Basingstoke, UK: Agata Makowska, a Gist driver, has been nominated as the top Young Driver for 2021.
With just a year and 10 months of driving experience (and three years working for Gist), Makowska drives in the south of England making up to ten drops a day, delivering milk, fresh and ambient products to Starbucks stores.
Her reliability, conscientious and professional behaviour has ensured that she has developed a really positive relationship with her customer, Gist says.
A product of Gist’s internal driver apprenticeship scheme, Makowska would love to see more young women enter the profession: “Every day is different. I never know what to expect on the road – it keeps you alert and busy.
“To win this award sets an example to all young drivers, that regardless of gender, and with the right training and encouragement, you really can thrive in a fast-moving environment like this and pursue a successful career as a driver”.
The awards were assessed this year by an independent judging panel including chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, Richard Burnett. He said: “I’m proud to have been on the judging panel of the Microlise Driver of the Year Awards since their inception back in 2014. In fact, I think it was one of my first tasks when I became RHA chief executive. Since then I have seen the calibre of nominees rise to the point where I now firmly believe that those entering the awards really do represent the best in the business. And at a time when the sector is suffering from such a massive driver shortage, the winners, past, present and future, are perfect ambassadors for the industry that our entire economy and population relies upon.”
