Entries for the inaugural Van Excellence Driver of the Year contest have been flooding in, in the hope that they will be the first past the finish line next week.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) backed competition is to be held on Thursday July 10, at Bruntingthorpe Proving Grounds.

Van drivers will be put through their paces throughout the day where they will be set five tasks, which will include:

• Task 1: Driving (Fuel economy and driver behaviour)
• Task 2: Maneuvering
• Task 3: Legislative / operational test
• Task 4: Risk Awareness
• Task 5: Pre-use Defect Checks

 Mark Cartwight, FTA’s head of vans said: “Van drivers are an often maligned community, this first Van Excellence Van Driver of the Year event provides a perfect opportunity to recognise and celebrate some of the fantastic drivers we all share the roads with. The fact that so many have come forward to enter this competition is indicative of how important they take their responsibilities.”

The events for the day are designed to test the entrants’ abilities across a wide range of skills, and include a fuel economy run, driver behavioural feedback, risk awareness, pre-use defect checking and a knowledge test.

Van Excellence Industry Partners ATS Euromaster, Hertz Van Rental and TomTom will offer expertise on a variety of tasks which the drivers will undertake during the day.  They will also be available at the Van Excellence Arena, where visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the work of Van Excellence.

Van Excellence accredited operators who would like to enter a driver into the contest should email mcartwright@fta.co.uk for an entry form.  This will be on a first come, first served basis as the number of entrants is limited.