A DRIVER from Bude is celebrating this week, after scooping one of the top prizes in a prestigious national competition.

Malcolm Roberts, 47, who works for BOTT Ltd in Bude, won third place in the Freight Transport Association (FTA) Driver of the Year competition 44 tonne category, sponsored by Mercendes-Benz trucks.

After a day of high pressure challenges, competing against 15 other finalists, Malcolm excelled in a range of tasks relating to his job, demonstrating outstand­ing professionalism, knowledge and excellent driving skills.

The competition took place at Mercedes-Benz, Wentworth Park, Barnsley, where each driver took part in six separate tasks to evaluate their overall driving ability — driving style, economical driving, manoeuvering, defect checking, knowledge of legislation and risk awareness.

Malcolm said: “It was fantastic when my name was read out. I’m so grateful to the team at BOTT Ltd for their encouragement and support — without them I wouldn’t have been here!”

Mike Belk, managing director, Mercedes-Benz Trucks UK, said: “Truck drivers are the lifeblood of the road haulage industry, and the drivers who took part in the FTA 44t Driver of the Year competition are a fantastic advertisement for the logistics sector. Every single one deserves praise and recognition, and we’d particularly like to congratulate the winners.

“Mercedes-Benz Trucks champions driver efficiency and road safety, and the winners have shown themselves to be exceptionally proficient in both elements. These professionals – and their employers – can be proud of their achievements. Many congratulations to them all.”

The finalists were each nominated by their fleet manager who had recognised their professionalism and skills. Each was individually scored on a variety of tasks, ranked on their performance, and the overall winner was announced.

Other winners from the 44 tonne 2017 contest were 1st place, Thomas Kent of Samworth Brothers Supply Chain; 3rd place: Lee Graves of WH Bowker.

Winners of the individual tasks during the 44 tonne 2017 competition were risk assessment supported by Licence Bureau — Thomas Kent of Samworth Brothers Supply Chain; legislation test — Thomas Kent of Samworth Brothers Supply Chain; pre-use defect check supported by Bridgestone Partners — Vincent Clarke of Booker Ltd; manoeuvring— Simon Blurton of NFT Distribution; economical driving supported by Signal Vehicle Solutions — Lee Graves of WH Bowker; driving Style supported by FleetBoard — Karl Barman of Viamaster Transport.

The 44 tonne competition sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Trucks ran alongside the Van Excellence Driver of the Year sponsored by Mercedes-Benz Vans UK Ltd and the 18 tonne driving competition sponsored by Bridgestone.

The winners of all three contests will be assessed, and the overall winner of FTA Driver of the Year 2017 will be revealed at the Transport Manager Conference at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry on November 29.