner: Erasmus Mtui, a 43-year-old driver from petroleum haulage company Super Star Forwarders. The newly crowned Tanzanian Driver of the Year 2011 will go on to compete in the international finals in South Africa in 2012. “I’m ready,” he says.

Mtui’s family was thrilled and proud, and also a little shocked. The prize – 5 million shillings (2,375 euros) – is a lot of money for the family.

Scania is well known in Tanzania – so much so that the brand has become synonymous with the word “truck”.

“Scania Tanzania is very pleased and excited to host the Tanzanian Driver of the Year competition,” Mark Cameron, Managing Director of Scania Tanzania, told the gathering at the November competition, which took place at the Biafra Grounds in Dar es Salaam. “The driver is the most important factor in influencing transport economy, environment and road safety.”

Cameron expressed his respect for the competitors’ skills and invited all Tanzanian drivers in the country to the 2013 Tanzanian Driver of the Year competition, which is already being planned. The ambition is to create a larger event that includes professional truck and bus drivers from all over Tanzania.

Also addressing the crowd were Lennarth Hjelmåker, Sweden’s Ambassador to Tanzania; Seif A Seif, Chairman of the Tanzanian Truck Owners Association; and Mohamed Mpinga, Traffic Police Commander.

The November competition in Dar es Salaam was the grand finale involving the top five contestants from an earlier event where drivers were tested on their driving skills, road safety awareness and driving style for optimising fuel economy. For the finals, the five competitors were required to perform such tasks as “Knock the King”, “Slalom” and “Bull’s Eye” for the large and enthusiastic crowd of spectators.

Do you want to attend Scania Driver Competitions 2012? Register now!

1. Raise the seat to a comfortable position. To sit correctly, you should have an upright seating position.

2. Tip the seat forward. This increases the chance of an upright position.

3.Tilt the backrest backward so that the hip angle is at 100 to 110 degrees. This means that the centre of gravity of the body is closer to the spine, which relieves the load on the discs and spinal joints and reduces the load on the hip joints.

4. Set the lumbar support so that it follows the shape of your back.

5. Adjust the seat to a fist’s width away from the back of your knees.

6. Move the entire seat to a position where you can press down the pedals fully without straining.

7. With the adjustable steering column position, adjust the steering wheel so it’s as close as possible to your body. This reduces the forward torsion on your body, relieving the load on your back and neck.

Be sure to register for Scania Driver Competition 2012

Initiated in 2003, the Scania Driver Competitions were originally held in Europe. They have since spread out globally, evolving into challenging events that highlight the importance of the skills of drivers, as well as driver training and development to enhance road safety awareness and proficient eco-driving.

“The driver is the single most important factor for economy, environment and safety,” says Leif Östling, President and CEO, Scania. “Skilled and committed drivers deliver transport efficiently, reduce emissions, contribute to better road safety and improve any company’s profitability. These types of drivers are real assets and prove that environmental pursuits and positive financial results can go hand-in-hand.”

Over the next few months driver competitions will be launched worldwide, including such disparate places as Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Argentina, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, China, Chile, Malaysia, Peru and South Africa, as well as across Europe.

More info and registration

Trucks & Trailers is currently available in editions for the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Russia, UK and the Nordic countries. See www.trucks-and-trailers.com.

In September, SCS Software’s CEO Pavel Šebor was invited to DemoCentre in Södertälje and for the first time in his life drove an actual real truck. His experience is recorded in the SCS blog.

A Scania truck in the simulation game Trucks & Trailers.

Since 2005, TNT has been trying to create an alternative to fast but expensive air transport services and cheap but slow sea freight in Southeast Asia.

The company’s objective was to develop an efficient, reliable and sustainable transport network between Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and then onward through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to southern China and Hong Kong. For this purpose, TNT needed a professional partner to provide access to vehicles and service networks in the region.

“We invited in all the European truck makers,” explains David Stenberg, General Manager, TNT Asia Road Network, (TNT ARN). “We specified requirements for tractors and trailers, reliability, fuel efficiency and a service network.”

Alfons Reitsma, who previously worked at Scania Southeast Asia, visited TNT’s head office in the Netherlands and closely observed TNT’s operations in Europe and Southeast Asia.

“I wanted to learn as much as possible about how the company works in order to elevate these transport services to the desired level, or even higher,” explains Reitsma, who is now general manager of sales and marketing at Scania’s distributor in New Zealand.

Providing optimal solutions
While its competitors withdrew one by one, Scania continued working on a broad front with everything from tractors and trailers to discussions with customs and transport authorities in the countries concerned.

“The difficult part was not the vehicles themselves, but developing a logistics solution for cross-border transport services in Southeast Asia,” Reitsma explains. “Many permits had to be obtained. To achieve its objectives, Scania even advocated and succeeded in changing the legislation in certain countries.”

After a year, he presented his analysis. The solution included highly specified tractors and trailers, continuous driver training and repair and maintenance contracts in a service network that almost entirely matches the current routes served by TNT ARN.

“Scania’s network in Southeast Asia was one of the strongest elements of this proposal,” Stenberg says. “We needed a partner that could serve us everywhere and that was prepared to continue expanding its service along the routes we are planning through Laos, Vietnam and China.”

