It’s not common practice for fleet managers to give big, hearty bear hugs to truck drivers, but on Friday afternoon, Pieter Smuts of Grain Carriers had good reason to do exactly that to Daniel Jansen amid rousing applause.
Among several other top contenders for this year’s Hollard Highway Heroes competition, the 44-year-old tank trucker was announced as “Truck Driver of the Year”.
The competition primarily rewards safety and prudent behind-the-wheel behaviour. The born-and-bred driver from Mossel Bay pipped 9 628 other entrants to the post for what is widely regarded as the most auspicious accolade on the local logistics calendar.
The humble driver, who has been with the bulk cargo carrier since January, said he was completely taken by surprise when the big moment came and his name was read out.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” he said. “I didn’t give it much thought because I knew there were so many other good drivers who could have won. I just carried on driving like I always do.”
Once the moment had sunk in, Jansen said his wife was over the moon with the news that he’d be bringing home a cheque for R150 000.
Jansen said he was going to finish renovations on his home in the neighbourhood he grew up in and was also planning to spend a little on his wife and 22-year-old son, who, like his father did before he became a trucker some 17 years ago, wants to become a welder.
“My wife and son have never been on an aeroplane, and I’m thinking of taking them somewhere.”
Asked what makes a good driver, he said: “First thing I do before I do anything else in the morning is get down on my knees. No matter how good a truck driver you are, you don’t know what’s going to happen once you leave home. Making it through the day isn’t a certainty because not everything is in your hands.”
Jansen said the things a driver could control were something he didn't stray from one inch. His motto can perhaps be summed up as “slow is the way to go”.
“I don’t speed and I make sure I’m always aware of what other drivers around me are doing. I have to be able to brake fast enough if a motorist or someone is driving recklessly, because even if bad driver behaviour is someone else’s business, it’s my business to make sure I stop in time to avoid an accident.”
He said he loves the Volvo 2021 he’s driving at the moment. It’s a perfect fit for a driver like him because of the truck’s retarder system, which helps to gradually slow down.
“I try not to use brakes unless necessary,” Jansen said. “By not speeding and by always slowing down in time, I save Grain Carriers money by not having to fit brake pads on my truck once a year.”
Jansen quipped that maybe now his wife would understand how hard he concentrated when he was behind the wheel.
“Some days I come home and say I’m tired and she says: ‘But how can you be tired when you’re in a seat all day?’”
The moment Daniel Jansen had reason to celebrate. Holding up his arm is Pieter Smuts, fleet manager at Grain Carriers.
