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The UK scored its highest-ever placing in the Scania Young European Truck Driver of the Year final in Sodertalje, Sweden, last weekend. UK finalist William Herron, 31, who drives for family agricultural haulage firm WJ Herron Transport, scored joint 6th on points - narrowly missing out on making the final knockout stages by the tiniest margin on fuel economy, taking 7th place officially.

The result is a testament to Herron's adaptability, who prior to the competition had never driven on  Continental roads. Self-employed Polish driver Marek Szerenos took the top spot after a final day of manoeuvring tests and knockout rounds, winning a brand new Scania truck valued at €100,000. Second place went to Ireland's Tom Sharkey, while Milan Jakubek of Slovakia claimed third place.

The biannual competition, which started in 2003, attracted 16,000 initial entrants across Europe, more than 2,600 from the UK. The final 27 had to complete a road driving element on the first day of the two-day final - this comprised defensive driving, fuel economy and hazard recognition. They were also tested on load securing skills and their ability to spot defects that could compromise a vehicle's road safety.

Day two saw the drivers perform challenging adaptive driving, manoeuvring and precision driving tests. The top six performers over the two days at this point went through to a semi-final knockout event, competing in pairs to be the first to knock down four specific cones to form  a box around the truck. The three winners of this sudden death round then competed in the tough grand final - driving in reverse through a zig-zag course, knocking a cone over and driving back to the finish.

Herron runs Co. Down, Northern Ireland-based WJ Herron alongside father William Snr, who founded the company. He described being at the final as "the experience of a lifetime" and said he would be going back to work "a very happy man". He first entered in 2003 and says reaching the final this time as "unbelievable".

Competition organiser Mikael Friis told the finalists at the end of the first day of tests that he was particularly impressed with their performance on the defensive driving round. Of the 27 finalists, 21, including UK contender William Herron, scored maximum points. But Friis noted that no-one scored top marks in the cargo security round or driver defect spotting. "There is room for improvement," he warns.