More than 7,700 drivers and commercial vehicle operators voted Voith Turbo's Retarder as the Best Brand for the fourth time consecutively. The survey was conducted by readers of the European trade magazines Lastauto Omnibus, Trans Aktuell and Fernfahrer.

The readers assessed the criteria brand quality, brand perception and brand likeability. Runners up on the nominations were ZF, Telma, Kloft, Frenelsa and T.M.M.

Comparative test runs of the high performance continuous brake resulted in up to 36 percent fewer gearshifts, as well as increased average speeds and reduced fuel consumption. According to Volker Zimmermann, Voith Turbo executive vice president, at the award ceremony in Ludwigsburg, Germany on May 18, "The retarder stands for safety, economy and driving comfort. We are intensively working on making driving with retarders even more resource-efficient. Thanks to the retarder, drivers have to brake or change gears less frequently."

The Voith Retarder is a wear-free continuous brake for trucks and coaches. On the bases of 1,500,000 kilometers, vehicles without retarders have to undergo workshop stops for brake lining renewal five times more often. The retarder also helps reduce brake dust emissions by 80 percent, according to the company's press release. Voith has delivered more than 575,000 retarders since 1963.