Reduced environmental impact
Today this road network extends 7,650 kilometres through six countries, from Singapore to China. Shipments move primarily to and from TNT’s regional hubs in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, but in the next few years they will gradually be expanded. TNT ARN has 42 truck drivers who exclusively drive the new Scania trucks on the network’s fixed routes, always with two drivers per shipment.

“The biggest improvement we see is related to uptime,” Stenberg explains. “Nowadays our vehicles are almost always at work.

“In addition,” he continues, “we are seeing major fuel savings due to efficient engines and the trailers Scania developed, which are three tonnes lighter than the ones we previously used. That also means lower carbon dioxide emissions, which is important to our customers nowadays. A conservative estimate is that the new rigs reduce emissions by 17 to 20 percent.”

Customer oriented solution
Security has greatly improved because of the new transport solution.

“In 2007 TNT ARN carried out a study among the most important high-tech customers about what criteria determined how they choose a freight company,” Stenberg says.

“The top priority was that shipments were delivered at the agreed time. The second priority was security, which was considered more important than both price and speed.”

TNT ARN is the only network in the world that has received the highest level of validation from the Transported Asset Protection Association, in which the world’s transport and logistics giants and their most important customers work together to ensure more secure transport services.

“Achieving this has required total compliance with the tough security standards imposed by the electronics industry in particular, both on us as a transport company and on Scania as a supplier,” Stenberg says.

Surveillance for security
These requirements include fixed routes, assault protection systems and TV surveillance, both outside and inside the trailer. TV cameras record and broadcast to a surveillance centre in real time. All vehicles are under surveillance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

“If a vehicle stops where it is not supposed to stop or deviates from its predetermined route, the alarm goes off immediately,” Stenberg explains. “The drivers and the surveillance centre can see when any suspicious vehicle is following the shipment.”

"My life has changed since Scania entered the picture," says Suppayah Vyravan, driver with 32 years’ experience. "Nowadays I feel secure, rested and proud to be a truck driver.”

This year, 159 classic brightly polished trucks and buses shined when Sweden’s Motorhistoriska sällskapet – the Historic Vehicle Association – together with Scania organised the 20th Tunga Rallyt. The 110-kilometre competition is an occasion for enthusiasts to meet, be inspired by one another and share technical tips. At control stations along the course, tricky questions must be answered at rally speeds before continuing at a leisurely pace towards the finishing line at Scania’s head office.

The day of the competition was characterised by fellowship and a joyful competitive spirit as the 400 participants challenged one another rather than competing for the first prize. “We’re not here to win, we think of this day as a pleasant outing and a wonderful opportunity to meet other classic car enthusiasts,” said Lennart Enbjärde who entered the rally with Yvonne Danielsson, his colleague, partner and co-driver.

They competed with their Scania-Vabis L 56 from 1967 with a small tractor parked on the platform. “We also collect classic tractors and usually bring one along when we travel to events such as these,” Yvonne Danielsson explained. ”They also need a bit of fresh air.” While not competing, the couple manage their haulage company, Enbjärde Transport in the southern Swedish town of Bredaryd. They have five trucks with operations on behalf of the Arla dairy brand and Schenker.

Lars Peterson won the 2011 Tunga Rallyt and this was his second entry. “It’s fantastic that I managed to get 119 of 122 answers correct. But most fun was to drive my 1965 Scania-Vabis L 76 fire truck. I’ve only had the truck for a fortnight and it has met all my expectations.” Lars Peterson usually manages the Västerby haulage company and daily drives a Scania P 400.

Second in this year’s competition was Rutebilhistorisk forening – Norway’s classic scheduled bus service association – that competed with a 1954 Scania-Vabis B 62. While in active operation, it provided services for A/L Lillehammer & Ringsaker Bilruter. The 20 participants jointly solved the hard questions, which gave them a final score for the second prize. “As non-Swedes, the questions were a bit difficult,” said Kåre Karlsen. This was their second entry with this particular bus, but the association has competed in Tunga Rallyt 11 times with different buses.

Mats Harborn, Executive Director of Scania China Strategic Centre in Beijing, explains that the visit is a step in Scania’s efforts to raise greater awareness in the Chinese market. “The journalists received a broad understanding of how Scania supplies vehicles and services that meet the needs of skilled transport companies and helps them to achieve sustainable profitability. We also gave them an insight into Scania’s core values and ways of working in addition to providing them with an opportunity to experience a West European trucking environment.”

During their visit to Scania, the journalists could test drive trucks at DemoCentre and later spend the night in Scania truck cabs. “It was really amazing to discover that a vehicle with an engine so powerful could be so silent,” says Senior Editor Mr Cheng at China’s oldest motor journal Auto Fan. “The cab comforts are excellent and the overview from a truck cab is something quite different from that of a passenger car.” After a night’s sleep in the cab, he feels thoroughly rested and impressed by the silence.

Upon waking, Senior Editor Mr Wang at the web site Sina was quick to share his experience with readers directly from his smartphone. “There are fundamental differences between the passenger car and heavy vehicle industries,” Mr Wang comments, while adding that there are also significant differences between Chinese and West European trucker culture.

