Christopher Sullivan of Aldi has been named Microlise Driver of the Year 2026 at an awards ceremony held at Manchester’s Co-op Live.
The awards, which took place alongside the Microlise Transport Conference, recognised HGV drivers for performance, professionalism and dedication across the road haulage sector.
Logistics businesses attending the event included Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op and Sainsbury’s, alongside transport operators including GXO, Gist and Maritime.
Sullivan also won the Long Distance Driver of the Year category, one of several data-led awards based on anonymised driver information collected through Microlise’s in-vehicle technology.
The awards programme assessed a pool of more than 200,000 drivers, with categories covering short, medium and long-distance driving, compliance and overall operator performance.
Additional awards recognised drivers nominated by colleagues and peers across categories including Rookie Driver, Commitment to Improve, Extra Mile, Outstanding Driver Mentor and Driver Hero.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Graham Whitby of Matthew Clark in recognition of his career in the industry.
The full list of winners included:
Extra Mile: Dale Cox, CCF Ltd (Travis Perkins PLC)
Rookie Driver: Fletcher Peart, Brian Yeardley Continental Ltd
Lifetime Achievement: Graham Whitby, Matthew Clark
Commitment to Improve: Mareks Kvetins, Sainsbury’s GXO
Driver Hero: Connor Brennan, Sainsbury’s GXO
Outstanding Driver Mentor: Gavin Jones, Warburtons
Short Distance Driver: Andrew Phillips, Tesco Distribution
Medium Distance Driver: David Hallam, Gist Ltd
Long Distance Driver and overall Microlise Driver of the Year 2026: Christopher Sullivan, Aldi Ltd
Compliant Driver: Declan McAdams, Hovis
Outstanding Operator: Schenk Tank Transport
Nadeem Raza, chief executive at Microlise, said: “The Driver of the Year awards is our annual celebration of all that is good in the road haulage industry, and we are delighted for Christopher and his thoroughly well-deserved success.
“Research from the Road Haulage Association has estimated that more than 200,000 new drivers will be needed over the next five years.
“It is therefore our privilege to highlight what a dynamic sector road transport logistics is and to promote the importance of bringing new drivers into the industry.
“It is vital that we recognise the extremely talented individuals working as drivers who deserve the plaudits for the great work they are doing so early in their careers.”
