FTA Driver of the Year Competition

Both drivers who pride themselves on the skill with which they carry out their delivery work and those in a managerial position searching for motivational tools should take note: following on from the success of last year’s Van Excellence competition, the Freight and Transport Association is launching the FTA Driver of the Year competition.

What Was Van Excellence?

The Van Excellence competition was a day-long event celebrating the skill of the industry’s delivery workers. Last year the crown was taken by Dave Lucas, who drives a van for London Borough of Redbridge. Not only was the competition great fun for all involved and a personal feather in Lucas’ cap, but has boosted morale for all of the London Borough of Redbridge’s drivers.

What is the Driver of the Year Competition?

After Van Excellence proved so popular, the FTA has decided to expand the roster by putting a wider variety of driving skills to the test. Not only are van delivery workers able to compete (as they did last year), but there are also two events specifically for HGV drivers: one for 44 tonne vehicles and another for 18 tonne vehicles. This means that drivers specialising in both larger and smaller HGVs have an opportunity to compete for the title.

The competition takes place at Wentworth Park in Barnsley, starting on the 12th July and finishing on the 14th July. You can nominate a driver online, and while winners of each individual category will be announced at the event itself, there will also be an overall Driver of the Year selected who will be announced in October.

What’s the Value of It?

For individual delivery workers, the value of the Driver of the Year competition comes in the form of fun and personal satisfaction. Additionally, a solid placing in the competition would be a great Unique Selling Point when applying to work with new companies, or when promoting oneself as an owner-operator.

There’s plenty of value for companies as well: competitions like this are a good way to boost employee morale with minimal organisation and investment. As well as this internal value, there’s the opportunity to use high rankings in the competition to promote the company as a whole, showing that you employ only the very best drivers to carry out your delivery work.

Given the FTA’s titanic profile within the haulage industry, the FTA Driver of the Year competition will only grow in stature as the years go on. It’s a good idea to register as soon as possible, especially as it’ll be easier to snag a title in the early years of the competition.