Record entries for FTA Driver of the Year

Thursday 17 August 2017

Freight drivers know that their jobs are some of the most skilled, and complicated, in the UK.  And more of them than ever before are keen to show their skills off to the rest of the country, with news that entry levels for the Freight Transport Association’s Driver of the Year competition 2017 are the highest since the competition’s inception, and are almost double the number received in 2016.    

“Freight drivers are the lifeblood of British business,” explains Carlie Nowell, head of events at FTA, “and have to be highly skilled in a broad range of areas including time management, load distribution, vehicle maintenance and legal compliance in addition to having top notch driving skills.  We have been delighted by the quantity and quality of the drivers who have entered this year’s FTA Driver of the Year competition, and are currently assessing each entry carefully to ensure we shortlist the very best representatives of the UK’s logistics sector.”

Open to all UK drivers from any business sector, the 2017 FTA Driver of the Year competition will be judged in three vehicle contests:  vans, 18 tonne and 44 tonne trucks, with a young driver of the year named in each category.  At the end of three days of stern competition, all the winners will be reassessed, and an overall FTA Driver of the Year 2017 will be named, who will be presented with his or her prize at the Transport Manager Conference at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on 29 November.

“With more than four million vans, and over 300,000 HGVs on Britain’s roads, this competition is a great opportunity for us to recognise the skills of the unsung heroes of British business,” continues Ms Nowell.  “We are really looking forward to some intense competition to identify the cream of the logistics crop, and wish all those shortlisted for the finals the very best of luck.”

Those shortlisted for the finals of the competition will be invited to take part in an assessment day at Mercedes-Benz, where winners and Young Drivers of the Year in each vehicle class will be named.  The overall Driver of the Year title will be awarded at a presentation ceremony as part of the FTA Transport Manager Conference to be held at the Ricoh Arena on 29 November 2017.
 
 
FTA Press Office
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