UD Trucks has announced that a Sydney based driver has taken first place in its Extra Mile Challenge competition after three months of intense com-petition which was monitored and judged but the company’s UD Connect telematics system.
Sydney based driver Anthony Cassar of Coolway Trans in Sydney and follows Australia’s global victory in the competition 2024 with owner-operator Matt Modra of MA and RC Modra.
UD Trucks announced Cassar’s win after the three weeks of competition in which drivers were assessed across key performance disciplines including anticipation and braking, driveline utilisation, speed adaptation and standstill.
In what UD described as an incredibly close final, Cassar secured victory with an average score of 82.66, finishing just one point ahead of his nearest rival.
UD says that it launched the Extra Mile Challenge in in 2015 as a skills-based driver competition designed to demonstrate how improvements in driver behaviour can contribute to safer driving, improved fuel efficiency and reduced vehicle wear and tear.
The company says that the challenge celebrates the professional truck drivers who keep Australia moving while supporting its commitment to creating a better life.
As Australia’s 2026 champion Cassar will travel to UD HQ at Ageo in Japan in October to compete in the Global Extra Mile Challenge Final, where he is set to go head-to-head with the world’s best UD drivers behind the wheel of the UD Quon.
Cassar has around 27 years of driving experience behind the wheel of trucks and his skill and ability clearly shone through int he Australian final.
Vice president of UD Trucks Australia, Cameron Bettany congratulated Cassar on an outstanding result.
“The Extra Mile Challenge showcases the professionalism, skill and dedication of our drivers, and Anthony’s performance throughout the competition has been exceptional,” Bettany said.
“We’re excited to once again have a strong Australian representative competing on the world stage and we wish him every success as he takes on the world’s best drivers in Japan and proudly represents Australia,” he said.
Sunny Ahmed, the owner, of Coolway Trans, gave a huge thank you to UD Trucks for staging the Extra Mile Challenge and giving its driver the platform to shine.
“We’re incredibly proud of him and this result and it’s a well-deserved achievement that reflects his professionalism and dedication behind the wheel, so good luck in Ageo,” Ahmed added.
UD Trucks gave thanks to all participating drivers, customers and dealer partners for involvement in this year’s challenge and said it looked forward to cheering Cassar on as he represents Australia at the global final in Japan this October against 16 other competing countries.
