Sam Burton of Wayfair has been crowned Van Driver of the Year 2021 in Logistics UK’s awards.
Burton – who is based in Leicestershire – took the top spot after 12 shortlisted individuals were put to the test on an assessment day on 10 July 2021.
Drivers from firms including The British Shop, G4S Manchester and Alliance Healthcare took part in a series of theoretical and practical challenges aimed at testing their driving skills, legislative knowledge and vehicle defect identification.
Second place was awarded to Jim Valentine of The British Shop, with Tomasz Niemiec of Greencore securing third place.
- Additional awards were also presented to winners of particular skills tasks:
- Safe Driving Style – Tomasz Niemiec of Greencore
- Economical Driving – Douglas Smith of Alloga UK
- Legislative Knowledge – Jim Valentine of The British Shop
- Manoeuvring – Tomasz Niemiec of Greencore
- Pre-use defect checks – Douglas Smith of Alloga UK
- Risk assessment – Jim Valentine of The British Shop
Meanwhile, overall winner Sam Burton was also named as Logistics UK’s Van Excellence Driver, a category open only to certified operators of the business group’s Van Excellence scheme.
Burton said: “There have been so many talented and dedicated drivers here today and it is amazing to have beaten off such skilled competition. I love my role as a van driver and have worked tirelessly over the past year to learn and continuously improve, to ensure I uphold the high standards of the van sector. This has been a difficult period both within the industry, and across the nation and it feels wonderful to be recognised for the work that we do.”
A presentation took place on the day where winners were awarded their trophies. Prizes included a holiday voucher, a GoPro and Amazon vouchers.
