Volvo Campaign Emphasizing the Value of Truckers

Andrea Martins

Bad pay, bad roads, assaults and accidents. There are many reasons for a truck driver’s lack of motivation to continue in his profession. Research shows that 55% of truckers have left the wheel of heavy vehicles and 86% would not want their sons to follow in their footsteps. In a country like Brazil, where 70% of the freight transportation is concentrated on the highways, this is cause for concern for the sector.

There are almost 2 million trucks on the roads, between individual contractors, companies and cooperatives, and when the economy recovers there is the risk of a lack of drivers. “For the last two years there has been a shortage of 100,000 drivers. Now, with the crisis, there is no shortage” said Solange Fusco, director of Corporate Communications at Volvo Latin America Group. “But when the Brazilian economy begins to grow again, this problem will return. If the trucks stop, Brazil will stop”.

In an attempt to reverse the negative perception of the profession, the Swedish company Volvo launched a campaign in Brazil to promote the value of the trucking professional. The first action is the promotion of Your Voice Will Take You Far, which will listen to the opinions of Brazilian truck drivers and also give away a trip to Sweden, the headquarters of Volvo, in October. The winner will be accompanied by the journalist Peter Trucão, from the program Foot on the Road, on TV Bandeirantes.

“Sweden has one of the best freight transportation systems in the world”, says Trucão, who has been covering the truck industry since 1981. “The idea is to drive around Sweden, see the conditions there, what is good and what functions, so we can implement them here”.

Volvo expects to collect important information with the campaign, to be able to better understand the perceptions and needs of drivers and develop actions based on the research.

“The survey data will provide insight that will contribute to the improvement of the trucking profession from the point of view of the drivers themselves”, says Anaelse Oliveira, coordinator of the Volvo Transit Safety Program.

To enter the lottery, the truck driver must register and answer a questionnaire that addresses issues related to life on the road. The driver can also submit their observations on the positive aspects of the profession and what can be done to improve it. This can be in any format, such as written statements, poems, music or videos. The best submissions may be used in the campaign’s future media actions.

Registration can be made on the promotion website until July 31^st. The lottery will be held on August 3^rd and the winner will be awarded a trip to Sweden for a week. During their stay, they will get to know the reality of freight transportation in the country and also visit the Volvo factory in Gothenburg.