Published on: 2026-09-07
Source: KAMAZ – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
The All-Russian professional skills competition “Best Truck Driver,” with KAMAZ as the general sponsor, has concluded in Naberezhnye Chelny. Half a hundred drivers from 33 regions of Russia competed for the title of the best.
The ceremonial closing of the competition took place on September 4th at the Square of the Pribrezhny Park. As part of the event, an exhibition of KAMAZ vehicles was organized: the presentation of the automotive equipment for the honored guests was conducted by Valery Slyusar, an engineer-designer from the Chief Designer Service for testing. The solemn closing ceremony began with a parade of participants on the main square of the Square. It included 48 drivers from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Saratov, Perm, Tula, Astrakhan, and other cities.
From the stage, the competition participants and winners were greeted by the mayor of Naberezhnye Chelny, Nail Magdeev; the deputy general director of PJSC “KAMAZ” for personnel management, organizational development and corporate governance, Zhanna Khaliullina; the director of the Department of State Policy in the Field of Motor and Urban Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, Andrey Yenin; and the general director of JSC “Research Institute of Motor Transport,” Valery Mashkov.
“In three days you have demonstrated high skill, confirming that the profession of a heavy truck driver is important for our country. Lives depend on your responsible and disciplined work. You have proven that you are professionals in your field. We always look forward to seeing you in Naberezhnye Chelny!” – noted Mayor of the city Nail Magdeev.
“Today I visited this, I won’t be afraid to say, great KAMAZ plant. I consider it the best truck. My favorite truck is the KAMAZ-5320. It is the first vehicle I ever drove along with my father.”, – shared the chairman of the contest organizing committee, Andrey Yenin, Director of the Department of State Policy in the Field of Automobile and Passenger Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. He also noted that he was struck by the scale of the competition in Naberezhnye Chelny.
“First of all, I thank the participants. You have once again proven that you are passionate professionals in your field, who know and love our vehicle just as much as we, the Kamaz team, do. For us, this competition is a school of mastery, a platform for exchanging experience, and a powerful tool for improving safety on our roads. After all, each of you is responsible for people, for the safety of cargo, and for the stability of the entire transport system. Your professionalism and confidence in Kamaz heavy trucks allow us to assert that the safety of Russia is in reliable hands. Dear participants, you are already winners because you are the elite of the Russian transportation industry. You drive the economy forward,” – in turn, said Deputy General Director of KAMAZ for Personnel Management, Organizational Development, and Corporate Governance Zhanna Khaliullina.
Jury chairman Valery Mashkov personally thanked the large team of organizers from the city and “KAMAZ” for holding the competition at the highest level. “For the first time, I don’t hear any complaints from the participants about the vehicle provided for the competition. No one says: ‘If only I were driving my own MAN…’ That is priceless.” – emphasized the CEO of NIIAT.
Let us recall, the contest involved trials in two classes. In the C category, drivers of trucks weighing from 3.5 to 10 tons participated, and in the CE category – drivers of road trains comprising a tractor and a semi-trailer. The vehicles provided for the competition were the Kompas 9 (KAMAZ-43089) truck and a road train consisting of a KAMAZ-54902 tractor with a semi-trailer.
The awards ceremony began with special prizes from the Trade Union of Automotive Transport and Road Industry Workers. They were awarded to the youngest contestant in the competition, 24-year-old Ilya Sadkov from Perm, and the most experienced, Pyotr Ivanov, an employee of the company “AutoZapchast KAMAZ,” who has spent 46 of his 66 years behind the wheel. The prizes were also given to female contestants competing with heavy trucks: Elena Zapolskaya, a driver at the KAMAZ Logistics Center, and Marina Kondakova from Kazan. They received washing machines as gifts.
In category C, Aleksandr Haas from Samara won the victory. Vadim Tyulnev from Ukhta took second place. Third was Aleksandr Zheltyshev from Chelny, a driver at the Forge Plant of PJSC KAMAZ.
In the CE category, Igor Khalturin from Naberezhnye Chelny, a driver for the transport company Delko, won. He received 300 thousand rubles and the main prize from PJSC KAMAZ – a Moskvich car. The keys were ceremoniously handed to him by Zhanna Khaliullina. Second place in the category was taken by Alexander Sedelnikov from Omsk. He was awarded a cash prize of 150 thousand rubles. In third place was Alexander Anisimov from Cheboksary, who won 50 thousand rubles.
The festive evening concluded with a concert by a popular representative of Tatar pop music – the Honored Artist of Tatarstan, Ilsiya Badretdinova.
In conclusion, the chairman of the jury, deputy chairman of the organizing committee, and general director of JSC “Scientific Research Institute of Motor Transport” Valery Mashkov noted the highest level of event organization in Avtograd. Therefore, the idea was born to make Naberezhnye Chelny a permanent venue for the final of the All-Russian competition. “I think that we might come forward with a proposal to hold the all-Russian competitions right here on this venue. We are impressed with Naberezhnye Chelny, its residents, the track, the sponsors. If there is such a host, of course, we want to return. These competitions are important for Tatarstan and for Russia as a whole. Naberezhnye Chelny is the automotive capital of the country. On our roads, there are KAMAZ trucks and NEFAZ buses. We see how KAMAZ has been able to replace foreign brands with the highest quality. They create excellent vehicles. We tried them out today while driving. And we must further elevate the prestige of the driver’s profession.”, concluded the chairperson of the jury.
Please note; This information is unprocessed content obtained directly from the source of information. It is an accurate report of what the source asserts and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.