Top young Scania driver lauded

Danish driver Lars Sondergard defeated 25 other talented steerers to win the finals of Scania's Young European Driver competition, which was held in the Swedish brand's home city of Sodertalje over April 24 to 25.

Sondergard wins not only the prestige of being named as Scania's top Young European Driver, but also a new Scania truck to the value of Euro 100,000 ($A140,000).

The annual competition saw over 22,000 drivers aged 35 or younger take part, with the legions of competitors from 26 European countries eventually whittled down to just 26 finalists.

The finals themselves were held over two days and comprised a number of testing exercises, including 'Defensive and fuel-economy driving', 'Cargo securing', 'Check before driving', 'Fight the fire' and 'Safe manoeuvring', among others.

The competition culminated in the 'Super Z' exercise, which saw Sondergard fend off strong competition from Germany's Patrick Schildmann and Switzerland's Thomas Knusel.

In what was his second stab at the title, Sondergard was elated to secure the win.

"I can't believe it; the competition was very tight," he said of the victory.

Scania Senior Vice President and head of Scania Corporate Relations, Erik Ljungberg, said the competition showcased a very deep pool of driving talent.

"It has been fantastic to see how concentrated and focused the drivers have been during the competition," he said.

"There is only one who can call himself the best young truck driver in Europe but I think all 26 can call themselves winners."

Ljungberg said the event was about much more than just recognising driving skill.

"The driver is absolutely the most important factor in heavy vehicle transport," he said.

"Vehicles and infrastructure are obviously of major significance, but fuel-efficient and safe driving is primarily a matter of human behaviour. Through YETD, Scania wants to help raise the status of professional drivers and emphasise their great importance to the profitability of transport companies and to road safety, as well as to the reduced environmental impact.

"We want to help attract more young, capable drivers into the transport business."

To get more of a feel for the event and to hear Sondergard speak after his hard-won victory, check out the clip below…