The premier event of the Sameday Courier Industry went off without a hitch at the 2006 venue. Nearly three hundred industry individuals sat in the opulent surroundings of the old Trueman brewery and applauded the 23 Short listed nominee's for the four categories: Two wheels, Four wheels, Contract and Office. Each of these awards recognise the skill, aptitude, attitude towards and delivery of professional conduct within the sameday courier industry.

The NCAwards have enjoyed many different venues over the years and the Brewery was once again a show stopper. Within the Porter Tun Room Formula One BSB Motorbikes and courier bikes were on display as the centre piece of the hall around which the evenings dinner and award ceremony was be held.

The evening was opened by Viscount Falkland at the reception. VIP guests Dr Stephen Ladyman, Minister for Transport and Mr Ian Hetherington Chief Executive for the skills council, Skills for Logistics were in attendance alongside Mr David Jamieson Chairman of MCIA. Everyone sat down to a four course meal after which an imaginative and very funny after dinner speaker, Mr Brian Newbold had to keep the audience entranced after both the England match and the explosion of cheers for the award winners.

The WINNERS were announced for the following category's:

        Two Wheels: John Coleman - MPC, Paolo Guida - TNT Express

        Four Wheels: Mike Daniels - UKToday, Steven Graham - DHL, David Watkins - MPC, Tony Worley - CitySprint.

        Contract: Peter Harris - UKToday, Rosemary Smith - TNT Express

        Office: Laura Knight - Lewis Day, Bobby Miles-Kingston - Pink Express, Steve Purkiss - Reuter Brooks.

        Corporate Safety Award: FedEx

2 wheels

    Name: John Coleman – MPC
    John does not turn any job down and is often called at home at strange times of the night to take on a job which he undertakes with a smile on his face. But how do we know he has a smile on his face? John is not used to technology but overcame his gremlins to use our Xda’s and now helps other drivers get over theirs. To summarise his dedication on one job after having gone down a dirt track next to a golf course and over a stream. It was dark and raining hard. As he went down the track his bike got stuck in the mud and to his amazement, when he dismounted – the bike stayed up right. John walked the rest of the way to deliver the package and when the recipient discovered his plight, he organised the local farmer to pull the bike out of the mud with his tractor and John set off for home and work as usual the next day.

    Name: Paolo Guida - TNT Express
    “He is the best courier we have had in the 22 years I’ve been here” said a client. Paolo keeps his motorcycle clean and well maintained, always wearing corporate uniform and always carries his id card and as we know weather can play a major role in affecting the ability to deliver on a motorbike however, Paolo has never let this get the better of him. In February 2006, confronted by very bad snow and high winds he not only completed his day’s work but also returned to a collection that had phoned him as they had forgotten to put some important paperwork in the package. The customer was amazed and said “I didn’t think a van would be able to get back to us let alone a bike!”, and it is this ‘must get through attitude’ that highlights his professional attitude.

4 wheel

    Name: Mike Daniels - UKToday
    Mike is one of our longest serving employed drivers with 16 years under his belt. His extensive knowledge of all our Ad-hoc and Contract client requirements makes him an invaluable asset. Always willing to give that little bit extra to make all the difference; literally in many cases going that extra mile or ten depending on the job! Mike is always ready to help and you can always rely on him too when resources are under pressure. He volunteers to train new drivers on the varied contract work and the measure of his training can be judged by the high standard of customer satisfaction commented on.

    Name: Steven Graham - DHL
    Steve showns first class ingenuity in his role as a driver and when special attention is needed for a particular job. It was Steve who took on the role of contact, chief organiser and motivator when we were required to collect a volume of parcels that seem to grow by the hour. In short he had to arrange a bulk collection mid afternoon and then a further collection later that day. Steve took control, even out of hours he ensured the delivery of the packages arranging runs and organising available couriers, in such a way that it would not impact on the week end work.It didn’t stop on Friday either but Steve was a willing helper to continue the orgainisation into Saturday. Ultimately being a point of contact for the customer as well as our company. Organised all the drivers and set 6 runs to all points of the compass, POD chasing and informing the client all along the way.

    The client said many kind words ultimately for the team but knowingly for the man who lead them. Steve has many of these examples to add to the everyday high standard of service he is intent on delivering for the customer and the industry.

    Name: David Watkins - MPC
    Dave is a well rounded professional courier who loves his job and has become a firm favourite with our clients who according to our van control, is often requested by name. One episode, which sums up his ingenuity, was that a delivery of an entire summer collection to be modelled on the catwalk in Milan was not a delivery that could be late.Dave took the shortest route to make the tight deadline, but was faced with problems at the Swiss border, Dave had to wait for 3 hours at the customs whilst matters were resolved, however, whilst the powers to be were waiting for a solution, Dave calmly got back into his van, turned around and drove back into France, drove around Switzerland and into Italy before the customs had noticed. Dave made the deadline just in time for the models to be dressed and take the cat walk.

