Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar was on hand in Dublin city centre last Thursday to officially hand over a brand new Scania Truck worth €100,000 to Galway man, Gabriel Warde, winner of the Scania Young  European Truck Driver 2012 Competition.

Gabriel from Bullaun near Loughrea, Co. Galway, who works for John Collins Commer Transport was chosen as the overall competition winner from 17,000 young truck drivers from 24 European countries that were tested on eco-driving, cargo securing, fire and rescue and vehicle checks over a two day period. Scania Young European Truck Driver is a major part of a global initiative for responsible, safe driving that Scania started in 2003. By highlighting the role of the driver, Scania also wants to attract more young people into the driving profession.

Presenting the award to Gabriel, Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar highlighted the importance of road safety for truck drivers. “Congratulations to Gabriel for coming first out of 17,000 drivers from 24 European countries. He was the overall winner from a tough two-day series of tests on cargo securing, fire and rescue, eco-driving and vehicle checks. Safety is of paramount importance for hauliers, and in winning this award Gabriel has shown that Irish HGV operators have the capacity to achieve the highest of standards.”

Speaking at the handover, Joe Crann, Managing Director, Westward Scania, commented, “We are thrilled that the winner of the Scania Young Truck Driver Competition was an Irishman. We were confident that Gabriel was the number one driver when we brought him to Sweden for the competition. He kept a cool head throughout all the different stages and his hard work paid off in the end.”

Scania’s Young European Truck Driver competition has the endorsement of the European Commission and the International Road Transport Union. Its sponsors are Michelin and Volkswagen. Scania also runs similar competitions in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The 2012 competitions attracted a record number of some 70,000 contestants worldwide.