From the moment that Alan Billingham joined the Londis depot at South Elmsall in Yorkshire in 2000 it was clear that he had very good driving skills. He recorded the best fuel economy in the fleet in his first year, created good feedback from the stores and was not involved in any accidents. But rather than rest on his laurels, he built on his achievements and became involved in new areas such as assessing the feasibility of using larger vehicles to make deliveries and designing driver training schemes. His achievements were recognised in the Motor Transport Fleet Driver of the Year category at this year's Motor Transport Awards.
Known as 'Billy' to his colleagues, he responded to an internal advertisement at the depot, now part of Musgrave Budgens Londis, for experienced Class 1 drivers to explore the possibilities of making deliveries on a artic/semi-trailer combination instead of the rigid demounts that were used for most deliveries. "I saw this as a great opportunity to better myself and 
maybe start to climb the ladder within Londis so I duly applied to become one of the volunteers," Billy recalls.
Once several stores had been deemed appropriate for artics, a suitable delivery route was worked out, then tested by Billy and handed over to another driver. There are now 16 artics making deliveries to 220 stores and a further 80 stores, that could be served by five more artics, have been identified. The increased use of artics brought a need for driver training which the company decided would best be carried out in-house. Once again Billy applied, becoming a driver supervisor and then a fully-qualified LGV driving instructor. As part of his training he had to devise a driver assessment manual and a training course for his fellow delivery drivers.
"I had to look at driving characteristics, approach to development, areas of development achieved and future driving goals to be achieved. I also attended a defensive driving course and a Volvo fuel efficiency course," Billy explains. 
So far, under Billy's guidance, 28 Class 2 drivers have been upgraded to Class 1, 20 of them passing their test first time. In addition, four standard car licence holders have been upgraded to Class 2 drivers under a company initiative to train warehouse operatives. Billy is also part of a transport training team that trains drivers in a broader sense in areas such as using fuel pumps, vehicle washing facilities and weighbridges, as well making deliveries and unloading roll cages. The training also covers dealing with paperwork, along with the safety and security of the vehicle and its load.
Billy has come to believe that there needs to be a spirit of co-operation in order to achieve success with training. "I have a genuine belief that to get the best out of somebody you must train, train, train, then praise, praise, praise and equally as important listen, listen, listen," he says. Billy himself has been on a number of courses, sometimes given by suppliers. He attended a course by Cartwright in how to instruct people to use its demount and tail-lift equipment, as well as a wheel and tyre usage course by ATS. He has also been on courses on safe working practices and how to operate mobile pressure washer systems.
Billy prides himself on his ability to maintain good standards of fuel economy. The vehicles' computers can show how the driver is doing during the journey and Billy makes sure this feature is always switched on whenever he takes to the road. "If I fall below a certain level of economy for the journey as a whole I don't feel I've done a good job," he says. He has helped other drivers in the fleet to improve in this area, although this is not part of their initial training. "We teach them the basics and, once those are in place, we bring in fuel economy," he explains.
So far there have been significant gains with more planned in the future. In 2004/2005 the fleet's fuel consumption was 8.9mpg, rising to 9.5mpg in 2005/2006, equating to savings of £32,400 per annum. The target for 2006/2007 is 9.8mpg, saving a further £47,400 per annum. Billy believes that in time the 10mpg barrier can be broken. The role of a driver is very important in maintaining good relations with the retailers and Billy showed his commitment to this aspect of the job when a shop owner was on holiday and the IT system was down. He put the order on the system for the retailer and got the warehouse to pick it, so that the shop would not go short.
Billy, who is 45, says the support of his transport manager Steve Smith, who encouraged him to undertake many of the initiatives and his driving instructor training, was vital to winning the award. So, too, was the support of his wife and father who came down to London with him for the ceremony. He was also inspired by his mother, who passed away 16 months ago. She once tried unsuccessfully to persuade him to give up driving after a serious accident when he was 32. "Although it was against her wishes I continued my career as a driver and told her that one day I would be the best and that one day I would prove it - well I think that day came on 12th July when the announcement of the winner was made," he says.
Smith says that the plans to increase the proportion of artics and the initiatives with fuel economy that Billy has helped achieve are making a real difference to the efficiency of the fleet. So, too, has the training which has enabled the depot to create its own driver pool. "We've been able to try things that at one stage we wouldn't have thought possible," Smith says.
THE RUNNER-UP: RACHEL SCOTT
The driver's role is essential in any business but it is particularly important in the pharmaceuticals sector where chemists and their customers need regular supplies of drugs. Rachel Scott, who is based at UniChem's Hinckley distribution centre, has shown her determination to make sure that vital deliveries are made. As a result she became a finalist and then runner-up in the Fleet Driver category. On one occasion during a morning delivery a pharmacy told Rachel that it urgently needed an oxygen mask for one of the patients. While she was still on her route she telephoned the distribution centre and arranged for a mask to be ready to take back to the pharmacy that afternoon.
Another time a pharmacy had run out of labelled tablet boxes used to help elderly patients take their medication. Rachel asked other customers on her round if they could help out and a supermarket lent the pharmacy 500 of the boxes. "The boxes are essential because elderly people might not take their tablets without them," she says. As well as dealing with customers, Rachel takes pride in her driving skills and achieves an average of 33mpg which is 9% above the average at the Hinckley depot. She has had no own-fault accidents while driving for UniChem for over past two years and makes sure the vehicle she is driving - she is a floating driver covering emergencies and holidays on a number of routes - remains clean and tidy. "I can't deal with working in a mess!" she says.
Making deliveries to pharmacies involves a number of challenges, including congestion and parking. She believes that while it is important to keep on schedule, most pharmacies' priority is to receive the correct products. And even most traffic wardens show some understanding of the need to make sure the products are available for patients. "It can make a difference when they realise what you're delivering," she says.
WHAT THE JUDGE SAID:
- Peter Gipson, of driver training company, Omnia, judged the award and took both Alan Billingham and Rachel Scott out on the road. "Both drivers proved to be highly professional, competent and excellent ambassadors for their companies," he said.
- On Alan Billingham he said: "Good economy driving is a passion for Alan, he drives in an economical style and tries to pass this good practice onto other drivers on the fleet. Alan made one delivery on route, which gave me the opportunity to see how customer focused MBL drivers have to be as they are the main link between the customer and the business."
- On Rachel Scott: "Getting the right goods to the right customer is highly important within the pharmaceuticals supply business as it could literally be a matter of 'life or death' if you get it wrong. Rachel takes her responsibilities very seriously along with a large dose of good humour which certainly helps in this high pressure job."