Excellent turn out for FTA's Fleet Van Summit 2012

In a new press release, the FTA announced the express attendance of its members at Fleet Van Summit 2012, honouring their accreditation to the Freight Transport Association (FTA) Van Excellence scheme. The celebratory event,  sponsored by Fiat Professional, was held at Millbrook Proving Ground, Bedfordshire on September 18th. Current members include the South Central Ambulance Service, Sainsbury’s, BT, Office Depot, and DHL to name but a few. What is Van Excellence? The FTA describe it as, "Van Excellence is an industry-led initiative that aims to; enhance standards of van operator compliance, celebrate operators who demonstrate excellence, represent the interests of the van industry." The scheme is open to any size van operator, fleet, or business sector and strives to promote good industry wide practice and improved standards. The Van Excellence Code sets demanding but achievable guidelines and procedures for van operation. Van operators can seek accreditation to the scheme through an audit that checks the organisations are adhering to the strict standards and codes and, when they have passed, are then able to enrol in the Van Excellence scheme. Once enrolled, they can benefit by way of increased driver and road safety, recognition of having high operating standards in the industry, and some assurance that the fleet are complying with legal practices as well. The FTA also offer half day training courses, which upon completion, drivers are issued a 'Certificate of Excellence' in either operation of vans and light commercial vehicles or passenger vans.

Mark Cartwright, FTA Head of Van & Commercial Vehicles was clearly delighted by the attendance of so many members; “This is a brilliant day for Van Excellence and it’s fantastic to see so many here to support it,” he said. Cartwright added: “Van Excellence was launched for the industry, by the industry, to promote best practice standards, to offer peace of mind and cost savings, and from speaking with its members here today, it proves that it is doing all of that.”

For more details on the FTA's Van Excellence scheme, please visit their website by clicking here.