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Haulage work demands strength, stamina and excellent driving skills. Drivers who spend hours on the roads must be capable of dealing with a wide variety of loads as well as constantly changing weather, road and traffic conditions. It’s no surprise, therefore, that the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Driver of the Year Competition has generated a lot of interest in the media, the industry and amongst the UK’s professional freight drivers. A Professional Competition for Professional Drivers The 2016 competition, to be held at Mercedes-Benz in Wentworth Park this July, has been spilt into three separate competitions: • 44 tonne truck Driver of the Year (sponsored by Mercedes Benz) - July 12th. • 18 tonne truck Driver of the Year (sponsored by Bridgestone Tyres) - July 13th. • Van Excellence Driver of the Year (sponsored by Leaseplan) - July 14th. The decision to arrange three separate competitions was taken following the highly successful 2015 competition - won by Dave Lucas from the London Borough of Redbridge. Each category involves the same requirements and is designed to test the professional driver’s haulage work skills. Only 20 drivers will be selected to compete in each category, and will be selected from a list of drivers proposed by their respective employers. Employers must also explain the reasons why their candidates are suitable for the competition to ensure they’re shortlisted. The Challenges As with any ongoing competition, standards improve from one competition to the next, with drivers in this year’s competition being expected to compete in the following sections: • Driving skills – drivers will follow a set route, with their actions monitored and recorded by telematics. • Driving economy – telematics will record overall fuel consumption. • Manoeuvring – manoeuvre around a specially designed obstacle course. • Vehicle awareness – identify a set number of defects on a vehicle. • Legislation – knowledge of legislation as it applies to drivers, vehicles and haulage work. • On-line risk awareness test. The Prizes The winning driver in each category will be awarded a £1000 holiday gift voucher, second place an IPad and third place a £250 Red Letter Day Voucher. Effects on the Industry’s Image FTA’s Head of Vans, Mark Cartwright, said: “The standard of entries to the FTA Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2015 was outstanding. Many congratulations must go to every single person who took part – they all demonstrated expertise, knowledge, experience and professionalism in every aspect of the competition. The image of the ‘white van man’ is much maligned, and this event offers drivers the opportunity to highlight the fantastic work they do, and illustrates the professional manner in which they carry out their work - playing a vital role within the UK logistics sector on a daily basis.” Organisers of the 2016 competition are confident that this year’s driving standards will equal, if not excel, those displayed by last years’ contestants. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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