Company News
11. June 2019

Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2019

Bott host Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2019

On Saturday 8th June, Bott sponsored, and played host to, the FTA Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2019 competition. The event was also supported by fellow Van Excellence Gold Partners; Brigade, Hertz Van Rental, Lex Autolease, and Quartix.

A morning filled with rigorous assessments, testing driving style, manoeuvring skills, economical driving, legislation knowledge, vehicle defect identification, and risk assessment, fourteen finalists from across the UK were put through their paces, in aim of being named the 2019 Van Excellence Driver of the Year, or Young Driver of the Year.

2019 Van Excellence Driver of the Year

The unsung heroes of Britain

Mark Cartwright, Head of Vans at FTA, administers of the Van Excellence scheme, explained:

From delivering our online shopping to keeping businesses and schools stocked with the vital materials they need, the essential services van drivers provide are often overlooked. These awards provide us the opportunity to celebrate the unsung heroes of Britain: the dedicated and highly accomplished drivers keeping businesses of all sectors trading.

Driver of the Year 2019

Newly crowned Driver of the Year 2019, Chris Shenton, of ASDA, said:

I’m thrilled to be named as the best van driver in the UK, I love my role as a driver, and I have always taken it very seriously; to be recognised for my dedication, hard work, and constant thirst for improvement over the years is overwhelming. I would like to thank my fellow drivers at ASDA whose own brilliance pushes me to be the best I can. I would also like to thank Van Excellence for providing me with this opportunity to showcase everything I have learnt throughout my driving career.

2019 Young Driver of the Year

Our 2019 Young Driver of the Year, Alex Tilley, of Moy Park Ltd, commented:

I’m so pleased I get to drive a van as part of my career as a joiner; I love the variety, autonomy, challenge, and opportunity it brings. To be named as the best young van driver in the UK is an overwhelming feeling and I never expected to achieve such an accolade so early in my career. I would like to thank my colleagues at Moy Park for helping me become the driver I am today.

Second place was awarded to Daniel Mackenzie, of Scottish Water, whilst third place was secured by Luke Howarth, of Alliance Healthcare.

Additional awards were presented to the winners of the individual skills tests:

Economical driving, sponsored by Quartix: Daniel Mackenzie of Scottish Water

Driving style, sponsored by Hertz: Daniel Mackenzie of Scottish Water

Legislation test, sponsored by Bott Ltd: Lee Magri of Kelly Fleet Services

Pre-use defect check, sponsored by Lex Autolease: Daniel Mackenzie of Scottish Water

Manoeuvring, sponsored by Brigade Electronics: Lee McCafferty of Greencore

Risk assessment, sponsored by McCarron Coates: Garry Spiller of ASDA

Administered by FTA, the leading organisation in UK logistics, the Van Excellence programme was created in 2010 to promote the safe operation of vans, represent the interests of the sector, and celebrate operators demonstrating excellent standards. Central to the scheme is the Van Excellence Code, a set of minimum best practice standards all van operators should aspire to achieve, covering safety, efficiency and sustainability.

The shortlist consisted of expert drivers from ASDA, Alliance Healthcare, Scottish Water, Fleet Solutions by BT, Greencore, Elis, Kelly Fleet Services, Amey, G4S Cash Solutions, Moy Park Ltd and Ringtons Ltd.

For more information about the Van Excellence scheme, please click here.