JEDDAH — Castrol and Alkhorayef Lubricants Company, a member of Alkhorayef Group and exclusive distributor of Castrol oils and lubricants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have partnered with Abeer Medical Group to launch ‘Castrol CRB Truckercise’ - an innovative and unique driver wellness program.

“This initiative recognizes the highly significant contribution that the trucking industry makes to the Kingdom’s economic growth,” said Haitham Badaoui, CEO, Alkhorayef Lubricants Company. “But trucks need healthy drivers in order to function reliably and safely, and that’s why, in association with Castrol, we undertook an in-depth survey that involved 450 truckers in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam - this gave us a strong understanding of the variety of health issues they face”.

Truck driving is a demanding job that, as well as being hazardous by its very nature, often involves long hours and arduous working conditions.

“Our survey showed that 50% of the drivers who took part had health and fitness challenges which are too often ignored because of the nature of their work,” added Badaoui.

Castrol has a long-standing close relationship with truck drivers in Saudi Arabia and decided to plan a program that would improve their safety and well-being, and Abeer Medical Group, a multinational healthcare organization, was the logical partner for the initiative.

Based on the findings of the survey, Castrol, in association with Abeer Medical Group, developed a bespoke activity package that is specifically designed to address the key issues that truck drivers face on a daily basis. The program includes blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure checks as well as advice on stretching, driving posture, exercise regimes that work around the busy schedules that drivers have, driving hygiene, stress management and healthy eating tips and essential first aid.

“We are also using this as an opportunity to encourage drivers to regularly undergo preventive screenings and to stop smoking,” said Abdul Rahman, Business Development Manager of Abeer Medical Group.

The Castrol CRB Truckercise program, which will be held in Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, is targeted to reach 18,000 truck drivers, and will be delivered from a specially created mobile wellness clinic, manned by doctors and nurses from Abeer Medical Group.

When it comes to the well-being of the trucks themselves, Castrol’s CRB Turbomax - a premium multigrade diesel engine oil - is specially formulated for turbocharged diesel engines.

Castrol CRB Turbomax 15W40 CH-4 is ideal for use in BS II and BS III compliant turbocharged commercial vehicles and all CH-4 recommended turbo-charged engines, while Castrol CRB Turbomax 15W40 CI4 Plus is ideal for BS II, BS III, BS IV (without DPF), Euro II and Euro III compliant turbo charged commercial vehicles and all CI-4 Plus recommended turbo-charged engines.

Castrol CRB Turbomax 20W-50 is a high-quality diesel engine oil specially formulated with DuraShieldTM boosters, to give you up to twice the engine life. Castrol CRB Multi 20W-50 is recommended for use in naturally aspirated and turbocharged diesel engines fitted in trucks, buses, LCVs, tractors, off-highway equipment, 3-wheelers and gensets.

Containing specially engineered DuraShieldTM boosters, they help fight he main causes of engine damage, and under severe testing, deliver up to double engine life.

“Under severe engine operating conditions, soot can gather to form large particles which help to displace oil on moving metal surfaces,” added Badaoui. “This results in metal to metal contact, which in turn causes wear - Castrol CRB Turbomax puts a protective layer on moving metal surfaces which resists breakdown, even under the most demanding conditions”. — SG