The driver who won Volvo’s recent “Teabag Challenge” has proclaimed his victory a “fluke” – as he had never driven a B-double before.
Dean Herring, who carts fuel for Bennett’s Petroleum in Tasmania, said that because of his lack of B-double experience he tried his best to avoid taking part in the contest, which was part of the recent Volvo Trucks Oceania Driver Challenge in Brisbane.
The Teabag Challenge involves reversing a B-double with a teabag attached – either to the back trailer or the front trailer – and attempting to get it as close as possible to a mug of water, with the help of Volvo’s camera monitoring system.
In theory, the winner would be able to dip the teabag into the water, making a cup of tea – check out the video below for an example.
Herring told Big Rigs: “We didn’t really have to do the Teabag Challenge, they were just encouraging everyone to have a go.
“I was trying to get out of it all day but they eventually talked me into doing it.
“I got the teabag about half an inch away from being inside the actual cup, and it turned out I was the closest out of everyone.”
He added, laughing: “I’m just glad they didn’t ask me to do it again!”
Herring, who won a Garmin smartwatch and a glass trophy for his efforts, said he had previously seen a video of the Teabag Challenge in which the teabag had been much closer to the driver.
“When we were doing the challenge they had the teabag on the rear end of the last trailer, so it was a good 20 metres away from me,” he said.
“It was a lot harder than the video I saw on Facebook. I was very surprised when I won!”
Herring has been a truckie for ten years and drives mostly twin-steer rigids and tri-axle semis for Bennett’s.
When asked about his how he picked up his driving skills, he was modest but said he learned most of what he knows from spending time on farms.
“I’ve been driving since I could reach the steering wheel and the pedals at the same time,” he added.
Sharing his top driving advice, he said: “Just keep an eye out for everybody else on the road, and always look ahead to see what’s coming.”