Entries are now being invited to take part in the 2015 FTA Van Excellence Driver of the Year competition sponsored by Leaseplan which is to be held on Thursday 16 July at Mercedes -Benz, Wentworth Park, Barnsley.

The FTA Van Excellence Driver of the Year is open to Van Excellence accredited operators, who are invited to nominate their best driver to enter the competition.

The various tasks of the competition are designed to test the entrants’ abilities across a wide range of skills; drivers will tested through five separate tasks designed to demonstrate their overall ability behind the wheel. Elements of the competition will examine driving skills (fuel economy and driver behaviour), manoeuvring ability, the drivers’ risk awareness, checked legislative knowledge, and ability to identify pre-use defects of the vehicle. Contestants will be scored on each element of the competition and ranked based on their scores.

Mark Cartwight, FTA’s Head of Vans said:

“FTA is delighted to announce that the second Van Excellence Driver of the Year competition. This event offers a fantastic opportunity for van drivers to demonstrate the work they do within this vital sector of UK logistics, and enables them to gain the recognition they deserve for their skill and the importance of the job they do.”

The FTA Van Excellence Driver of the Year competition is also supported by Van Excellence Industry Partners ATS Euromaster, Bott Ltd, BT Fleet, Hertz Van Rental, Lex Autolease and TomTom Telematics.

The cost to enter the 2015 Van Driver of the Year competition is £50 per participant, entries to the competition are restricted to Van Excellence accredited members.

The winning driver will be awarded a £1000 holiday voucher with an iPad mini and Red Letter Day for the 2nd and 3rd placed drivers.