Microlise has opened its annual Driver of the Year (DOTY) Awards for nominations.

Now in its ninth year, the awards recognise and reward drivers working in the UK transport industry.

The awards are designed to reward outstanding performance and industry excellence, this year’s DOTY categories include Young Driver, Most Improved, Extra Mile, Driver Hero and Lifetime Achievement.

Nadeem Raza, chief executive officer at Microlise, said: “Our Driver of the Year Awards celebrate the unsung heroes of the UK transport industry and the invaluable contribution they make to not only our industry, but the wider economy, too. And we’re incredibly proud to be back for a ninth year.

“Our data-led awards see our Data Science team analyse more than 200,000 drivers’ telematics records from the previous year, crowning champions across four important distance-based categories.

"That’s what makes our awards one of the industry’s most comprehensive when it comes to drivers of small, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.”

Microlise will also present four data-driven awards. Each recipient will be selected using performance data from the past 12-months – generated by the company’s product suite – with winners across all ‘Short’, ‘Medium’ and ‘Long’ distance categories, as well as an overall ‘Driver Excellence’ award.

Great Bear driver Marek Mackiewicz was named Microlise Driver of the Year for 2022.

All shortlisted drivers will be examined by a panel of expert judges and winners will be announced at a VIP dinner event on May 16.

Nominations close on February 24 and more information on how to enter can be found on the Microlise website.