Driving competitions and incentives might be viewed as a bit of fun and light relief from the day job, but they have a serious side too – ultimately producing better, safer drivers.

One of the most prestigious is the Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Van Excellence Driver of the Year competition, which was launched in 2014. And this year, as ever, the standard was particularly high.

Eventual winner was Mathew Young from AAH Pharmaceuticals, one of two drivers taking part from the company, which has held its own annual driver competition for the last 16 years. He beat stiff competition to take the top prize after contestants took part in six challenges – driving style, economy, manoeuvring, defect checking, risk awareness and legislation (see panel below and results overleaf).

The industry clearly sees the benefits of such competitions and businesses are keen to put their best drivers forward. Amey, which operates more than 8,500 vehicles, has taken part since it was launched – and telematics, which the company introduced to its fleet in 2009, plays a big role in identifying the winners.

Amey fleet compliance manager Julie Davies says: “You’ve got to make drivers feel that you aren’t spying on them [with telematics], but rather you want to help them become better drivers.

“Competitions like this are really good at making drivers see why you are doing it. You can’t just tell them, sometimes you have to show them.”

Martine Smith, distribution services manager at AAH Pharmaceuticals, created the company’s own event for its 1,800 drivers and says: “It’s a great incentive for the drivers. They all have the chance to take part in the main event, which is a great fun day out. Traditionally it was based on a points system but we have recently adopted a new telematics system which will be incorporated into our competition in future.”

But, maintaining that performance and encouraging drivers to engage with telematics poses the biggest challenge for fleet managers.

Fleet consultant Darren Bell warns that fleets must be aware of the ‘Hawthorne effect’ (the alteration of behaviour by the subjects of a study due to their awareness of being observed). He says: “Installing telematics comes at a cost to your business, so to make the most of that investment the data must be used in productive way. If drivers know their data is not being studied and acted upon, any improvements will soon diminish.”

A collaborative approach to driver improvement, therefore, is likely to have the greatest impact in achieving a lasting change in driver behaviour.

Mark Cartwright, head of vans at the FTA, says: “What drivers like is being recognised for being good at what they do. Telematics allows them to see how they compare against colleagues and gives operators a way to address problems.

“More importantly it is a great way to identify and recognise those drivers who are doing a fantastic job under difficult circumstances.”

Driver Terry King from Balfour Beatty thinks all fleets should run competitions. He says: “It helps build awareness and improves the way people drive when they are all competing.”

Riverford Organic Farms runs its own competitions and delivery driver Gary Day has taken part in them in the past. He says: “I think it’s a great way to engage drivers and make them realise how their actions can directly affect the business.

“I have never experienced telematics before as a driver but Riverford had the system in place when I started. I think it makes you a better driver as you are aware that you’re being monitored.”

But Lisa Hanley from G4S points out that not all drivers will readily accept the system: “You have to re-learn the way you drive in order to suit telematics. At first it was a big shock – all the drivers were panicking that if we had to drive slower then we wouldn’t get all the work done.”

But they quickly adapted and a combination of coaching and internal driving competitions helped to turn opinions around.

“The support we receive is really positive, the scores are put up each week and everyone tries to get to the top of the board. Overall I’d say that driving standards have got a lot better,” she adds.

Read the full list of winners on Commercial Fleet