Bringing new blood into the transport industry remains a perennial challenge as despite the fact the industry offers excellent remuneration and career prospects it is not usually seen as exciting by school and college leavers.

The challenge isn’t just to recruit the best new talent – developing and retaining them within the company is just as important.

There are far-sighted employers in the road transport sector who have worked hard to make links with local schools and colleges – be that as part of wider industry initiatives such as Think Logistics or the Novus Trust or as an individual company – to recruit the people who will be its staff, managers and directors of the future.

Thanks to the efforts of the logistics Trailblazer Group there are now several apprenticeships that provide nationally recognised qualifications but many companies have devised their own tailor-made talent development programmes, especially for HGV drivers, that fit better with their own requirements.

But this Award isn’t just about recruiting young people – there are many pools of talent that the industry can tap into such as ex-offenders, service leavers and adults looking to learn new skills to boost their earning potential.

This Award is open to third party or own account operators running 11 or more commercial vehicles.

Judges will be looking for:

• A clear business strategy that identifies the company’s talent needs now and into the future;
• A well-thought-through approach to recruiting the right people to meet these needs;
• Evidence of success in recruiting, developing and retaining new talent including metrics and examples of initiatives.