Leinfelden-Echterdingen / Chambéry (France) – From March 10 to 13, 2026, the international winter service elite will gather for the 5th World Snowplow Championship in the French Alpine town of Chambéry. Competing against teams from 11 other nations, three German drivers will compete using the Unimog implement carrier.

The German teams qualified for the world championship at the 3rd German Snowplow Championship held in September 2025 in Marktredwitz (Bavaria). In front of around 7,000 spectators, 33 teams competed on a challenging course. The title was secured by the Oberweyern road maintenance department (Hesse) with drivers Michael Wilhelmi and Lukas Kniesner. Second place went to the Bingen road maintenance department (Rhineland-Palatinate), followed by the Emmelshausen motorway maintenance department (Rhineland-Palatinate) in third. These results determined which German teams will now compete on the international stage. However, only one driver per vehicle is permitted to compete at the world championship.

At the Snowplow World Championship, participants must complete tasks on two realistic courses designed to reflect the challenges of real-world winter road maintenance: slalom driving through narrow passages, precise stopping, accurate maneuvering, and simulated snow clearance on multi-lane routes – all under time pressure and according to strict evaluation criteria. Every centimeter counts, and every movement of the steering wheel, accelerator, and joystick must be perfectly coordinated.

The Unimog demonstrates its strengths on the international stage. Its agility, precise steering, and flexible combination of clearing and spreading equipment make it ideally suited to the varied demands of the competition. These qualities also distinguish the Unimog implement carrier in everyday municipal operations, where roads must be cleared safely, quickly, and reliably. Up to 1,000 Unimog implement carriers are delivered annually from the Wörth am Rhein plant.

The Snowplow World Championship is part of the “17th International Congress on Road Winter Service, Resilience and Decarbonization,” which brings experts from around the world to Chambéry. In addition to the sporting competition, the event focuses on international exchange, innovative technical approaches, and the future of winter road maintenance. Daimler Truck supports the Snowplow World Championship as an official sponsor.