The 2019 Motor Transport Awards took place recently and, once again, the event was a great success and was attended by many of the big names in the haulage industry. The evening’s proceedings took place at the beautiful Grosvenor House Hotel, and host Omid Djalili (a well-known stand-up comedian) was responsible for giving out the 20 prestigious awards won on the night. Here are some of the well-deserving winners.
Haulier of the Year
Culina Group took home this prestigious prize this time, and since the company was celebrating its 25th anniversary, it’s no surprise that it was deemed “outstanding” by the judges in terms of growth and improved profitability.
Thomas van Mourik, the company’s CEO, revealed some of the impressive stats after accepting the award and they’re worth repeating. Culina employs 6,700 people across 62 sites, and their current fleet count stands at 1,200 trucks and around 2,000 trailers. It was also said that Culina’s yearly turnover has risen to £650 million.
Service to Industry
Former CEO of Hermes Europe, Carole Walker, took home this award, and she was described by one of the judges as the “most outstanding CEO” they had ever met. Walker had spent 31 years with Hermes and Otto Group, but decided to take early retirement earlier this summer to travel the world. She stated that her decision to retire “was by no means an easy one”, and her loyalty to the haulage industry remains clear.
Hermes fast became one of the UK’s leading home delivery specialists, thanks to Walker, and the company’s flexible working opportunities allowed their employees to work around their busy lives outside of haulage. Walker stated that she is “deeply proud of what the teams [she has] worked in have achieved”.
Innovation Award
The winning submission in this CatID was the Quiet Vehicle Sounder (QVS) from Brigade Electronics. The judges described it as a “good, clear presentation, with fact-based research and a no-nonsense approach”.
The QVS is a device that is going to be used on the near-silent Electric Vehicles (EVs) that will be taking to the UK roads in increasing numbers in coming years. The worry has been that the lack of noise from EVs may have the potential to endanger pedestrians, and so Brigade Electronics worked to find a solution. The sound of the QVS has been manufactured in a way that it is not too irritating and less noticeable at greater distances.
Operational Excellence
Wren Kitchens was founded just a decade ago, but despite being relatively new to the haulage industry, they have claimed the prize of Operational Excellence. Boasting excellent employee satisfaction statistics, customer reviews and high compliance levels, their fleet has managed to sustain a fantastic working environment while also delivering over 70,000 kitchens in the past year.
With the Motor Transport Awards being such a huge event on the haulage calendar, winners of the prizes are widely celebrated for their achievements. Get your business in shape in time for next year’s awards for your chance to be named one of the lucky winners.
Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers, and is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.
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