The search for the country’s best van drivers is back with the launch of Logistics UK’s Van Driver of the Year competition for 2021. 

Now in its seventh year, the popular contest will take place on Saturday 10 July 2021 at Bott Ltd in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and includes practical and theoretical challenges. Supported by the AA, Bott Ltd, Brigade Electronics, Hertz, Lex Autolease, Quartix and TVL, the competition recognises and celebrates the nation’s very best drivers. Entrants will complete a series of challenging tasks on the day and will be rated on ‘safe driving’ style, legislative knowledge, economical driving, manoeuvring, risk perception and pre-use vehicle defect checking.    

Kevin Green, Marketing and Communications Director at Logistics UK comments: “Successful van drivers are highly skilled; as well as being able to manoeuvre the vehicle safely, efficiently and cost effectively to a tight timetable on Britain’s crowded roads, drivers must have a comprehensive understanding of all the relevant legislation and safety procedures as well as excellent observation and concentration skills. As shown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, van drivers are the lifeblood of our economy, delivering everything the nation needs and we are proud to recognise the best of the best in this competition.”   

A presentation will be made at the end of the day to celebrate the overall Van Driver of the Year, the second and third place contestants and the Van Excellence Driver of the Year. Prizes include a holiday voucher, a GoPro and Amazon vouchers. 

Entries close on Wednesday 02 June 2021, so companies are advised to waste no time in entering their outstanding drivers. Further information on the event and how to enter can be found at: www.logistics.org.uk/vdoty21 

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, including its ground-breaking research into the impacts of COVID-19 on the whole supply chain, please visit logistics.org.uk