Polish victory in Scania Young European Truck Driver 2007
Marek Szerenos from Poland was today crowned Young European Truck Driver 2007 after an exciting final in Sweden. Marek Szerenos, 34, beat 26 other talented young professional truck drivers from countries throughout Europe to secure the prestigious title and the first prize; his own tailor-made Scania truck.
Young European Truck Driver (YETD) is a part of the global initiative set up by Scania in 2003 to promote responsible driving, highlight road safety and attract more young drivers into the profession. Marek Szerenos will now become an ambassador for the truck driver profession and a role model for other drivers.
Tom Sharkey from Ireland was runner up in the competition and Milan Jakúbek from Slovakia came third.
“This is a big thing that has happened to me. I feel as happy and proud as I did when my children were born,” said Marek Szerenos just after he had been awarded winner by Scania’s President and CEO Leif Östling.
“On a serious note, road safety is so important to me in my job and I am proud to become a role model to other young aspiring truck drivers.”
The road to the final wasn’t easy for Marek Szerenos – not only did he have to come through an initial qualifying round and then regional heat in his own country, he also had to battle it out with ten other truck drivers in the Polish national final. In total over 16,000 young truck drivers under the age of 35 entered the competition from 27 European countries.
The tests at the final included defensive and fuel-economy driving, cargo securing, test before driving and safety manoeuvring. The drivers had to prove they had the skills and attitude of a responsible driver of heavy trucks and complete a range of complex manoeuvring tests and obstacles.
"Marek Szerenos has made a fantastic achievement. Not only has he won a new Scania truck, he is now an ambassador for the profession and a role model to aspiring young drivers throughout Europe. All the competitors who took part in the YETD 2007 final should be proud of their achievements – and the final congratulations go to Marek Szerenos,” says Cecilia Edström, Senior Vice President and head of Scania Corporate Relations.
“The driver is absolutely the most important factor in heavy vehicle transport services. Vehicles and infrastructure are obviously of major significance, but road safety is primarily a matter of human behaviour. Through these competitions, we want to help raise the status of professional drivers and emphasise their great importance to both road safety and the profitability of transport companies. We want to help attract more young, capable drivers into the transport business,” says Cecilia Edström.
Young European Truck Driver started in 2003 and is held every two years. Contestants may be no more than 35 years old.
With more than 300,000 trucks on European roads, road safety is a high-priority area in all of Scania's operations. The company supports the aims of the United Nations' "World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention" and the European Commission's goal of halving the number of traffic fatalities in the EU by 2010. In addition to training drivers, Scania works to raise road safety awareness among the public, legislators and customers. Road safety is also a high priority in Scania's research and development, which focuses on technology that helps drivers to make the right decisions.
Scania's Young European Truck Driver initiative has the endorsement of the European Commission and the International Road Transport Union (IRU). Its sponsors are Michelin and Shell. Scania is also running similar competitions in Latin America, as well as in Africa and Asia.
Photos from the final are available on Scania’s homepage.
For further information, please contact: Hans-Åke Danielsson: +46 (0)8-553 85662,
+46 (0)70-346 8811
