Southpac Trucks is preparing for the arrival of the DAF Euro 6 and helping drivers learn about the new technology and safety features in the new range.
The company has teamed up with TR MasterDrive which will have a team of 18 driver trainers ready to take operators through their paces when the trucks land in February 2020.
Southpac and TR Master Drive staff recently visited the Netherlands, the home of DAF, to undergo intensive instruction to become Euro 6 driver trainers.
Southpac general sales manager Richard Smart says the new product “is a completely different truck to the current Euro 5, not just a face lift – in fact the only thing that hasn’t changed are the wheels and tyres”, he says.
“The organisation needed a way to ensure all the new E6 DAF owners get the best out of the truck, maximising on the fuel savings but also understanding all the new driver aides.
“We looked at employing someone but decided, we simply would not be able to engage all our clients to give them enough time.
“After researching the market, we quickly realised that nobody else could deliver this on a national basis other than TR MasterDrive, with their network of 18 training specialists at 12 locations,” Smart says.
TR MasterDrive strategic development general manager Neil Bretherton says the team was “delighted to come on board”.
“TR Master Drive is really excited to support Southpac in delivering introductory training to new DAF product.
“We recently sent two of our specialist driver trainers to Holland to be upskilled by DAF factory trainers.
“The team were incredibly impressed by the new trucks and eager to show Southpac’s customers how to get optimal experience driving them.
“Working with Southpac fits perfectly with TR Master Drive services’ desire to lead in the heavy vehicle training space and TR Group’s goal to support our customers and the industry to operate fleet more safely, efficiently and profitably,” Bretherton says.
The training in the Netherlands and Germany consisted of all on-road fully loaded Euro 6 products, at times on single lane roads on the wrong side of the road, fine tuning driving styles, focusing on fuel savings and setting up the truck to individual driver preferences.
Each new Euro 6 DAF will come with free training for two drivers of six to eight hours each, leaving the drivers with a Safe and Fuel-Efficient Driving qualification, endorsed by the NZ Transport Agency.
