The 33rd UICR Professional Driver World Championship (PDWC 2026) has successfully concluded in Eppelheim, near Heidelberg, Germany, bringing together professional drivers, national teams, officials, volunteers, transport industry representatives and guests for an international celebration of professional driving skill, road safety, technical competence and friendship.
Held from 9–12 September 2026, the Championship was organised under the responsibility of the UICR – Union Internationale des Chauffeurs Routiers, with MSC Eppelheim e.V. im ADAC as the host organisation.
Over several days of competition, professional drivers representing their countries demonstrated their knowledge, precision, vehicle control, safety awareness and professional competence across a demanding programme of theoretical and practical assessments.
Walter Pisarnik, President of the UICR, said: “PDWC 2026 has once again demonstrated the extraordinary skill, knowledge and professionalism of professional drivers. I am proud to see drivers from different countries competing at the highest level while sharing friendship, respect and a common commitment to road safety.
“On behalf of the UICR, I sincerely thank MSC Eppelheim, all volunteers and officials, our supporting employers and partners, and especially every driver who represented their country in Eppelheim. Together, you made the 33rd Professional Driver World Championship a truly international celebration of our profession.”
The UICR Professional Driver World Championship is about considerably more than simply manoeuvring a commercial vehicle through a competition course.
PDWC 2026 tested the professional knowledge and practical abilities required of today’s commercial drivers through a combination of competition disciplines, including:
Accuracy, judgement, safety, efficiency, vehicle control and professional conduct were central to the Championship.
Competitors took part across different vehicle categories, representing the broad range of skills required in professional road passenger and goods transport.
One of the highlights of the Championship was the traditional Walk of Nations, bringing participating countries together and reflecting one of the fundamental principles of the UICR: international friendship and mutual respect between professional drivers, regardless of nationality, language or background.
Throughout the Championship, the competitors demonstrated that professional driving requires much more than the ability to operate a vehicle.
It requires knowledge, concentration, responsibility, discipline, technical understanding, anticipation and respect for passengers, goods, vehicles and all other road users.
The atmosphere in Eppelheim reflected the spirit that has been at the heart of the UICR Professional Driver World Championship throughout its history:
PDWC 2026 World Championship Results
Following the completion of the competition disciplines, the successful drivers and national teams were recognised during the official Awards Ceremony.
The UICR congratulates the following PDWC 2026 individual World Champions, podium finishers and National Team winners.
Category A – Solo Truck
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Harry Winqvist – Finland
🥈 2nd – Petri Haikara – Finland
🥉 3rd – Bogdan Kalinka – Poland
National Team Classification
🥇 1st – Finland
🥈 2nd – Germany
🥉 3rd – Croatia
Category B – Bus
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Jaakko Punkero – Finland
🥈 2nd – Ralf Rüscher – Germany
🥉 3rd – Andreas Schiffer – Germany
National Team Classification
🥇 1st – Germany
🥈 2nd – Finland
🥉 3rd – Croatia
Category C – Articulated Lorry
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Mikko Jokinen – Finland
🥈 2nd – Tero Sikkara – Finland
🥉 3rd – Mario Kühne – Germany
National Team Classification
🥇 1st – Finland
🥈 2nd – Hungary
🥉 3rd – Poland
Category D – Truck with Trailer
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Jukka Haanpää – Finland
🥈 2nd – Thomas Scheidt – Germany
🥉 3rd – Marko Tiihonen – Finland
National Team Classification
🥇 1st – Finland
🥈 2nd – Germany
🥉 3rd – Switzerland
Category E – Young Drivers – Under 21 Years of Age
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Simon Hoffleit – Germany
🥈 2nd – Jami Nordström – Finland
Category E featured two competitors at PDWC 2026 and therefore two individual positions were awarded.
Category F – Delivery Van
Individual Classification
🥇 1st – Appie Bruggink – Netherlands
🥈 2nd – Harrie Wielens – Netherlands
🥉 3rd – Matthias Hamacher – Germany
National Team Classification
🥇 1st – Finland
🥈 2nd – Netherlands
🥉 3rd – Poland
ECO Driving
The ECO Driving competition placed particular emphasis on the principles of safe, economical and environmentally responsible professional driving.
The PDWC 2026 ECO Driving podium was:
🥇 1st – Peter O’Neill – Ireland
🥈 2nd – Piotr Mierzejewski – Poland
🥉 3rd – Reinhard Klumpp – Germany
The ECO Driving discipline reflects an increasingly important aspect of the professional driver’s role: combining road safety and operational efficiency with responsible fuel and energy use.
Jaakko Punkero Wins the UICR Trophy
In addition to winning the individual World Championship title in Category B – Bus, Finland’s Jaakko Punkero was awarded the UICR Trophy for achieving the highest individual score of all drivers competing at PDWC 2026.
Punkero achieved an outstanding result of 1,889 points in a time of 11:31, the highest score recorded by any driver across all vehicle categories at the Championship.
🏆 UICR Trophy Winner – Jaakko Punkero – Finland – 1,889 points
The UICR Trophy recognises the outstanding overall individual performance across the PDWC competition and represents a significant achievement at the Professional Driver World Championship.
Finland Wins the PDWC 2026 Nation Cup – Three Consecutive Titles
One of the Championship’s principal national honours was the PDWC 2026 Nation Cup. To qualify for the Nation Cup, a nation was required to field a full team of three drivers in each of Categories A, B, C and D – a total of 12 drivers representing the nation across the four principal vehicle categories.
The Nation Cup ranking was then determined from the combined national results across Categories A, B, C and D, recognising not only individual excellence but the strength and consistency of the national team across the Championship’s principal vehicle categories.
The final Nation Cup podium was:
🥇 1st – Finland – 16,642 points
🥈 2nd – Germany – 14,956 points
🥉 3rd – Poland – 12,197 points
Finland therefore concluded PDWC 2026 as the Nation Cup winner, following a particularly strong performance across the four principal Championship categories.
The victory in Eppelheim also represents an exceptional achievement for the Finnish national team: Finland has now won the UICR Nation Cup at three consecutive Professional Driver World Championships – Belgium 2018, Croatia 2022 and Germany 2026.
No Professional Driver World Championship was held in 2020 or 2024, making Finland’s achievement an uninterrupted run of three consecutive Nation Cup victories at the Championships held since 2018.