    Dave is prepared to undertake any job and has built his reputation as MPC’s number one European driver. Just one example of his capabilitites.

    Name: Tony Worley - CitySprint
    Tony is totally committed to his role as a professional courier and has always been a strong supporter of the business. He has worked in the industry for 5 years. Before that he spent 25 years in retail management. It is probably this experience which provides him with his customer service insight which is second to none. Tony always puts the customer first and is always thinking of ways in which the customer experience could be improved. Tony is also a supportive colleague and a real team player. There have been a number of occasions when Tony has taken it upon himself to help out the other drivers. On one occasion a large consignment of hampers were received which needed to be distributed. Without being asked Tony started stripping the pallets and sorting the cartons out for the other drivers.

    Tony is also very safety conscious. He does a daily safety check on his vehicle and is a very courteous and experienced driver. He would never consider taking any risks which could endanger himself or the people around him.

Contract

    Name: Peter Harris – UK Today
    Peter is a valuable member of our team, with an exemplary attendance record, he has proven his flexibility and reliability consistently and his experience is an invaluable asset to our whole operation.Probably his best skill is his ability to work to tight deadlines, Peter will move heaven and earth to satisfy a request; his problem solving skills and positive attitude to every task is refreshing and much appreciated by his colleagues and customers alike.

    During the last 12 months Peter has taken on the challenging task of managing the large accounts, managing 1500 orders equating to 5000 items picked, processed and delivered daily. Peter operates efficiently complemented by his ability to keep a motivated team. On various occasions Peter has worked through a problem, ‘not aware of his hours or not his turn’. He is focused on providing a service that responds to the client’s request, when or wherever they need it.Peter not only made significant operation changes and through his hard work and dedication he inspires his staff and colleagues. Our only disappointment is that Peter is an Aston Villa Fan.

    Name: Rosemary Smith – TNT Express
    First impressions of meeting Rosemary are professional, friendly and her commitment as a courier. Rosemary takes her responsibilities very seriously and believes in high standards and professionalism at all times, which is apparent in the way she conducts her job. Courteous and helpful are just a couple of Rosemary’s attributes which she portrays daily. Rosemary is driven by her continued focus of consistently going that extra mile to ensure a fantastic customer experience. Always smartly dressed in uniform and maintains a spotless liveried van.

    Rosemary’s dedication is outstanding and her ability to give 100% never fails. A recent implementation by one of Rosemary’s customers was a direct result of her efforts to improve the service she provides. To minimize any confusion over customer requirements on a daily basis Rosemary created a workable document that confirms the customer’s requirements and which is now in operation.She has a reputation among the other drivers as the one to aspire to, her level of commitment to her job is undisputable.

Office

    Name: Laura Knight - Lewis Day
    Laura joined Lewis Day when she was only 17 years old and has grown with the company, learning about both the industry and the company from nothing. In only 4 years she has successfully transformed fleet operations and now runs a whole Motor Fleet department. Laura relishes a challenge and never leaves a stone unturned. She realises the importance of her role and resolves problems with customers in a very mature and diplomatic manner but most of all it s the consistency of her clarity and presentation of work that makes you realise her professionalism. Always helpful, courteous, friendly and has a way of holding her own even in a very male dominated environment! Her rise within the company has been phenomenal as she continues to prove her abilities and worth.

    Name: Bobby Miles-Kingston - MPC
    Bobby started in the industry in 1978 as a Despatch Rider and moved to Pink Express in 1998. Over the past 7+ years he has worked in a variety of roles but all with a customer service focus. He is liked and respected by customers and is and is ultra reliable and 100% commitment to his customers and staff. Always cheerful and positive in his outlook always willing to put in extra hours when needed and routinely goes the extra mile on a customers behalf. The instance below is typical ‘Bobby’.

    A job which occurred in early Dec 2005. A pair of train tickets that were part of a prize in a children’s competition were lost, Bobby not wanting the winning child from Cardiff to miss the premiere of Narnia, arranged for new first class tickets for the girl and her Mother. On their arrival in London, he then got on his motorcycle and went to the hotel where they were staying and gave them a weekend travel pass for there stay in London. Bobby won Employee of the year in 1999 and frequently received commendations from customers for attending to their specific requirements.

Transport minister announced the 2006 judges in January

Dr Stephen Ladyman, minister for transport announced the pannel of judges for 2006 on February 2nd.

Individuals generally take a two year role in the hot seat. Their task to judge the best of the best same day. New boys on the list for 2006 are Len Rainford from Sameday UK and David Isles of Prestige Couriers. Instigator and mentor Carl Lomas has done the full ten years. Trevor Magnor and Ian Mutch bring a strong independence to the panel representing the UK rider groups, BMF and MAG. Go to Judges for a full listing.