Sponsored once again by OAMPS, the specialist insurance advisor to the hazardous fuels and environmental sectors, the 2022 UKIFDA Driver of the Year Competition is underway and aims to find the tanker driver who exemplifies what is best about the industry.
This year the judges are looking for the tanker driver who consistently upholds the high standards of the industry such as:
- Helping/assisting colleagues or customers where necessary
- Raising consumer awareness by promoting tank safety, high delivery standards or promoting the Cold Weather Priority scheme
- Conducting day to day business with a high level of professionalism and demonstrating best practice
- Being an ambassador for the company or industry as a whole
Celebrating exceptional drivers
“We are so proud to be launching our Driver of the Year 2022 search as it is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the absolute best of the best – and find the finest UKIFDA drivers from across the UK and Ireland,” says Ken Cronin, UKIFDA chief executive.
“When you think back to the past couple of years, we have all faced many challenges because of the covid pandemic and our UKIFDA Members are no exception to this as they have continued to deliver vital fuels to homes and businesses regardless of the pandemic pressures, extreme weather conditions or fuel crisis.
“We are excited to read about the exceptional tanker drivers, as depots nominate their impressive drivers for the award.
“There were so many nominations for the competition last year and it was difficult picking a winner from amongst them all – we felt Shaun Hewitt of Watson Fuels was a worthy winner and we were also very impressed by the runners-up Joe Williams of Dice Fuels and Errol Griffiths of Oil 4 Wales.
“We now want to find and highlight the great work of the best tanker drivers for 2022 – the individuals who have not only been incredible during the pandemic or outstanding during the fuel crisis but that person who you know has upheld best practice for your company and the industry throughout the year – and reward them for all their hard work and dedication.”
Entries open
To enter the Driver of the Year Competition 2022, you must be a UKIFDA member, and the driver must hold a clean valid driving licence and been incident & conviction free for at least two years. There can only be one entry per depot.
Karl Jones, account director of OAMPS, comments: “For the 21st year running, we are delighted to be sponsoring the UKIFDA Driver of the Year Competition. It is such a fantastic award as it helps inspire the entire industry to maintain the highest standards of efficiency, safety and customer service and recognises drivers that excel on many levels.
“This competition encourages drivers to be the very best they can be. By having excellent safety records, the number of spillages is reduced, and pollution incidents prevented; and by giving brilliant customer care, drivers are making sure homeowners are aware of all the initiatives the industry is working on to bring in alternative green fuels like HVO. Both behaviours greatly benefit the environment so, while this competition is about celebrating the individual drivers, we love the fact it is about celebrating and supporting the entire industry too.
“We are once again braced to be fully impressed by the calibre of tanker driver nominations that are received for this competition – and excited to read all about the industry’s best drivers.”
The winner will receive the title of Driver of the Year 2022, £1,000 prize money and a certificate, and will be presented with their award during UKIFDA EXPO 2022 at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool on 27th and 28th April 2022.
To nominate drivers, applications can be sent to UKIFDA before 28 February 2022. Application forms and more information on the competition are available from UKIFDA Membership and Events Manager Dawn Shakespeare ds@ukifda.org or from the Members’ area of ukifda.org