UK's finest van operators and drivers recognised at FTA Van Excellence awards

Tuesday 12 November 2019

The UK’s ‘best of the best’ van operators and drivers have been recognised at FTA’s 2019 Van Excellence Honours Lunch, which took place today (12 November 2019) at a dazzling ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Birmingham, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Vans. 

The awards, also sponsored by The AA, Bott, Brigade Electronics, Hertz, Lex Autolease and Quartix, celebrate the businesses and individuals who have made a significant contribution to the industry and are setting a high standard for others to follow.   

Kevin Green, Director of Marketing and Communications at FTA, which administers the Van Excellence scheme, comments: “As the vans market continues to grow rapidly – there are now more than 4.3 million of them on Britain’s roads – it is important we recognise the van drivers and operators consistently leading the way in excellence. Vans play a vital and varied role in the UK economy, from a means to deliver a consumer’s online shopping to transporting a tradesman’s tools. And the role of van drivers and operators is equally diverse: community consideration, employee welfare and use of technology all form part of their day-to-day responsibilities. Yet too often their contribution to society is undervalued; these awards are an opportunity to finally change that.   

“All the winners and highly commended entrants have proven they truly are the best of the best in their respective fields; I would like to extend my congratulations to them all.” 

Andy Eccles, Head of Fleet, Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd, comments: “We are very proud to champion the van community. Safety, compliance and innovation are important for all van owners and operators, irrespective of size, so we are pleased to help celebrate so many examples of best practice.” 

The full list of winners is as follows: 

 

Van Excellence Champion of the Year  

  • Winner:  Rachel Bullen, Fleet Operations Manager, Cadent Gas 

Putting Drivers First, sponsored by Brigade Electronics 

  • Winner: Auto Electrical Services (AES) 

  • Highly commended: McGinley Support Services 

Using Technology for Good, sponsored by Hertz  

  • Winner: Cadent Gas 

  • Highly commended: Auto Electrical Services (AES) 

Keeping your Show on the Road, sponsored by The AA 

  • Winner: Murphy Plant Limited 

  • Highly Commended: Reflex Vehicle Hire 

Making a Difference, sponsored by Lex Autolease 

  • Winner: Reflex Vehicle Hire 

Helping the Community, sponsored by Quartix 

  • Winner: McGinley Support Services 

  • Highly Commended: Reflex Vehicle Hire 

Winning at Wellbeing, sponsored by Bott 

  • Winner:  Auto Electrical Services (AES) 

Hero of the Year, sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Vans 

  • Winner: Kevin Marriott, Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd 

  • Highly Commended: Andrew Robbins, BT Fleet 

 

For more information on Van Excellence please visit http://www.vanexcellence.co.uk, email  info@vanexcellence.co.uk or call 03717 11 22 22. 

Administered by FTA, the leading organisation in UK logistics, Van Excellence 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.