Driver of the Year 2016

Matthew Pickering of Samworth Brothers Supply Chain was named the overall winner of the inaugural FTA Driver of the Year 2016 competition.

Matthew won the Truck Driver of the Year 44 tonne competition sponsored by Mercedes-Benz trucks back in July, beating 19 other finalists. The hard-fought contest examined contestants' driving skills (fuel economy and driver behaviour), manoeuvring ability, legislative knowledge and their ability to identify pre-use defects of the vehicle. Drivers were marked on each task and ranked based on their scores.

For a summary on the results of the 2016 event, plus details on the winners from each category, please see below:

Truck Driver of the Year (44 tonne)

• Economical Driving - supported by Fleetboard Telematics - the winner was Matthew Pickering from Samworth Brothers

• Driving Style - supported by Fleetboard Telematics - the winner was Paul Bracefrom United Biscuits

• Pre-use Defect Check - supported by Bridgestone Partners - the winner was  Matthew Pickering from Samworth Brothers

• The Legislation Test - arranged by FTA’s Member Advice Centre - the winner was Martin Taylor from Sainsbury’s

• Manoeuvring Task - the winner was David Marshall from Marshalls Mono

Truck Driver of the Year (18 tonne)

• Economical Driving - supported by Isotrak - the winner was John Broughan from Armstrong Priestly
• Driving Style - supported by Isotrak - the winner was Ivor Haslett from RiverRidge Recycling
• Pre-use Defect Check - supported by Bridgestone Partners - the winner was Dean Dabell from Pedigree Wholesale
• The Legislation Test - arranged by FTA's own Member Advice Centre - the winner was Michael Read from Marwood Electricals
• Manoeuvring Task - the winner was David West from Total Foodservice Solutions

Van Excellence Driver of the Year

• Economical Driving - supported by Hertz Van Rental - the winner was Colin Shearer from Kelly Fleet Services
• Driving Style - supported by TomTom Telematics - the winner was Matthew Young from AAH Pharmaceutical
• Pre-use Defect Check - supported by Bott - the winner was Terry King from Balfour Beatty
• Risk Awareness - supported by Licence Bureau - the winner was  Jonathan Walls from Alliance Healthcare
• Legislation Test - the winner was Terry King from Balfour Beatty
• Manoeuvring Task - supported by Lex Autolease - the winner was Lisa Hanley from G4S

FTA's Driver of the Year 2016 competition proved to be a huge success this past summer.

Entry was open to FTA Members and Van Excellence accredited operators where participants competed in various tasks in one of three days of contests.

The driving competition

The skills and abilities of the shortlisted drivers were put to the test over a series of driving related exercises that included manoeuvring, economical awareness, legislation and more. Every contestant was then scored on each element of the tasks.

Prizes

The first placed winner in each contest received a £1,000 holiday voucher with second and third placed winners receiving an iPad and £250 Red Letter Day voucher respectively.

Take a look at the highlights for our Van Excellence Driver of the Year 2016!