Two HGV drivers from Bibby Distribution have triumphed at Microlise’s Driver of the Year Awards, in recognition of their excellent performance behind the wheel.

L-R: Mark Field, who won Overall Driver of the Year and the ‘Short Distance’ category at the Microlise Driver of the Year Awards, Dale Coppin, who was runner-up in the ‘HGV Hero’ category, and John Males, who was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Mark Field, from the 3PL’s Milton Keynes depot, was named overall Driver of the Year, while John Males was presented with a Lifetime Achievement award, after being nominated by Bibby Distribution for his work on the DS Smith contract in Blunham.

Dale Coppin and Philip Starkie, who work at Bibby Distribution’s Harlow and Blunham depots respectively, were also nominated by the company and shortlisted in the HGV Hero award category, with Dale being named runner-up.

Mark, who has been driving for Bibby Distribution for more than 12 years, was one of more than 210,000 drivers automatically entered for this year’s awards using telematics data collected over a 12-month period. Those drivers to make the shortlist stood out for not recording a single instance of harsh braking, over-revving or excessive acceleration – with Microlise analysing data from more than 26 million journeys carried out using its telematics systems during 2018, covering billions of miles.

Mark’s skills also saw him win the ‘Short Distance’ category – for drivers travelling less than 30,000 miles per year due to the local, multi-drop nature of their routes. Both he and John collected their awards at an evening ceremony held at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on May 14th, before Mark was presented with the overall Driver of the Year accolade at the Microlise Transport Conference the next day.

Receiving the award before an audience of 1,200 senior transport industry professionals, Mark said: “It really is fantastic to be recognised, particularly out of such a huge pool of drivers. I’ve always enjoyed being behind the wheel and I just like to do the best I can. Winning these two awards is a very special moment!”

David Haworth, Bibby Distribution’s HR Director, commented: “These awards celebrate the very best in the industry, so for Mark and John to be recognised by Microlise in this way is an incredible achievement for both them and the business.”

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