The IRU Presidential Executive awards prestigious IRU "Diplôme d'honneur" to some 1075 drivers from 29 countries for their excellent driving and safety records.

Geneva – On the occasion of the General Assembly of the International Road Transport Union (IRU), the IRU Presidential Executive awarded the IRU “Diplôme d’honneur” to 1075 professional drivers, including 25 taxi drivers, from 29 countries.

This prestigious award honours long-serving, safe, loyal and upstanding professional drivers. It is awarded to international goods or passenger drivers who have performed to the satisfaction of current and previous employers, by driving commercial vehicles professionally and safely for at least 20 years.

In so doing, they must have driven a minimum of 1 million kilometres, without causing any serious accident involving bodily harm in the last 15 years.

In addition, the driver must have committed no serious violation of traffic, customs or administrative regulations during the last five years in any of the countries in which he/she has driven.

Congratulating the drivers, IRU President Janusz Lacny said, “These diplomas are awarded to the most deserving drivers whose performance over the last 20 years serves as an example to younger drivers and improves the image of the profession. It is proof of a high level of professionalism within our sector and demonstrates the industry’s efforts to ever improve its safety records by emulating best practices and through professional training as provided by the IRU Academy. ”

This year’s recipients come from the following countries: Argentina (5), Austria (5), Belarus (76), Belgium (97), Bulgaria (3), Czech Republic (40), Denmark (9), Estonia (14), Finland (22), France (3), Germany (97), Hungary (30), Iran (2), Kazakhstan (21), Lithuania (22), FYR of Macedonia (2), Moldova (3), Netherlands (156), Norway (5), Poland (65), Portugal (45), Romania (9), Russia (119), Serbia (14), Slovakia (25), Spain (8), Turkey (125), Ukraine (52), United Kingdom (1).

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Press contact: Juliette Ebélé, +41 22 918 27 07, Press@iru.org