DCH, the leading south west housing provider, has just been awarded by the Freight Transport Association the ‘Van Excellence’ accreditation for its constant commitment to deliver safer, more efficient and sustainable van operations.

The Van Excellence scheme aims to promote the highest standards when it comes to van operation and driving, and wants to turn the traditional ‘white van man’ image into a more modern one. Mark Cartwright, FTA Head of Vans said about the scheme that it is “an extremely robust and complete measure of an organisation’s approach towards the compliant, safe, and efficient running of its fleet.”

DCH’s fleet covers approximately 300,000 miles every month across the south west, spending more than £30mllion/year on maintaining and improving its homes. It is a leader in dealing with customer service calls with 99.5% of emergency repairs dealt with within 24 hours and a customer satisfaction at 92%.

Paul Ayris Fleet, the manager of DCH, says that the company faces a lot of challenges because of the geographical area and safety always comes first. They achieve this by “ensuring that the front-line staff is supported whilst driving via the fleet management support team”, which “support the operations team whilst providing feedback on the drivers to help maintain driver safety and mitigate risk.”

One of DCH’s supporters for the award was ARI, the world’s largest private fleet management company. Jason Chamberlain, the Sales and Marketing Director from ARI, said that they are “proud to have supported DCH in achieving this highly sought-after accreditation” and they will “continue to collaborate with the Freight Transport Association in its drive to raise standards across van fleets.”

DCH is proud to have been awarded the Van Excellence accreditation after the hard work and the efforts to ensure the highest transportation standards. It is also a proof to its customers and employees that they really are a safe and accountable vehicle fleet operator.