DHL Express fleet awarded for excellence by FTA

Thursday 13 October 2011

DHL Express is the first logistics company in the UK to receive accreditation under the Freight Transport Association's Van Excellence scheme. Its 1,000-strong fleet was independently audited by FTA on all aspects of van operation, including vehicle safety and maintenance, driver behaviour and responsible operating procedures. DHL Express was commended highly in the audit and becomes one of 14 companies from different industries to have been accredited.

Van Excellence is an industry-led initiative to raise standards and improve the image of the UK’s growing van sector and includes a tough accreditation system and a strict code of practice, and is backed by many household names. The launch of Van Excellence last year has been widely welcomed in the industry, and many businesses have registered their interest. Van Excellence is a standard set by van operators for use by van operators, sharing and formalising working practices already used by leading companies in the sector.

Richard Crook, Director of Fleet for DHL Express, said:

“DHL is delighted to receive Van Excellence accreditation and to play its part in helping raise standards within the van sector. The creation of this robust and self-regulating scheme will hopefully formalise industry standards and enable companies such as DHL to set an example to other operators, thus raising standards of van operation in general.”

FTA Van Excellence Project Manager, Mark Cartwright, said:

“DHL has every right to be proud of achieving accreditation under this demanding and comprehensive code of practice. There has been a massive growth in van use in recent years and the large number of liveried vans on the road means that the way in which they are presented, driven and operated can have an important effect on the reputation of a company.”

The Van Excellence programme is open to both members and non-members of FTA. For further information go to www.vanexcellence.co.uk
 
Notes for editors
The 14 operators who have been accredited are:
AAH Pharmaceuticals
Balfour Beatty
Clancy Docwra
DHL Express
Enterprise
Iron Mountain
Kelly Communications
London Borough of Redbridge
Menzies
Morgan Sindall
National Blood Services
Network Rail
South and Central Ambulance Trust
Wakefield District Housing

Van Excellence Code
A Governance Group of 17 organisations came together to address the challenges faced by van operators and took the initiative of creating a self-regulatory approach to establishing standards for the responsible operation of vans. This group has been responsible for the development of the standards of operation (enshrined in The Van Excellence Code) and for agreeing the auditing and accreditation process.

For further information on Van Excellence, contact Mark Cartwright on 07818 450365 or email mcartwright@fta.co.uk

DHL – The Logistics company for the world
DHL is the global market leader in the logistics industry and “The Logistics company for the world”. DHL commits its expertise in international express, air and ocean freight, road and rail transportation, contract logistics and international mail services to its customers. A global network composed of more than 220 countries and territories and about 275,000 employees worldwide offers customers superior service quality and local knowledge to satisfy their supply chain requirements. DHL accepts its social responsibility by supporting climate protection, disaster management and education. DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL. The Group generated revenue of more than 51 billion euros in 2010.

The DHL Express UK press office can be contacted on 0207 908 6581, email uk.pressoffice@dhl.com
 
FTA Press Office
01892 552255
press.office@fta.co.uk