A shortlist of five top truck drivers in the #ThankYouTrucker competition has been announced.
The #ThankYouTrucker is a prestigious award given to an exceptional local truck driver. A record number of entries was received for this year’s awards which have been organised by IVECO SA and the Road Freight Association (RFA).
The public now has an opportunity to cast their votes for their favourite driver. The winner will receive R50 000, the runner-up R10 000, and the third-placed driver R5 000.
“The selection committee was faced with a very challenging, but uplifting task,” IVECO SA communication and brand specialist Leanne Sebastian said.
“Our country’s drivers have incredible stories to tell - of determination, bravery and dedication.”
The five shortlisted drivers are David Mashiane of Imperial, Donald Mthokozisi Mbokazi of Crossroads, Jeffrey Maja of GEO Group, Enoch Mokoena of Transvaal Heavy Transport, and Luticia Smith of Act Logistics.
Here’s how these top five drivers have been described:
• David Mashiane – Imperial
A passionate heavy-goods driver who has experience in transporting numerous dangerous goods in countries across Africa, David has maintained an excellent driver’s scorecard. He has been accident- and incident-free for the last seven years and serves as a role model to other drivers. While on the road recently, David saved a child’s life in Zimbabwe, thanks to his clear thinking, proactive assessment and defensive driving skills.
• Donald Mthokozisi Mbokazi - Crossroads
Since joining the company in 2012, Donald has proven to be a stalwart employee and an inspiring mentor to newly recruited drivers. He is a top performer with zero incidents and exceptional KPI track records. After being hospitalised in 2016 for a severe lung disease, Donald quit smoking and developed a much healthier lifestyle. Four years later, he suffered another blow; he lost his hearing in one ear and now uses hearing aids. Not even these setbacks or the recent challenges of Covid-19, the floods, protest action, and riots in KwaZulu-Natal have deterred him from performing at his peak and leading his team.
• Jeffrey Maja – GEO Group
Jeff’s story is a remarkable one. Forced by circumstances to leave school at the age of 16 to take care of his mother and siblings, he started doing piece work as a gardener. His hard work and determination were recognised by one of his employers and Jeffrey was promoted and trained to become a driver. He worked his way up and now holds both a code 10 and code 14 driver’s licence. Dependable and able to overcome any obstacle, Jeffrey also has remarkable capabilities and experience when it comes to off-road driving. He always goes the extra mile and has a natural affinity for driving “his” truck.
• Enoch Mokoena – Transvaal Heavy Transport (THT)
Enoch started his career at THT 45 years ago, at the age of 21, and will be retiring in December. He is part of the THT family and has grown with the company. Described as “an astonishing gentleman and driver”, Enoch has hardly any incidents on his file. He drives with caution and operates his vehicle as if he owns it. He is a specialised driver who recently, at the age of 71, transported a 30-metre-long overhead crane on his extendable steerable axle trailer, without a fuss. Enoch has driven millions of kilometres all over southern Africa. He is easy to talk to, hands-on with loading and offloading processes, and not shy to raise his concerns, whether they are about the load or his vehicle's performance.
• Luticia Smith – Act Logistics
Described as a” firecracker of a driver” and a “legend”, Luticia has had to overcome several major challenges, including breast cancer. She has always had a passion for the courier and logistics industries. Her father was a well-known courier driver in the Cape Town area for more than 30 years. In 2018, while employed at ACT Logistics for a little over two months, Luticia received the devastating news that she had stage three breast cancer, requiring intense chemotherapy and an urgent mastectomy. Despite her circumstances, Luticia goes the extra mile and undertakes her work with professionalism and finesse.
Vote for your favourite drivers at www.thankyoutrucker.co.za. Voting closes on September 28.