The year is 2025. More and more people are choosing to ride buses instead of driving cars. City bus lines have their own dedicated lanes, like streetcar lines without rails. Via feeder routes from the suburbs, passengers travel to safe, well-lit stations in the urban core where buses on the trunk lines stop. All ticket handling occurs outside the buses, reducing the risk of delays.

In Johannesburg, South Africa, Rea Vaya, the city’s new BRT system, is earning high praise from passengers.

Buses have also increased in length in order to accommodate more passengers. This scenario will become a reality in most major cities around the world, according to Rolf Hedberg, Product Manager, Scania Buses and Coaches, with special responsibility for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT).

Escaping oil dependency
In 15 years, BRT systems will be a critical part of the infrastructure, Hedberg says. He lists several reasons for this: the environment, air quality and a desire to escape oil dependency. Experiences with BRT, especially in Latin America and South Africa, have also been very positive so far.

“Buses have always been cost-effective, but the overall experience of a bus journey needs to become more attractive,” Hedberg says. “In a BRT system, the suppliers, transport authorities and city planners can adopt a comprehensive approach.”

For Scania, this means helping its customers find partners who will assume responsibility for vehicle support and other considerations such as IT communications and coordination with other types of public transport.
Building a BRT system takes one to three years, compared with five to 30 years for an underground rail system. To date, Scania has delivered about 2,000 buses to BRT systems around the world.

“The challenge over the next few years will be to persuade more cities to dare to fully invest in BRT and not be satisfied with a budget version,” Hedberg says.

Minimising congestion
Anders Folkesson, Product Manager within Sustainable Systems at Scania Buses and Coaches, cites congestion in the urban core as another reason for investing in BRT.

“There is a trend towards a cleaner environment,” he says, “but even if cars ran on electricity, that would not be enough. There is simply not enough space on the streets to enable everyone to drive their own vehicle. That benefits buses.”

There are other parallel trends. For example, buses are becoming longer in order to accommodate more passengers. Scania has delivered buses that are 20 metres long, but eventually even longer ones may be needed. In addition, the company expects more experiments with electric propulsion, including a technology called “inductive power transfer” where electricity is transmitted wirelessly from the ground to the vehicle. Another method is to charge the vehicles via “electric umbrellas” at bus stops.

Renewable fuels highly prioritised
Hedberg and Folkesson emphasise that BRT is not the only solution to current public transport problems. Expanding the network of filling stations supplying renewable fuels is high on the priority list, since a transition to renewable fuels is one of the most effective environmental conservation measures. Hybrid buses are high on the list, although their development has occurred more slowly than many had predicted.

“Everyone wants to try them,” Folkesson says, “but few want to pay what they cost. Hybrids are not yet commercially attractive enough. Virtually all hybrids being sold today are heavily subsidised in different ways.”

Scania’s aim is to make hybrid buses profitable on their own merits. Based on today’s interest rates and fuel prices, they must pay for themselves in four to six years.

“The big advantage of hybrids is that they harness brake energy,” Folkesson says. Scania developed hybrid buses at an early stage, conducting its first tests in 1986. Over the years, Scania has tested various hybrid solutions − both parallel and series hybrids.

Hybrid technology and driver training
Hybrid technology reduces fuel consumption by an estimated 30 percent, and together with an ethanol engine it reduces fossil carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90 percent, compared with a diesel-operated bus. In a parallel hybrid system an electric motor is connected to the gearbox, while in a series hybrid there is no mechanical connection between the combustion engine and the electric propulsion motor.

Not everything is a matter of vehicle development. Scania’s driver training programmes are also an important element in its effort to reduce environmental impact. Evaluations show that by using Scania Driver Support, a bus driver in urban traffic can save on average 10 percent in fuel consumption.

The European Bus System of the Future (EBSF) is a four-year-long EU project focusing on bus systems in urban areas. Rolf Hedberg represents Scania in the project. Its aim is to highlight best-practice examples. The test cities are Bremerhaven, Brunoy, Budapest, Gothenburg, Madrid, Rome and Rouen.
The project will end in August 2012. Its final report will contain proposed solutions that fit European conditions and requirements.

Read more: www.ebsf.eu

Gas-powered buses. In 1980, Scania delivered the first gas-powered buses in modern times. More than 2,200 buses with Scania gas engines are in operation, in Australia for example.

Ethanol buses. In the mid-1980s, Scania developed its first ethanol bus engines, and ethanol-powered buses have been in full-scale operation in congested urban traffic since 1989. To date, Scania has sold more than 800 ethanol buses.

Hybrid buses. The first test of hybrid buses took place in 1986. In the intervening years Scania has presented six hybrid bus concepts, among them the world’s first hybrids using renewable fuel. These ethanol-powered hybrid buses underwent trial operation in Stockholm traffic in 2009–2010.

Commercial renewable fuels. In 2010, Scania became the first manufacturer to supply buses that can operate on all three commercially viable renewable fuels available today – bioethanol, biogas and biodiesel.