Hollard kicks off Highway Heroes competition

The previous Highway Heroes competition attracted 890 truck drivers, and this year the aim is to attract at least 2 000 entrants, says Paul Dangerfield, national operations manager and Highway Heroes campaign manager

While this marks the fourth year of the competition, it is the first time Highway Heroes has been branded by Hollard. “We have more Hollard brokers this year. There are also new transport owners who were not part of the competition in previous years. We hope this will help us reach the target number of entrants,” says Dangerfield.

The purpose of this competition is to acknowledge truck drivers and the job that they do.

“Trucks and their drivers are often seen as a nuisance on our roads, causing hazards and slowing traffic, but they’re actually unsung heroes.

“Virtually every commodity and product that we need, want and use – and without which our economy cannot function – is delivered by truck,” he explains.

Dangerfield says that truck drivers are met with various obstacles on the roads, such as hijacking and looting. “Their lives are constantly under a threat, due to criminal activities,” he adds.

Fleet owners and brokers can enter their drivers for nominations for the Highway Heros competition from May 1 to July 31. This year, there will be four categories: tautliners, tankers, tippers and flat decks.

“More categories have been introduced so that more drivers can have an opportunity to be acknowledged. Each category will have four sub-categories: long haul, short haul, cross border and route specific,” he adds.

“We will be taking into consideration the number of kilometres driven per month, and whether drivers follow the basic rules of the road such as staying within the speed limit and taking the required breaks.”

The overall winner of the competition will be rewarded with prizes worth R100 000.