NX Group wins Prime Minister's Award at 56th National Truck Driver Contest
-- Achieves a triple crown in the 4-ton, 11-ton, and Trailer Divisions! --
NIPPON EXPRESS HOLDINGS, INC. (President: Satoshi Horikiri), participated in the 56th National Truck Driver Contest, sponsored by the Japan Trucking Association and held at the Japan Safe Driving Center in Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27. Ten members of the NX Group won top prizes, including the Prime Minister's Award and first-place awards.
The NX Group had ten participants place highly: three in the 4-ton Division, three in the 11-ton Division, three in the Trailer Division, and one in the Women's Division. Designed to allow competitors to demonstrate the advanced driving skills required of commercial truck drivers as well as their specialized knowledge of related laws and regulations, vehicle structures, etc., the contest brought together 142 winners of prefectural-level competitions to determine the best truck drivers in Japan.
The winners from the NX Group were as follows
4-ton Division
| 1st place | Takashi Nakane | Nippon Express (Sendai Branch) | Prime Minister's Award, National Police Agency Commissioner General's Award |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd place | Hiroyuki Tada | NX Cash Logistics | |
| 4th place | Masayasu Furukawa | Fukuoka Himawari Transport |
11-ton Division
| 1st place | Shigeru Yamanobe | Nittsu Chiba Freight Transport | National Police Agency Commissioner General's Award |
| 4th place | Masaki Fukuda | Nippon Express (Mizushima Shipping Branch) | |
| 5th place | Takuji Noro | Nippon Express (Miyazaki Branch) | Japan Trucking Association President's Special Award |
Trailer Division
| 1st place | Takumi Hoshino | Nippon Express (Tokyo Shipping Branch) | National Police Agency Commissioner General's Award |
| 3rd place | Shinpei Shimamoto | Nippon Express (Wakayama Branch) | |
| 5th place | Shigeru Yamashita | Nippon Express (Shikoku Branch) |
Women's Division
| 4th place | Miyuki Ueshima | Nippon Express (Shimonoseki Branch)） |
|---|
The above winners all received the Japan Trucking Association President's Award.
Comments from award recipients
Takashi Nakane (4-ton Division, Prime Minister's Prize)
"I still can't believe that I won the Prime Minister's Award, something I've long dreamed of. Leading up to the competition my goal had been to become the best truck driver in Japan, and during the competition I concentrated on doing my best. As a result, I was able to give it my all and win this award."
Shigeru Yamanobe (11-ton Division)
"I competed last year as well and, as I watched the awards ceremony back then, I thought the competitors being honored were awesome, so I've worked hard all year with the goal of getting on the podium myself. I'm very happy now that I've won, and I'm really glad I worked so hard all year."
Takumi Hoshino (Trailer Division)
"While I was striving for the Prime Minister's Award as my personal goal, I am happy we were able as a group to achieve our goal. The NX Group's trailer team didn't win a prize last year, and we've been practicing ever since. I felt that I could only repay those who've supported me by putting in a good performance, and I'm so glad that I won first place in the trailer category this time."
The NX Group will continue its efforts to raise the safety awareness of all employees under its Safety Philosophy of "Safety takes precedence over everything else" to eliminate traffic accidents and occupational injuries.