Ford has become the latest van manufacturer to join the Van Excellence scheme, which is run by the Freight Transport Association and aims to encourage high standards of van operation.

The blue oval joins Mercedes, VW, Nissan, Fiat and Isuzu in becoming partners in the scheme, meaning that more than half the vans sold in the UK are now made by Van Excellence partners. As Mark Cartwright, the FTA’s Head of Vans and LCVs explains, the next target for Van Excellence is van dealers:

“We’re delighted to welcome Ford as a Van Excellence Partner. Together with existing partners Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, FIAT and Isuzu our manufacturer partners now represent over half of the UK’s annual registrations. Their support is invaluable particularly as we develop a Van Excellence accreditation scheme for dealers.”

The FTA scheme was launched in 2010 to promote high standards of van operation and driving by accrediting operators against an industry code of good practice.

Accredited operators are those who have successfully demonstrated that their fleet management and compliance systems can meet the demanding standards of the Code of Van Excellence, the voluntary code of practice for van fleet operators.

The importance of Van Excellence continues to be well recognised within the industry and continues to grow, as new members which have also recently joined include Carillion Construction, South Devon Healthcare Trust, Daniel Contractors and Corporation of London.

Van Excellence was awarded the Best New Service Award at the 2012 Fleet News Awards.

Earlier this year, Hertz joined Van Excellence and individual van rental operators are welcome to join the scheme. You can find out more at www.vanexcellence.co.uk.