IPC produced a video report about the event. The video is available below.
We asked vlogger Syroop to visit the IPC Drivers' Challenge and make a report. The video is available below.
Pictures of the event are available below.
Teams from An Post (Ireland), bpost MSO Distribution and bpost MSO Transport (Belgium), Correos (Spain), CTT Portugal Post (Portugal); Le Groupe La Poste (France), Posti (Finland), Posten Norge (Norway), PostNL TGN, PostNL Parcels (the Netherlands) and PostNord (Sweden-Denmark) geared up on 17 and 18 April 2018 on the Estoril Racing track, in Portugal for the fifth edition of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge. All posts have sent their best team, mostly selected through national competition or continuous measurement of driving behaviour.
Looking back at the event, Holger Winklbauer, CEO of IPC, said: “The growth of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge clearly demonstrates that postal operators are taking staff engagement in the sustainability debate very seriously. It has also been determined that having a staff base which is engaged in eco-driving and sustainability can lead to substantial financial savings for participating posts. Based on 2017 EMMS data, posts participating in the Drivers Challenge emit fewer emissions per km driven and emit fewer emissions per item delivered, both for parcels and letter-mail. If all posts participating in the IPC Sustainability programme EMMS would apply the same practices as the posts that are participating in the IPC Drivers’ Challenge, the whole EMMS group could potentially save up to about €100 million every year”.
The teams competed in all aspects of the postal delivery chain. While the atmosphere was friendly, all teams displayed an excellent level of focus and showed true dedication in each of the competition subcategories. The Portuguese team excelled in all aspects of the competition, and rightfully took this year’s IPC Drivers’ Challenge trophy home. Teams from Belgium and Finland ranked second and third respectively.
As in previous editions, participating teams consisted of a professional driver and a postal manager. Tests in this edition of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge included:
- a theory test,
- a series of car checks,
- a challenging combination of car handling exercises,
- a 40km-long eco-driving route combining the Estoril race track experience and the surrounding areas, including a swap of drivers at the beautiful Blue lagoon, and
- a 21km-long delivery route combining electric driving and the delivery exercise on the public road.
Postal services evolve, so does the IPC Drivers’ Challenge
As the use of alternative vehicles is steadily increasing in the whole postal sector, it was important that it was covered in IPC’s eco-driving competition. In 2016, over 15% of the vehicles in the postal fleet are alternative vehicles.
This year, a new component was added to the competition, where teams performed a number of deliveries on the public road, using an electric vehicle. As efficient driving in an electric vehicle requires a total different driving behaviour, this test presented a new challenge to our participants. Along a 21km route, the teams need to execute a number of deliveries, while using a fully electric delivery vehicle. As this was the first time the element was included, and not all postal drivers had the experience of driving an electric vehicle before, ample time was given during the training day to familiarise with the vehicle.
Luis Paulo, Director Sustainability and Environment, CTT Portugal Post explained:” As electric vehicles are gaining more and more ground in the postal sector, we deemed it necessary to integrate it in the competition. For some drivers it presented a new experience, to execute an entire delivery route in an electric vehicle, while others had already some experience and could advise their colleagues on how to perform better. This learning element in another key advantage of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge. Teams get the chance to discover new aspects of their jobs, and take this experience home to put into real-life practice.”
Two new awards were also presented this year, an electric efficiency award, rewarding the team who performed best in electric driving, and managed to drive the electric delivery tour in the most energy-efficient way and a sportsmanship award, for the team that showed the best attitude, fair play and motivation, fully in line with the focus of the IPC Drivers’ Challenge on staff engagement. Dorthe Krogsager and Bo Gunnar Berg from PostNord excelled in electric driving and were named the most efficient team, while Mario Morales and Marc Saurel from Le Groupe La Poste lead by example in displaying great team spirit.
Drivers’ Challenge as part of IPC postal sector sustainability programme
The Drivers’ Challenge is part of IPC’s sustainability programme, launched in 2009, bringing together 20 posts from Europe, America, Africa and Asia Pacific. IPC’s Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System (EMMS) provides a common carbon measurement and reporting framework based on internationally recognised standards and open to all posts globally. The IPC programme assesses both carbon management proficiency and absolute carbon emissions reductions and carbon efficiency of participating posts.